Jordan gets the Magic’s attention after Tyler Reddick’s COTA win
Michael Jordan still has reason to celebrate decades after his retirement from the NBA, as 23KSI Racing’s Tyler Reddick emerged victorious at the Circuit of The Americaswinning the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix. Along the way, Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history to win the first three races of a season.
Since the NASCAR Cup Series is co-owned only by MJ, she brought a congratulatory message from none other than Magic Johnson.
“I want to congratulate my friend Michael Jordan once again! His 23KSI Racing team has won their 3 consecutive NASCAR races to start the 2026 season making NASCAR history! 👏🏾” he wrote on Ks.
This was Reddick’s 11th career Cup victory and second overall at COTA. He led a record 58 of 95 laps, controlled the final restart on lap 79 and held off one of the best racers in the field, Shane van Gisbergen, who was chasing a sixth consecutive road course victory. The margin, 3.944 seconds, looked comfortable only on paper. In the first half of the 16-lap green-flag final, van Gisbergen was within striking distance before Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota Camry gradually pulled up the hill into Turn 1.
The win pushed Reddick to a commanding 70 points over teammate Bubba Wallace. That means MJ’s 23KSI Racing now has three full-time entries and is a legitimate championship contender.
Further, Reddick’s post-race celebration, during which he held up three fingers, was a direct nod to Jordan’s iconic NBA matchups 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, the win is a statement of intent for 23KSI Racing, which features Bubba Wallace (No. 23), Riley Herbst (No. 35) and Reddick (No. 45).
2026-03-03 07:12:00
