(NEXSTAR) – For hours, Sunday’s NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway was drama-free, but that all changed in the closing moments.
When Michael McDowell crashed with the finish line in sight, losing control in a desperate effort to block another driver from passing him, Tyler Reddick sped right on by to steal the checkered flag.
“I hated to see my teammates and a couple of others get caught up in that, but I have to take advantage of the situation, right?” Reddick said following the race.
In the Victory Lane interview above with Nexstar’s Scott Griffin, Reddick explains the final strategic decisions that brought home the victory for his team and brought back a familiar feeling for its legendary co-owner, Michael Jordan.
“To me, this is like an NBA playoff game,” said Jordan, who co-owns the 23XI team with Denny Hamlin. “And for us to win a big race like this, it means so much to me. I’m all in. I love it.”
The winning driver didn’t even realize Jordan was at the track — he’s always rather low-key and apparently didn’t want to put any extra pressure on his drivers, Reddick and Bubba Wallace — but it sure made the occasion even more special.
When Reddick got to victory lane, he was greeted by his boss, who had scooped up Reddick’s 4-year-old son, Beau, on pit road.
“In the moment it means a lot, but as he gets older and everything, too, looking back on that, that’s going to be really, really cool moment,” said Reddick, who is in his second season with 23XI.
Beau knows who his daddy’s boss is, but more for the sneakers he made so famous. Reddick plans to rectify that in the years ahead.
“I’ve got to probably play some highlights, some (NBA) Finals matchups, and educate Beau a little bit better,” Reddick said. “Play some old-school games for him so he can get a real good feel of how dominant (Jordan) was in his prime.”
It was undoubtedly a big moment for NASCAR, which has endured some dips in popularity but seems on the upswing again.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
