yler Reddick has credited Michael Jordan’s brutally honest feedback as a powerful force behind his recent NASCAR success. During a conversation on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Reddick revealed how a critical comment from Jordan before his first year with 23XI Racing spurred him on a transformative journey.

Meeting with Jordan and teammate Bubba Wallace before the Daytona 500, Reddick was unexpectedly subjected to Jordan’s straightforward assessment of his speedway racing performance.

“I got the chance to meet with him before my first year started, spend some time with him. We were down in Daytona before the 500 a year and a half ago.

“Me, him and Bubba [Wallace] were talking something about speedway racing. I can’t even remember what I said, but he turned to me and said, ‘Man you don’t have any room to talk. You’re terrible at speedway racing.'”

Michael Jordan

This blunt comment, far from being discouraging, ended up serving as a motivator for the driver. The stark honesty from an idol like Jordan was a unique push that he had not expected.

“He just kind of took a shot at me and I wasn’t expecting it. Him and Bubba love going back and forth. …Michael loves cutting it up if you will. For me, I wasn’t expecting that and it was a nice thing.

“I took it the right way and I’m like alright, well I have some work to do. I have some extra motivation, I was already motivated to get better at speedway racing. When MJ calls you out about not being very good at it, it’s easy to find motivation to get better,” Reddick continued.

Pushed by the comments from the sporting legend, Reddick’s efforts have paid off spectacularly. In the NASCAR Cup Series, he soared to the top of the scoreboards, winning the Cup Series Regular Season championship and the spring Talladega Cup Series race.

Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing alongside Denny Hamlin, played an instrumental role in these victories.
“Without a doubt, Michael is a competitive individual. Over his career, what he brings to the table to motivate us, something that you can’t buy. It’s a great asset for us to have.”

Tyler Reddick - Wikipedia

Reddick’s transformation was further confirmed following his win at the Michigan Cup Series race in August and even back in April when Jordan watched his win at the spring Talladega Cup Series race. Jordan, said the following:

“As you know, this is the NBA playoffs right now. To me, this is like an NBA playoff game. I am so ecstatic for the fans who support the sport itself.

“We’ve been working hard trying to get ourselves up to compete against all the top guys in this sport. But we’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are.”