Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame resume includes six NBA championships, six Finals MVP awards, five league MVP honors, two Olympic gold medals and more. But he came up short Sunday in his bid to add a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Jordan’s 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick finished sixth in the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, the fourth of the four contenders for the 2024 title. 23XI Racing is co-owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. 23XI Racing, pronounced twenty-three eleven in honor of Jordan’s legendary No. 23 jersey and Hamlin’s iconic No. 11 car, was founded in 2020.
Joey Logano won the race to capture his third career championship. Logano’s Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who won last year’s title, finished second, and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron finished third. Two drivers who were eliminated from championship contention last weekend finished fourth and fifth on Sunday: Kyle Larson, the 2021 series champion, and Christopher Bell, who made the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season.
“It was good year for us,” Reddick said after the race. “Won in the right moments, just hoping for a little bit more of that magic today and wasn’t meant to be.”
Despite Reddick’s sixth-place finish in the season’s finale race, the No. 45 Toyota driver will finish fourth in the final standings.
Reddick spoke before the race about Jordan’s impact during his 2024 championship chase and what it meant to drive for him.
“Probably the biggest thing was just be able to do it for Michael,” Reddick told NBC Sports. “For me when he talks about racing and basketball are different but the mindset you have to have as a competitor, there are similaries there. There’s a lot of things he’s been able to talk to us about, help us with, and really be impactful each time he’s had the opportunity to talk to us about those things.
“Even in just casual conversation in the hauler before a race, he has a way of really just getting us all motivated and excited for what lies ahead. … He really cares about (NASCAR). You can hear it in his voice when he talks about it, see it in his demeanor; he’s really locked in to what’s going on.”
The 28-year-old Reddick earned his first Championship 4 berth following a win at Homestead–Miami Speedway in October, using a spectacular last-lap pass to win the playoff race. Jordan was on hand for the victory and was all smiles on pit road as Reddick took the checkered flag to secure what seemed liked an unlikely win down the stretch.
“Oh, man, he just let go. He just went for it and I’m glad,” Jordan said. “Little kid drove his ass off… I’m proud of him.”
In addition to Homestead, Reddick secured victories at Talladega Superspeedway in April and Michigan International Speedway in August.
Contributing: Ellen J. Horrow
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Jordan, Tyler Reddick come up short in NASCAR championship bid
