Daytona Beach, United States– Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, 23XI Racing, secured its first Daytona 500 title Sunday as driver Tyler Reddick executed a last-lap pass to win the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, according to race officials and team statements. The victory delivered Jordan a landmark achievement as a team owner and marked a pivotal moment for the organization early in the 2026 season.
Reddick, 30, led only the final lap of the 500-mile race, navigating late-race crashes and overtaking competitors to capture his ninth career NASCAR Cup Series victory and first since 2024. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano finished second and third, respectively, in the closing order.
The win represented the first Daytona 500 triumph for 23XI Racing, the team Jordan co-owns with driver Denny Hamlin. Jordan celebrated in Victory Lane with Reddick and later said the moment felt comparable to winning an NBA championship, reflecting the emotional significance of the achievement.
Reddick’s victory followed a challenging 2025 season in which he went winless while managing personal family health concerns, making the result especially meaningful for the driver and team.
The milestone also came weeks after 23XI Racing and other teams resolved a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR that reshaped revenue-sharing and charter arrangements, stabilizing the organization’s long-term competitive outlook.
Jordan and Hamlin founded 23XI Racing in 2020, entering NASCAR competition in 2021 and expanding the program in subsequent seasons. The Daytona 500 victory adds the sport’s most prestigious race to the team’s résumé and signals growing influence within the Cup Series.
The NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to continue next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway as teams shift focus to the second race of the 2026 calendar.
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Hannah Price is a digital journalist who covers breaking news, global events, and trending stories with accuracy and speed. She has previously contributed to several online magazines and has built a reputation for verifying facts before publishing. Hannah believes in responsible reporting and aims to present stories in a way that readers can trust.
