“It’s a huge responsibility,” Tyler Reddick on driving for Micheal Jordan in NASCAR
Tyler Reddick praises Micheal Jordan's involvement is his team and reveals his excitement to drive for him and Denny Hamlin.
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Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan
Tyler Reddick joined 23XI Racing, owned by Denny Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan at the end of the 2022 season, preponing his scheduled move to TRD by one year. 23XI veteran Kurt Busch suffering a concussion was the major factor behind the preponement. Driving for a team owned by one of the greatest athletes of all time and a NASCAR legend is a big task, and Reddick is feeling the heat since joining the team in the off-season.
Reddick has been coping with this quite maturely. The driver won his first Cup Series race with RCR in 2022 and moved to 23XI during the off-season. It was only a matter of time before he had to answer questions about how he felt driving for the six-time NBA champion Micheal Jordan. Reddick admitted, “It’s a huge responsibility”.
“That guy has done nothing but win, on and off the race track throughout his whole life. He has done well. That is the tone and the precedence on how we are going to operate and go throughout our year here at 23XI. He has high expectations, and I knew that he was involved, but it is really cool to see, as I’ve been getting integrated into the team, how much he does pay attention, even more so than I expected. It’s all been really good. I’m excited to drive for him and Denny and continue to grow in the right direction that this team and Toyota want us to,” Tyler Reddick said.
Tyler Reddick is excited to drive for Micheal Jordan & Denny Hamlin
“I’m not going to lie, when you sit down and talk with a guy like that, and you talk about the future and him wanting you to drive for his team – if that doesn’t get you excited and find a way to take it to the next level, then I don’t know what will.” Reddick spoke to the reporters at the Daytona 500 media day. He revealed how surprised he was about Jordan’s involvement with the team. The 23XI driver is taken aback by how Jordan is in the loop and always pays attention to what’s happening within the team. It is no surprise that the NBA icon cares deeply for his team, but the level of commitment he has shown impressed Reddick.
Reddick addressed the difference in the level of support from the manufacturer when he moved from the Chevrolet-equipped RCR to the Toyota-equipped 23XI. He feels that the support his team and Joe Gibbs Racing get from Toyota Racing Development is incredible.
Another change for Reddick apart from this team is his new teammate, Bubba Wallace. He genuinely believes he can learn much from the two-time Cup Series race winner. While speaking about Wallace, Reddick mentioned he was in awe of his ability to just jump in and go, “Just how he approaches speedway racing is definitely different than mine.” Besides his full-time series, Reddick is a part-time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving car No. 24 for Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing.
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Justin P Joy
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