Basketball icon and NASCAR team owner Michael Jordan can add another championship to his long list of achievements after Tyler Reddick secured the Cup Series regular season title in Darlington on Sunday night.
The #45 driver is one of two full-time cars in the series for Jordan's co-owned 23XI Racing, whom the six-time NBA champion co-founded in 2020 with current NASCAR star Denny Hamlin.
Reddick has enjoyed great success in 2024 and headed into the regular season finale at Darlington battling the likes of Kyle Larson for the regular season crown.
23XI Racing's Reddick wins NASCAR regular season title
To Reddick's credit, he was able to preserve and finish 10th in the Southern 500 - a result that clinched him the regular season title by just a single point over Larson.
With boss Michael Jordan in attendance, the pair were able to celebrate together, with Reddick lifting the trophy alongside the GOAT.
“I mean, I know what it feels like to be sick and trying to perform," Jordan explained to NASCAR, perhaps referring to the infamous 'flu game' in the 1997 NBA Finals.
"And just to do what he did, I mean, I wasn’t going around 200 miles an hour in a car, but I’m proud of his effort, and we needed it."
September 21, 2020: Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin announce they're forming 23XI Racing.
September 1, 2024: 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick wins the NASCAR regular season championship. pic.twitter.com/HKtjyTJl5J
Jordan added: “We won by one point. I mean, he gutted it out.
"So hopefully he feels better tomorrow, and we feel better next week.”
Unfortunately, it was not all good news for Jordan and 23XI Racing on the night, with their other full-time car, the #23, failing to make the playoffs with Bubba Wallace at the wheel.
Nevertheless, no doubt Jordan and Reddick will be eyeing further success in the post-season, with the #45 car receiving an additional 15 playoff points for scooping the regular season crown.