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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 08: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing looks on during the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 08, 2026 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Bristol Motor Speedway delivered another intense short-track race, but much of the focus after Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> event shifted to what Michael Jordan<\/a> said to Tyler Reddick. Following a hard-fought fourth-place finish, the 23XI Racing co-owner shared a message that quickly drew attention across the garage.<\/p>\n Reddick had just completed one of his strongest short-track performances of the season, overcoming early issues and battling through a physical race. The result not only added valuable points but also showed progress in an area that has challenged him this year, making Jordan\u2019s post-race reaction stand out even more.<\/p>\n Reddick Overcomes Early Setback to Secure Strong Finish<\/p>\n Reddick said after the race that the result felt important for the team. \u201cIt feels really good,\u201d he told FOX Sports. He pointed to an early issue that could have changed the outcome. \u201cYeah, for me, unfortunately, miscommunication before that first pit sequence. Just had my wrong mark. It was a really good bounce-back for our Toyota Camry. Billy [Scott, crew chief], everybody on this 45 team did a really good job.\u201d<\/p>\n The race demanded constant focus. Reddick dealt with heavy traffic and ongoing car issues, making each lap difficult. \u201cYeah, we had to fight for it all day long. We had more speed this time around, which was great, but unfortunately still fighting brake and steering issues along the way. Very physical day inside the race car. I may even take a day off tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Despite those challenges, the No. 45 car remained competitive late in the race. Reddick held his position against pressure from faster cars on fresh tires and secured the top-five finish. The result earned him 33 points and helped maintain his lead in the standings.<\/p>\n Michael Jordan Reacts to Reddick\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series Performance<\/p>\n Team co-owner Michael Jordan<\/a> watched the race closely and spoke with Reddick afterward. He acknowledged<\/a> the difficulty of the closing laps and the strength of the competition. \u201cI thought you may pull it off but then again, they had some good tires coming behind you. The 5 [Kyle Larson] and the 12 [Ryan Blaney], they were coming pretty hard. That was a good day.\u201d<\/p>\n Jordan then added a comment that quickly stood out. \u201c\u2026 On a short track, you should be happy. I should be hugging you.\u201d<\/p>\n His reaction reflected the progress the team has made on short tracks. Reddick has already won four races this season, but Bristol showed improvement in an area that had limited his results. The ability to recover from an early mistake and stay competitive through mechanical issues marked a step forward for the team.<\/p>\n Points Boost and Momentum Heading to Kansas<\/p>\n The fourth-place finish strengthened Reddick\u2019s position in the championship standings. He now holds a 62-point lead, giving him control as the season continues. The result also ended a run of inconsistent finishes on short tracks for 23XI Racing.<\/p>\n The team now shifts focus to Kansas Speedway, where Reddick has previously won. The strong result at Bristol provides momentum as the schedule moves away from short tracks.<\/p>\n While the race did not end in a win, the outcome delivered important points and showed clear progress. For Reddick and the No. 45 team, the performance confirmed that their short-track program is improving at a key point in the season.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a writer covering NASCAR, Formula 1, and the IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. He has also written for Sportsnaut, FanSided, Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. Wilberforce focuses on the NASCAR Cup Series, breaking down news, driver stories, and key moments with a clear, fast, and engaging style. His work connects headlines to context, helping readers understand what matters most in the sport. 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 AVONDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 08: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing looks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-601519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601519","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=601519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}