Michael Jordan seized the right opportunity in NASCAR, becoming 23XI Racing’s co-owner alongside Denny Hamlin. The team, in partnership with Toyota, has already achieved several competitive performances with new and upcoming drivers since 2021 and has recently expanded to a three-car operation. This has helped him expand his influence beyond the court, increasing his brand’s visibility and commercial appeal.

While they’ve had a few promising drivers, one in particular proved to be the most competitive, but his questionable performance in 2025 has put him in a difficult position. With an uncertain future, he heads into 2026, still hoping for the best.

The 23XI Racing Struggle

There has been enough on 23XI’s management’s plate throughout 2025. Both Hamlin and Jordan had to struggle with the antitrust lawsuit, but they also faced an internal challenge.

“I’m not worried,” Reddick tells Bob Pockrass, speaking of his future with the team and in the sport. “More so than anything, I’m a race-car driver, and I show up with the intent to compete for wins every single week. So that’s what’s really important to me.”

Tyler Reddick, who had proven himself as a race winner with elite racecraft, failed to win a single race throughout the season. He lingered around the top five in multiple events and even managed a second-place finish at Daytona.

Despite coming painfully close on several occasions, he remained distant from a victory. Yet, through it all, his dedication and mindset remain unbreakable.

Coming from a winless season into a year of uncertainty, it is no surprise that Tyler Reddick is more focused on winning races. The team’s struggles have continued for years at this point, and they don’t seem to be in a position to lose any more. Bubba Wallace has been more or less out of contention, and their newest addition, Riley Herbst, didn’t even make it into the top-10.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin were to make the difficult decision of letting one of their drivers go in 2027. Hence, this year will be even more challenging for Reddick.

While NASCAR decided to change the championship format, reverting to the Chase to reduce reliance on race wins, Reddick is focused on the latter.

Moreover, his crew chief will seemingly back him up with this. 

As the championship landscape begins to shift once again, strategy across the garage is being quietly recalibrated, and 23XI Racing appears no different.

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Will Michael Jordan’s drivers chase more race wins?

The Chase format is designed to encourage drivers to focus more on consistent performance than on chasing race wins. However, race wins are still beneficial. In fact, Tyler Reddick’s crew chief, Billy Scott, feels the same. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR recently, he claimed that the return of the Chase format will see drivers chase race wins even more.

“I think putting the extra emphasis, the extra points established with winning, does still make it significantly more important than anything else you’re going to accomplish on the day,” he said. “So I think even, like I said, again, when the road course is when you have an opportunity to race for stage points or wins, with that extra on the line, I think if you think you have a shot at all for competing for the win, it’s going to be more likely now that you race for the win, even than it was before.”

There is no doubt about it. Although winning a race no longer guarantees an automatic playoff berth, it puts the drivers in a strong position. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them chase more race wins, and the same goes for the Denny Hamlin-Michael Jordan crew.

In fact, the 2026 season can turn out to be the perfect opportunity for Tyler Reddick to prove himself. If anything, he was consistent last year, and that is all he needs to be, perhaps with a race win or two, to get himself in a strong position for the title contention.

His mentality is going in the right direction. All he needs is some more focus and a little bit of luck to nail the next season, and he will certainly have at least another full-time season in 2027.