NASCAR takeaways: Tyler Reddick capitalizes on wild Talladega finish

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Michael Jordan stuck out his tongue when he made big plays. His NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick apparently closes his eyes.

They made for a good combination Sunday as Jordan and Reddick celebrated a NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway. 

An elated Jordan wasn't something out of a movie. It was real life. And it was authentic.

For the first time since launching 23XI Racing with Denny Hamlin prior to the start of the 2021 season, the basketball great was in attendance for a victory by one of his drivers as he watched Reddick earn his first win of the season and the sixth in team history.

"Denny keeps saying I am bad luck when I come to the track," Jordan said. "Today we proved him wrong, ... I'm very happy to be here to see it."

Jordan grew up in North Carolina and his father worked on race cars. 

"This is NBA playoffs [time] right now, so this, to me, is like an NBA playoff game. ... We've been working hard trying to get ourselves up to where we can compete against all the top guys in this sport.

"We've done a heck of a job just to be where we are. For us to win a big race like this, it means so much to me for the effort that the team has done. I'm all in. I love it. It replaces a lot of the competitiveness I had in basketball, but this is even worse because I have no control."

The 28-year-old Reddick was only 7-years-old when Jordan retired from basketball. 

"It's incredible, right?" Reddick said about watching highlights of Jordan's career. "He's one of the best to do it. There's a couple that have been that good for that long, but obviously, I'm going to be partial to my boss."

Takeaways after a race where Reddick was followed by Brad Keselowski, Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex