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“If I’d Have Lost…”—Michael Jordan’s Latest NASCAR Recruit Reveals a Hilarious Bet That Made a Very Important Decision

Published 01/22/2023, 4:25 AM EST

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For Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, 2023 is expected to be an inflection point. With two full seasons in the bank and major changes in the drivers’ line-up, performances in 2023 could set the direction that the team takes in NASCAR.

The driving line-up for 23XI has a couple of shake-ups this season. With Kurt Busch, unfortunately, sidelined for the foreseeable future, the team brought in Tyler Reddick. The former Richard Childress Racing driver has proved his mettle in the Xfinity Series with consecutive title wins (2018 and 2019).

Can Tyler Reddick fill the Busch-shaped hole at 23XI Racing?

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But after his three full seasons in the Cup Series, the driver is yet to emulate the same performances. Presumably, that’s the reason why his best memories in racing are also from the second-tier competition.

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In a video released by Charlotte Hornets, Reddick and Kelly Oubre Jr were seen talking about their careers. When asked, “Best sports memory?” Reddick narrated an incident: “Second Xfinity Championship that I won. Me and my girlfriend, Alexa, had a kid on the way. For me, that race was really big.

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“If I won that Championship… we made a bet that if I won the Championship, I get to name my son Beau, but if I lost she’d have whatever name that she wanted. And she had some names that I didn’t really like. So, win that second consecutive Championship with that second team the following year was a pretty big deal for me,” he told the Hornets’ star.

Reddick is still a young driver. He will now be under the tutelage of seasoned greats like Kurt Busch and Hamlin. Hopefully, he will have new best memories to share.

How was Reddick’s early move facilitated?

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Reddick had done well in the Xfinity Series and was among the most sought-after talents for many teams. Jordan and Hamlin got to him the quickest, tying him down in a deal starting in 2024.

But as NASCAR has always shown—plans rarely, if ever, go to plan. The now-infamous crash that Busch was involved in at Pocono ended up changing a lot of things. On the one hand, Busch was sidelined from racing due to his injuries. But on the other hand, 23XI was put in a serious conundrum. They had Busch contracted until the end of 2023 but found themselves in need of a replacement a year sooner.

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Things however ended up falling in places for a lot of people. 23XI bought out Reddick’s remaining contract (for 2023), which cleared a seat for Kyle Busch to come in and take at RCR.

Unfortunately, it was the older Busch who was handed the short end of the stick. He still remains sidelined, as he revealed at the recently held Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

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Fans would love nothing more than to see Kurt Busch race again. Whether that’s possible or not, only time can tell. Hopefully, the veteran gets his last chance.

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Written by:

Abhay Tyagi

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Abhay Tyagi is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in Law and Management, he has always been eager to venture into the exciting field of sports journalism. With a special affinity for Engineering and Speed, Abhay has always found the world of Formula 1 quite exhilarating.
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