![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2233095008-e1759265877490.jpg\")
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Michael Jordan looks on during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2025 <\/p>\n
Tyler Reddick made NASCAR history on February 15 by winning the 2026 Daytona 500<\/a> at Daytona International Speedway.\u00a0 This dramatic finish delivered a landmark victory for 23XI Racing<\/a>, the NASCAR Cup Series team co-owned by NBA<\/a> legend Michael Jordan<\/a> and Denny Hamlin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following the checkered flag, attention quickly turned from the on-track action to a viral Victory Lane celebration involving Jordan and Reddick\u2019s six-year-old son.<\/p>\n A short video of the iconic Daytona 500 ice celebration went viral on social media. In response, Tyler Reddick addressed the moment publicly two days later, offering his firsthand perspective on the post-race festivities and defending the joyful interaction.<\/p>\n Tyler Reddick Addresses The Clip And Defends Jordan<\/p>\n Tyler Reddick spoke about the video during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith\u2019s SiriusXM show<\/a>. He said he had no concerns about what happened in Victory Lane and described the moment as part of a shared celebration between families.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom my perspective, I\u2019ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I\u2019ve been here with 23XI, and I don\u2019t see what other people see when it comes to this. For me, it\u2019s a huge moment; this is the biggest moment of my career. It\u2019s 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\u2019s wife] Yvette\u2019s 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\u2019s where I\u2019m at with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tyler Reddick made clear that he viewed the interaction as positive and tied to the excitement of the win. He emphasized the shared joy in Victory Lane and pointed to the reaction of those present during the celebration.<\/p>\n Michael Jordan Shares Emotional Reaction After Daytona 500 Victory<\/p>\n Jordan reacted emotionally<\/a> after the race while celebrating the Daytona 500 victory with the team in Victory Lane.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what it feels like to win a championship. We\u2019ve built this from the ground up, and to see it pay off like this. It\u2019s indescribable. I can\u2019t even believe it. It\u2019s so gratifying. We had four guys really fighting and helping each other out. You never know how these races will end. You try to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s reaction highlights the often-overlooked teamwork behind superspeedway finishes, pointing to the crucial role Riley\u2019s late push played in the outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Riley did an unbelievable job pushing at the end. That shows what teamwork can really do. He doesn\u2019t get enough credit and probably won\u2019t, but we feel the love, and we understand exactly what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Jordan has not publicly addressed the allegations. NASCAR has issued no statements or investigations. With the situation addressed publicly by Tyler Reddick, attention returns to Racing.<\/p>\n The NASCAR Cup Series now moves to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Reddick will compete following his Daytona 500 victory and early-season points boost for 23XI Racing.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Michael Jordan looks on during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485435,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-485434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485434\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}