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23XI Racing co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan were both present on the victory lane for the first time celebrating their team's triumph at Talladega Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick, behind the wheel of the #45 Jordan Brand Toyota, won the GEICO 500 on April 21.
Jordan, one of the most popular athletes, has attended several NASCAR races since assuming the role of team owner. The Chicago Bulls legend missed out on celebrating the team's maiden victory at the same track in 2021. He was in attendance at the GEICO 500 last year, only to witness Bubba Wallace unfortunately crash out on the last lap fighting for the lead.
Tyler Reddick's victory, the sixth for the organization, marked the first occasion Jordan joined the team in victory lane. Co-owner Denny Hamlin recognized that Jordan's presence elevated the significance of the victory for the team.
"Michael, how excited he was. It's a big deal. You can't downplay it in any kind of way, I'm sure they got Michael highlights going all over the damn place on social media. Certainly, Jared, you got the great photo of us kinda embracing there in the victory lane," Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental. [54:02]
The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver added that Reddick's victory served as evidence that Jordan's presence didn't harbor bad luck. He added:
"It was his first time that he got to experience that... He's no longer bad luck that's for sure. We had some good fortune today."
After Reddick crossed the checkered flag, the garage area burst into celebration. While the #45 Toyota driver was celebrating on the front stretch, Michael Jordan shared a wholesome moment with the Reddick family, lifting Reddick's son Beau into his arms to celebrate the victory.
Denny Hamlin elaborates on his emotional turmoil of being an owner/driver
In the third stage of the race, Tyler Reddick was leading the Toyota pack, while Denny Hamlin was running mid pack. Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace initiated a wreck, taking out half of the pack including Hamlin.
After exiting the care center, Hamlin admitted that he was disappointed with the result but felt a sudden wave of excitement after Reddick won the race. The owner/driver reflected on the quick turn of events in the final laps of the race.
"My emotions went from wanting to get the hell out of there, to suddenly being happy and excited. I still find myself hard because I'm such a tough competitor, getting away from the emotion of 'Damn my day just sucked.'" he said on his podcast [52:45]
"Oddly enough when my cars have won, I usually had a pretty good day myself... But today was like, 'Oh God I finished like last, I left there with no points' and all of sudden my brain has to shift to 'Oh I need to be excited right now.'"
Ten races into the season, Hamlin occupies sixth place in the Drivers' standings, one spot behind Reddick.
