NASCAR veteran makes a joke after Michael Jordan’s driver Tyler Reddick wins at Homestead 

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace poked fun at the 23XI Racing team after driver Tyler Reddick won the playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wallace took on X (formerly Twitter) and said the team suing NASCAR is heading to the Championship 4.

23XI Racing, co-owned by six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, sued NASCAR for their newly revised charter agreement. The team, along with Front Row Motorsports, didn’t sign the new charter agreement, leaving them without guaranteed race entries for the upcoming seasons.

Kenny Wallace made a joke on X about the ongoing 23XI-NASCAR situation, saying:

”The team that is suing NASCAR just locked themselves in the championship race.”

The Homestead-Miami race witnessed Tyler Reddick crossing the line ahead of Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, respectively. The three drivers had a last-lap showdown where the No. 45 Toyota driver passed Hamlin in the bottom lane before overtaking Blaney in the top lane to win the race.

With Tyler Reddick’s victory at Homestead-Miami, the driver now has eight wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. He also punched his ticket to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. It will be the driver and Michael Jordan’s 23XI team’s first trip to the Championship 4.

Tyler Reddick drove the No. 45 Toyota to victory at Homestead-Miami - Source: Imagn

While 23XI Racing prepares for the two final races of the season, the team continues its legal battle against NASCAR led by Jeffrey Kessler, a renowned antitrust, sports law, and trial lawyer. The team filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to allow them to compete in the league.

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Michael Jordan interrupted Tyler Reddick’s post-race interview for a big hug at Homestead-Miami

Michael Jordan gave Tyler Reddick a big hug after winning the Straight Talk Wireless 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 23XI Racing team co-owner and NBA Hall of Famer applauded Reddick for the race win that locked the No. 45 team in the championship race.

While embracing his driver, Jordan said (via X user @YaBoyTBall_):

“Yeah, baby, yeah! Good job kid. Man, good job.”

Speaking with NBC Sports, Michael Jordan reflected on the late caution that helped Tyler Reddick secure the win, saying:

“We knew we needed a caution and anything can happen after that. Little kid drove his *ss off [...] He went for it. We needed this."

The aforementioned caution was thrown on lap 255 after Kyle Larson spun, battling Ryan Blaney for the lead. The caution rewarded Reddick’s strategy to pit three laps earlier. He stayed out to take P1 while all the lead lap cars pitted on lap 257.

While Ryan Blaney passed Reddick on the penultimate lap, the No. 45 driver drove his way back to the front on the final lap to bring home the victory.

After the Homestead-Miami race, Tyler Reddick is the top-seeded driver in the playoff standings ahead of Joey Logano. Christopher Bell and William Byron are seated on the bubble, leaving Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott below the elimination cutline.