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Michael Jordan’s Team Wins the Great American Race After a Year of Reckoning
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 15, 2026 — On a night defined by speed, wreckage and razor-thin margins, Tyler Reddick delivered a finish that will live in both NASCAR lore and Michael Jordan’s expanding competitive résumé.
Reddick won the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, giving 23XI Racing its first victory in “The Great American Race” and placing Michael Jordan in Victory Lane at Daytona 500 for the first time.
It was, Jordan said afterward, “like winning a championship all over again.”
A Race of Chaos and Precision
The 2026 edition of the Daytona 500 unfolded as a case study in modern superspeedway volatility. The race featured 25 different leaders and 65 lead changes, a relentless churn of drafting lines and split-second calculations. Reddick led only one lap. It was the one that mattered.
Coming off the final turn on the 2.5-mile tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway, Reddick received a decisive push from 23XI teammate Riley Herbst. The shove propelled the No. 45 Toyota past Chase Elliott just as a multi-car accident erupted behind them.
The “Big One,” as it is known in Daytona parlance, swallowed much of the field. Reddick, however, was clear.
He crossed the finish line 0.308 seconds ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., securing his ninth career Cup Series victory and snapping a 38-race winless streak that dated back to 2024. The triumph automatically locks him into the 2026 NASCAR Playoffs, granting 23XI Racing breathing room for the remainder of the regular season.
Jordan’s Exhale
Jordan, who turns 63 this week, celebrated with visible emotion. In Victory Lane he wrapped Reddick, listed at 5-foot-5, in a bear hug and briefly lifted him off the ground.
“I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say,” Jordan told reporters. “It feels like I won a championship.”
He added, with a grin, that his championship ring size is 13.
The symbolism was difficult to miss. Just two months earlier, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports finalized a settlement in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, ending a 15-month legal standoff that had cast uncertainty over the sport’s franchise system.
Sunday’s victory provided a different kind of statement.
From Courtroom to Checkered Flag
The December 2025 settlement addressed central concerns raised by 23XI and Front Row about NASCAR’s charter system, revenue distribution and governance structure.
According to terms announced publicly at the time, the agreement included:
• The establishment of evergreen or permanent charters, providing long-term stability and franchise value for teams.
• Adjustments to revenue-sharing mechanisms, including a more favorable distribution of media rights income.
• Greater team representation in governance discussions shaping the sport’s future.
Jordan described the legal process as difficult but necessary.
“It forced tough conversations,” he said in Daytona. “But it also led to a much better appreciation on both sides.”
In Victory Lane, Jordan and NASCAR CEO Jim France exchanged handshakes and smiles, a visual coda to months of tension.
A Team’s Evolution
Founded in 2020 by Jordan and Denny Hamlin, 23XI Racing entered the Cup Series with bold ambition and the financial muscle to compete with established powerhouses. The team has collected race wins before, but Daytona had eluded it.
The Daytona 500 is not simply another race. It is NASCAR’s Super Bowl, its season opener and commercial showcase, the one event casual fans recognize. Winning it confers credibility that transcends points standings.
For 23XI, the victory affirms both competitive execution and organizational resilience. The team navigated legal uncertainty, sponsor scrutiny and the high-wire nature of superspeedway racing, emerging with both structural security and the sport’s most iconic trophy.
The Road Ahead
With the Daytona 500 secured, 23XI Racing now turns to the Autotrader 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22. Reddick’s playoff berth allows the team to pursue consistency and experimentation in equal measure, positioning itself for a championship run later this year.
But for one February night in Florida, the larger arc belonged to Jordan.
He arrived in NASCAR as an outsider with championship pedigree and a desire to broaden the sport’s audience. He endured a bruising legal confrontation over its economic structure. And now, he leaves Daytona with the Harley J. Earl Trophy in hand.
In basketball, Jordan built his legacy on last shots and final possessions. At Daytona, his team waited for the last lap.
