In the days leading up to the Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick was sounding the alarm on 23XI Racing and Tyler Reddick. He now thinks the two are in a great spot fresh off their Daytona 500 win.
Harvick believes that Reddick is on a star trajectory following his Daytona 500 win, saying that having Michael Jordan as his owner gives him a “unique advantage” going forward.
“When you have that advantage and being able to go on shows that aren’t going to accept a NASCAR driver that just won any race, all [of] the sudden, it’s the NASCAR driver that drives for Michael Jordan [who is on these shows],” Harvick said on FOX Sports’ “NASCAR Raceday.”
“It brings things to you that you might otherwise not have. That’s the type of situation where Michael Jordan just makes winning the Daytona 500 that much more special because of his reach.”
Reddick was the first driver from Jordan’s 23XI Racing, which was formed in 2020, to win the Daytona 500. We don’t know what impact that win will have on Reddick’s career, but it’s undeniable that the win has helped him garner great attention.
Some of Jordan’s interactions with Reddick following the win drew millions of views across FOX Sports’ social media channels.
But as Jordan and 23XI Racing might help elevate Reddick, Harvick thinks that the 30-year-old driver is in the right mindset to capitalize on the moment. Harvick noted that when he went to speak with Reddick this past week, the driver arrived 10 minutes early to their interview as he remarked on the Daytona 500 winner’s maturity.
“You could just hear it in his voice, he wanted to understand why he didn’t win last year. He wanted to understand what his weaknesses were. He wanted to understand all the things that were happening on the team,” Harvick said. “They had some conversations with each other to say what can we do better.
“We’ll see as the year goes on, but for Tyler, it sure seems like he’s gone through a bunch of things that helped him mature.”
What Michael Jordan’s Daytona 500 victory means for NASCAR 🏁
Reddick’s win at the Daytona 500 certainly helped cool some of the rumors and chatter about his future with 23XI Racing. Prior to the race, Harvick wondered if this could be Reddick’s last year with 23XI Racing as he’s set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Now, after Reddick’s winless 2025 season, Harvick thinks we might just be seeing the start of something great for Reddick and 23XI Racing.
“Our expectations for 23XI and Tyler are to be winners. Tyler Reddick went to 23XI to try and win more races and become that championship contender. When you start the year off by winning the biggest race of the year, you do the victory tour for winning the Daytona 500 and you put your name on that trophy next to all those great stars and hugging Michael Jordan, those are the expectations we have for the team and the driver.”
