23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, has emerged as the benchmark through the first stretch of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series. Their No. 45 team, led by Tyler Reddick, has won four of six races. That run has drawn attention across the garage, including NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who credited the ownership group behind the rise.
Reddick has started the season with wins at Daytona, Atlanta, COTA, and now Darlington, showing speed across every track type. Reacting to that form on Mark Martin Archive, Martin pointed directly at the leadership behind the team:
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“Lets just talk a minute about the genius of Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. It’s got to be genius because they can’t be this lucky. Not only are they killing it with Bubba (Wallace)’s car and Riley (Herbst) was actually really fast at Darlington. Tyler was just incredible.”
“(Brad) Keselowski told me before the race nobody could touch him. He was two-three-tenths, probably three-tenths a lap, faster than everyone. So, that’s how he was able to overcome all the issues and going to the back of the pack so many times. You just don’t do that anymore. Get a three-tenths-of-a-lap advantage on the field,” he continued (1:51 onwards)
That advantage was visible throughout the Darlington race. Tyler Reddick did not control the event from the front. Instead, he had to recover multiple times. An alternator issue early in the race forced him to manage power and run without cooling for long stretches. A battery change and a slow stop dropped him back into traffic during Stage 1.
Despite those setbacks, the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota showed pace. Reddick worked through the field in the second half of the race, closing the gap to race leader Brad Keselowski. He eventually went on to win by 5.847 seconds, the largest margin at Darlington in nearly three decades.
After the race, Michael Jordan’s co-owner, Denny Hamlin, described the run as something even established teams rarely achieve. He admitted that it matched what teams “dream” of but rarely sustain, especially in the Next Gen era built around parity. He also reflected on the steady build since 2021 and the impact of putting the right people in place.
Michael Jordan on Darlington win: “We knew we had a fast car”
Tyler Reddick leads the standings with 325 points, has three poles, and has not finished worse than 13th so far. He has also led a series-high 189 laps. Across different track types, the No. 45 has shown a level of consistency that others have not yet matched.
Michael Jordan highlighted the car’s strengths while also hinting at how challenging the win was.
“I’m pretty sure it’s frustrating for him (Reddick) because he had an unbelievable car,” said Michael Jordan. “You never know what’s going to happen, especially at Darlington. I think that the key to him winning was just keeping his head.
“I think Billy (Scott, crew chief) did a good job of trying to keep him calm. We knew we had a fast car. We knew on a 30-lap run we were real good, on a short-lap run we were real good. We just had to get the car right. And he kept his composure, and he did an unbelievable job.”
That depth across entries has added to the pressure on rival teams trying to close the gap. Denny Hamlin has already pointed to short tracks as a potential area for improvement. That makes the upcoming race at Martinsville a key test. It will offer a clearer indication of whether 23XI’s early-season advantage extends to every track type, or if competitors can finally narrow the gap.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam
