NASCAR opened its 2026 season with the Dayton 500 on Sunday. Tyler Reddick led one lap, but it was the winning one, as he took the Daytona 500, winning the race for the first time for team 23XI.
After the race, team owner Michael Jordan spoke about winning the crown jewel of NASCAR, per Fox Sports.
“It feels like I won a championship,” Jordan said following the victory for Tyler Reddick.
The celebration continues in Victory Lane for Tyler Reddick, Michael Jordan and 23XI Racing. pic.twitter.com/HWGcNLKbCo
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 15, 2026
Jordan, who owns and operates the team in conjunction with Denny Hamlin, has never won the Daytona 500. Currently, Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, Corey Heim, and Reddick drive for the team. The team started in 2020 and got their first win in 2021, when Wallace won at Talladgea. Wallace also had the best finish for the team at Daytona, finishing as the runner-up in 2022 for the number 23 car.
Before the race, Jordan spoke to Fox Sports about his team.
“We got a couple of young kids that are learning. We've got a couple of veterans that are going to be up front. I think we've got a good team, good leaders and hopefully one of the four — I'll take any one of the four — wins,” Jordan said. “I want to see us at the end, all four cars, which is very difficult, especially at a race like this. You just need to avoid the big one. But if we can put ourselves in a good position, that's all I'll ever ask for.”
One of those veterans is Reddick. Reddick has nine wins overall, including his Daytona 500 victory. His first race was the 2019 500, and his first win came in the 2022 Kwik Trip 250 at Road America. He won the Xfinity series in both 2018 and 2-19, while winning the regular season at the Cup series level in 2024.
Reddick and the rest of the drivers return to the track next week at the Autotrader 400 in Atlanta.
