Accepting a feat of historical dimensions is usually difficult. When Jimmie Johnson clinched back-to-back championships between 2006 and 2010, a huge section of NASCAR doubted him. Questions of integrity battered both Johnson and the Chad Knaus-led team. At the beginning of 2026, Tyler Reddick and Michael Jordan are possibly facing the same fate as Johnson once did – after scripting history in the sport.
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Doubts creep into Michael Jordan’s milestone in NASCAR
“NASCAR radio on SiriusXM is hilarious right now: Good ol’ boys are frothing at the mouth about quitting watching NASCAR because of a conspiracy with 23XI…Y’all need to relax lol,” a NASCAR fan posted on Reddit, soon after Tyler Reddick went three-peat at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday.
The No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota driver started the 2026 season with a bang. Tyler Reddick won the season-opening Daytona 500 race and followed it up with a victory at EchoPark Motor Speedway as well. He did not let it rest just at superspeedways, as the driver ran from the pole to the victory at COTA. In doing so, Reddick became the first Cup Series driver ever, in 78 years of the sport, to win the first three races.
However, Michael Jordan‘s driver and his stack of trophies are attracting undue doubts. 23XI and Front Row Motorsports were heavily engaged in the NASCAR lawsuit, fighting a legal battle with Jim France and Co. just a few months ago. But after an 8-day trial, the lawsuit reached a settlement – the terms of which involved an evergreen charter model and fully restored six charters for both teams. Now, Jordan’s detractors are thinking there were more terms to the agreement, like letting his drivers win races.
Such whispers of conspiracy are rocking the internet right now, given Tyler Reddick‘s fresh wave of success. Nevertheless, his topmost rival at COTA – Shane van Gisbergen – could not disagree more. The Kiwi speedster, who broke his 5-race road course win streak, appreciated Reddick’s finesse.
“Just following Tyler, his driving was immaculate, and his car was very good, too. (We just needed) A little bit of everything. We lacked a little bit of turn and a little bit of drive. Tyler (Reddick, race winner) was just amazing. The way he was driving was really good, and his car was good. We just didn’t quite have enough,” SVG said after the COTA race, where he finished behind Tyler Reddick.
Despite the creeping doubts about his team’s success, Michael Jordan is not bothered. He was grateful to one person who helped Reddick in his journey.
The person who saw it in the beginning
Back in July 2022, Denny Hamlin made a crucial decision that would go on to carve 23XI Racing’s future. The 23XI co-owner announced Tyler Reddick, then a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, as the newest addition to his team. “I watched him, I raced against him. I wanted him, and I got him,” Hamlin said back then. And as we all know by now, Reddick turned out to be a precious asset.
Now, Michael Jordan expressed gratitude to Denny Hamlin for his far-sighted decision.
“I mean, Denny, I’m pretty sure it’s the same way. He feels the same way as I do. And I think a lot of credit goes to him because I think he’s the mastermind behind finding Tyler and putting together, you know, Billy Scott and all that. Look, I just put up the money. I’m just a competitor,” Jordan said. I think Denny’s done an unbelievable job in terms of helping build this team.”
Clearly, Tyler Reddick is already making a legendary team out of 23XI Racing. We cannot wait to see many more milestones, despite the naysayers’ doubts.