Michael Jordan Wins Daytona 500 as Team Owner at Age 63

Michael Jordan just proved that champions never stop winning, even when they change sports.

The basketball icon's 23XI Racing team won NASCAR's biggest race on Sunday when driver Tyler Reddick made a stunning last-lap pass at Daytona International Speedway. Jordan, who turns 63 this week, bear-hugged Reddick in victory lane and helped hoist the trophy before announcing he wears a size 13 ring.

"It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won't even know," Jordan said with his trademark competitive fire still burning bright.

Reddick led just one lap all day, but it was the only one that mattered. The 30-year-old California native had endured a winless 2025 season while focusing on his infant son, who was battling a chest tumor affecting his heart. Sunday's triumph ended a 38-race losing streak and gave him his first Daytona 500 championship.

The victory meant everything to Jordan's entire team. Co-owner Denny Hamlin told his employees before the race that they had the unique power to bring joy to one of the greatest athletes in history. That message resonated as the team watched their work pay off in spectacular fashion.

Why This Inspires

Jordan's racing journey shows that passion and determination don't have an expiration date. The man who dominated basketball courts for decades now celebrates victories on racetracks with the same intensity that defined his playing career.

His team's success carries extra meaning beyond the track. Jordan recently won a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR that changed the sport's revenue-sharing model. NASCAR chairman Jim France, who was a defendant in that case, graciously congratulated Jordan in victory lane after the win.

The celebration extended beyond Jordan too. Teammate Bubba Wallace led a race-high 40 laps before finishing 10th, and Jordan wrapped him in an encouraging embrace. That moment captured the spirit of a team that supports each other through triumphs and disappointments alike.

Reddick said he never imagined as a kid that he'd someday drive for Michael Jordan. "To be able to have someone like Michael Jordan believe in me enough, someone like Denny Hamlin, I'm just trying to do my best to live on the promises that I made to them," he said.

Jordan watched the final laps from a suite overlooking the famous superspeedway, experiencing the same nervous energy race fans know well. When Reddick crossed the finish line first, the legend who once soared through the air for championships got to celebrate a different kind of victory.