Tyler Reddick Breaks Silence Michael Jordan Daytona 500 Victory Lane Celebration Backlash  

23XI Racing’s 2026 Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick has shared his thoughts on viral Michael Jordan video from the victory lane.

Tyler Reddick Breaks Silence Michael Jordan Daytona 500 Victory Lane Celebration Backlash  

Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick lifting the Daytona 500 trophy (Image via Complex Sports/X)

No:45 Toyota driver Tyler Reddick made history on last Sunday, winning the 2026 Daytona 500 for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, redeeming himself as well as the team from a controversial 2025 season. Amidst the festivities, a video of the NBA legends interactions with the driver’s son on the victory lane went viral.

Some alleged online that Michael Jordan was behaving inappropriately with Tyler Reddick’s son Beau. On his appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show, the Daytona 500 champion was asked about moment, which he previously refused addressed. He was clearly disappointed with the backlash, as he couldn’t see anything abnormal with the situation.

From my perspective, I’ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I’ve been here with 23XI, and I don’t see what other people see when it comes to this. For me, it’s a huge moment; this is the biggest moment of my career.

Tyler Reddick said via Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show.

It was a huge moment for everyone from the 23XI community and Reddick family. They were celebrating their hearts out in the victory lane and the moment was nothing but an innocent interaction between Jordan and Beau, who also had similar moments in the past after wins. He seems to indicate that it was nothing more than a manufactured backlash.  

It’s a huge moment for my family and for his family, and I just put that off to the side and think about the look on [Michael Jordan’s wife] Yvette’s face and the whole family and his whole group when they got to victory lane too, and how happy everybody was celebrating together. So, that’s where I’m at with it.

Tyler Reddick added.

Tyler Reddick explains what is means to race for Michael Jordan

In the same conversation later, the Daytona 500 champion explained how special it is for him to drive for Michael Jordan. He admitted that having the trust of his owners MJ and Denny Hamlin to be the number one driver at the team is special.

Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan
Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan (Image credits – The New York Times)

You know, three or four years when I was working on where am I gonna go in the future, to have someone like Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin say, ‘You’re the guy we want more than anyone else in the field to drive our No. 45 car.’ I mean, to have someone like the driver Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, who has accomplished everything that he has in his career and his life… to have those words said about you by those two people is stuff you never dream to become reality.

Tyler Reddick said.

He cherishes the admiration from the duo that are among the best ever in their respective sports. Tyeler Reddick wants to deliver more such clutch moments for his team in the coming years. The No:45 car is 23XI’s best shot at winning the championship and becoming the fourth elite team in the garage behind the big-3, so the owners will continue invest more on Reddick. It would be interesting to whether that will be rewarding.

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