HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on the track or off, Michael Jordan continues to excel in NASCAR.
For the second Sunday in a row, the basketball legend and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in victory lane with driver Tyler Reddick, this time following a thrilling race at Echo Park Speedway.
Jordan’s team now boasts the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace. The six-time NBA champion also secured a championship ring last week with Reddick at the Daytona 500, the pinnacle of stock-car racing.
plus, Jordan achieved a significant legal milestone in December by settling a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR, ensuring a permanent franchise-style model and the long-term viability of his team.
“The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan remarked after Reddick’s victory on Sunday, referring to the intense court battle that concluded with him reaching an agreement with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept grinding, and this is the reward for their labor. Their effort really shows, and winning the first two races is a testament to our entire team.”
This particularly highlights Reddick’s remarkable performance, who became the fourth driver ever to win the Daytona 500, leading only on the final lap.
This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta, including the final two laps in a double-overtime restart. He seized the lead from Wallace despite damage to the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota due to a nine-car incident on the 224th lap of the scheduled 260. Reddick dropped two laps behind for repairs but stormed back from 27th to secure his 10th career victory.
“I mean, that’s wild, isn’t it?” said Reddick, who became the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back into the top five, and I stayed committed to someone.”
He received crucial support from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain finished third, followed by the Spire Motorsports duo of Carson Hocevar (who initiated a major crash in the first overtime) and Daniel Suarez.
“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain remarked. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us away so quickly.”
In a race characterized by a track-record 57 lead changes, Wallace was leading going into the final restart but ended up eighth. Nevertheless, he earned the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage and leading 46 laps.
“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan commented. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an outstanding day. But Tyler really drove hard. I’m thrilled for Tyler and for 23XI.”
Green turns to yellow
Austin Cindric capitalized on a stretch of 61 green-flag laps to start the race, winning the first stage after starting in 30th place.
This marks the second consecutive year that the first stage of the February race was completed without a caution flag—an unusual feat for a track known for turmoil since its 2022 redesign into a high-banked drafting oval.
Cautions picked up considerably in the second stage, with three yellow flags occurring within 40 laps, affecting 16 cars and eliminating notable drivers like Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment concluded under yet another yellow after defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson collided with Shane van Gisbergen, slamming into the outside wall.
No Las Vegas love lost
Busch was frustrated after his No. 8 Chevrolet was “rammed” exiting Turn 2 by Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Ford on lap 125.
even if both drivers are from Las Vegas, Busch, 40, felt no camaraderie regarding Gragson’s aggressive racing, especially given Gragson’s significantly younger age.
“He didn’t give me a chance to make sure I was straight before hitting me or gently bumping me to gain momentum,” Busch said, who finished 33rd. “He just drove right through me.”
Up next
The NASCAR Cup Series will head to the Circuit of the Americas, the first road course of the 2026 season, on Sunday, March 1. Christopher Bell outpaced Kyle Busch and William Byron to win at the Austin, Texas track last year.
