Decades after his retirement from the NBA, Michael Jordan still has reason to celebrate, as 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick triumphed at Circuit of the Americas, winning the Duramax Texas Grand Prix. Along the way, Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history to win the opening three races of a season.
Since the NASCAR Cup Series organization is co-owned by none other than MJ, it came with a congratulatory message from none other than Magic Johnson.
"I want to congratulate my friend Michael Jordan once again! His 23XI Racing team made NASCAR history by winning their third consecutive NASCAR race to start the 2026 season! 👏🏾" he wrote on X.
It was Reddick's 11th career Cup win and second overall at COTA. He led a race-high 58 of the 95 laps, controlled the final restart on Lap 79, and defeated one of the field's best road-course racers, Shane van Gisbergen, who was chasing his sixth consecutive road-course victory. The margin, 3.944 seconds, looked comfortable only on paper. For the first part of the final 16-lap green-flag run, Van Gisbergen was in striking distance of Reddick's No. 45 Toyota Camry before slowly pulling up the hill into Turn 1.
The win gave Reddick a solid 70-point lead over teammate Bubba Wallace. This means MJ's 23XI Racing now has three full-time entries and is a legitimate championship contender.
Additionally, Redick's post-game celebration, during which he raised three fingers, was a direct allusion to Jordan's iconic NBA three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. Defending race winner Christopher Bell finished third.
Ty Gibbs and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five while Hendrick Motorsports fielded Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in sixth and seventh. Regardless, this win shows the intent of 23XI Racing, which includes players like Bubba Wallace (No. 23), Riley Herbst (No. 35), and Reddick (No. 45).
