Insider muses on Michael Jordan’s ‘huge’ presence in NASCAR after Tyler Reddick wins Daytona 500

NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discuss Michael Jordan’s contribution to the sport. They called him a “very emotional” ambassador, seeing how engaged and expressive he was after Tyler Reddick’s Daytona 500 win.

Reddick handed co-owners Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan their first Daytona 500 win. Jordan can now add another ring to his collection, while Hamlin enjoys a fourth.

After a year-long legal dispute with the sport, 23XI Racing and NASCAR have found common ground on the historic settlement, and much has been discussed about their immediate reconciliation.

Gluck shared how CEO Jim France and Denny Hamlin embraced each other after the courtroom drama. The same thing was repeated on Sunday when France received Jordan in Al-Nasr Lane.

In the last episode of Destruction podcast, Gluck reflected on the change, saying,

“It’s a sign that NASCAR can now embrace his presence more and it looks like he’s going to do more. The fact that he’s doing these interviews and all this stuff, I think is big. I think it’s huge.”

“You have this guy who is so passionate and he’s like the biggest fan,” Bianchi added. “How many garage team owners do we see that are fans like that? There are some but not many.”

During the victory lane celebrations, Michael Jordan wore his emotions on his sleeve and called it a worthy moment of heroism.

Denny Hamlin reflects on fanning Michael Jordan’s “competitive flame” with a Daytona victory

Denny Hamlin was a man with mixed emotions Sunday. He saw his chances evaporate after being involved in a final-stage wreck, where he finished two laps down in the No. 11 JGR Toyota. On the other hand, he got to experience a Daytona win as a majority team owner.

In a post-race interview, Hamlin shared how the team owes its success to the commitment of Michael Jordan.

“We had great conversations over the offseason about, you know, we have the honor of feeding his competitive fire. And we have to take that responsibility very seriously. Look at the joy he had at Talladega last time, you know, two years ago, there’s not much in life that can give him that joy. But we’re on the track winning races that can do that, and you saw it here at the end of this race.”

Tyler Reddick won the Great American Race after leading on just the final lap, making him the fourth driver to do so. Notably, he was also the only driver to be helped by a teammate on the final lap, and Michael Jordan made sure to mention Riley Herbst’s contribution during his interview.

Herbst tried for the win as well, but found Brad Keselowski in the blind spot and wreaked havoc on his way to the finish.