Michael Jordan is quite literally off to a perfect start in the NASCAR Cup Series this year as Tyler Reddick, the top driver of his 23XI Racing Team, has won each of the first two races. But while Reddick has dominated, his No. 23 driver Bubba Wallace has been left frustrated by the first two races.
Wallace finished 10th in the Daytona 500 last week despite having the most laps led. Then in Sunday’s Autotrader 400 he seemed to poised to win the overtime restart before being pushed wide, opening the door for Reddick to win again, and relegating him to eighth.
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The Airman was certainly one proud boss after securing back-to-back wins for the first time. But he also acknowledged that things have been rough for Wallace.
Following Reddick’s race win in Atlanta, Jordan had high praise for Reddick. As for Wallace, he admitted that he felt bad for him but still praised him for “an unbelievable day” of strong racing.
“I don’t know what to say,” Jordan said, via Daily Express U.S. “I mean, really, I can’t say anything. Tyler did an unbelievable job.
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“I mean, both teams did an unbelievable job. Look, I wanted him to win. I feel bad for Bubba because he obviously had an unbelievable day, but Tyler drove his ass off.
“I’m very happy for Tyler, I’m very happy for 23XI. I mean the giuys work hard all summer. I know we had our little ordeal, but we never gave up.
“They kept working hard and this is the fruit of their labors. For us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our team.”
A perfect start for 23XI Racing
2026 has truly been cathartic for Michael Jordan and his 23XI Racing partners. 2025 ended with an historic settlement with NASCAR that saw the oft-criticized racing circuit really cut down to size while Jordan and many other teams reaped big benefits in exchange for ending his lawsuit.
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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK – AUGUST 08: NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and co-owner of 23XI Racing looks on from the 23XI Racing pit box during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 08, 2021 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Now we’re just two weeks into the 2026 NASCAR season and his two top drivers hold positions 1-2 on the NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard. Reddick has already qualified for the playoffs and has 125 points, while Wallace has 85 points. Even No. 35 driver Riley Herbst has had a strong start, ranking 23rd on points after his best-ever finish to a race (eighth at the Daytona 500 nine days ago).
The stage is truly set for Jordan to have an historic year as a NASCAR owner.
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This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
