Michael Jordan’s Daytona 500 ring: Tyler Reddick’s 1-lap lead delivers NASCAR’s biggest win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion, is now a Daytona 500 winner, too.

Tyler Reddick won “The Great American Race” on Sunday with a last-lap pass at Daytona International Speedway that sent Jordan into a frantic celebration. The NBA Hall of Famer bear-hugged Reddick in victory lane and then jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl trophy with the 23XI Racing driver.

Jordan, who turns 63 on Tuesday, will get a Daytona 500 ring for his birthday and made it known in victory lane he wears a size 13.

“It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won’t even know,” Jordan said.

The moment captured the message team co-owner Denny Hamlin — who finished 31st in Sunday’s bid to become the third driver in history to win four Daytona 500s — delivered to 23XI employees in a team meeting ahead of NASCAR’s season opener.

“He loves his race team,” Hamlin said, adding he reminded the team of the fulfillment they saw in Jordan when Reddick won at Talladega in 2024. “I was like ‘You know, you guys understand the responsibilities you have, that you have the power to bring joy to Michael Jordan. You have that power and nobody else can do it.’

“There’s nothing else that can bring him the joy that seeing what his team can do and they took it to heart.”