What should have been remembered purely as a career-defining triumph at Daytona has instead been followed by a wave of online debate.
Tyler Reddick delivered the biggest victory of his NASCAR career on Sunday (15 February), winning the Daytona 500 — widely regarded as the most prestigious race on the calendar and often dubbed ‘the Super Bowl of stock car racing’.
Driving for 23XI Racing, the team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, Reddick surged through on the final lap in his Chumba Casino Toyota with help from teammate Riley Herbst to clinch his first win in ‘The Great American Race’.
In front of 150,000 fans in Florida, the 30-year-old was mobbed by his pit crew before embracing both Hamlin and Jordan in emotional scenes.
Speaking after the win, Reddick said: “[It’s] just incredible how it all played out. Just true Daytona madness. I’ve already lost my voice from screaming. I never thought I’d be Daytona 500 champion.”
Jordan and Reddick jointly hoisted the Harley J. Earl Trophy, marking a milestone moment for 23XI Racing since Reddick joined the team in 2022.
But as celebrations unfolded in victory lane, a separate clip began circulating online — and that is where the narrative shifted.
Footage showed Jordan standing behind Reddick’s six-year-old son, Beau, during the champagne-soaked celebrations. In the clip, Jordan appeared to grasp at the back of the youngster’s t-shirt multiple times, seemingly making pinching motions as the shirt looked wet.
He then appeared to graze his fingers over the back of Beau’s legs, prompting the child to turn around.
There is no indication that Jordan committed any wrongdoing and the young boy does not appear to flinch. Still, social media reaction was swift.
One X user wrote: “This is another level of weirdness.”
Another commented: “Tugging/tickling a kid in a crowded celebration might look off without context. Hope it’s just over-the-top excitement, but optics matter.”
A third added: “That’s inappropriate unless that’s his child or they have a good relationship.”
Others defended the NBA legend, with one person tweeting: “He’s obviously just playfully teasing the kid.”
Another suggested: “His driver’s son got drenched during the celebration and he was only trying to help get it off him. Honestly, who would want their child drenched in beer?”
“He’s trying to get a rise out of that kid,” a third chimed in. “Normal behaviour with kids. Sometimes you gotta bother them to get them to talk to you.”
And a fourth added: “Oh stop it. That’s the winner’s oldest son. MJ is clearly like FAMILY. The safest place to take your children is to an American race track. Racers have 0 tolerance for this. Know the difference, pls.”
As the clip gained traction, Reddick was asked directly about the situation — and he dismissed any suggestion of wrongdoing.
Appearing on Stephen A. Smith’s Sirius XM radio show, he said: “From my perspective, I’ve gotten to know Michael and his family very well over the years I’ve been here with 23XI, and I don’t see what other people see when it comes to this.
“For me, it’s a huge moment; this is the biggest moment of my career. It’s a huge moment for my family and for his family.
“And I just put that off to the side and think about the look on [Michael Jordan’s wife] Yvette’s face and the whole family and his whole group when they got to victory lane too, and just how happy everybody was celebrating together.
“So, that’s where I’m at with it.”
When TMZ approached Reddick’s representatives for further comment, they responded bluntly: “We’re not going to talk about that,”
Stephen A. Smith also publicly defended Jordan, saying in a statement: “It’s a kid that Michael Jordan loves like it’s his own kid. It’s a kid that he’s known for years. That’s the son of a driver that just won the Daytona 500. It’s also a kid that Michael Jordan knows very, very well.
“You should be very, very hesitant to impugn the integrity of certain people who are as accomplished and who have done as much as Michael Jordan has done.
“Just won the Daytona 500. Playing around with a kid while his father was standing right there. And that’s the kind of conclusion that we jump to.”
The connection between the Jordan and Reddick families runs deeper than many realise.
Reddick previously told The Athletic that Jordan had history with his father-in-law, former MLB pitcher Jose DeLeon, during his baseball days. “I wish I knew all the details of it,” Reddick said. “I’ve seen a couple photos Alexa and her mom have.
“But they did get to spend some time together during her dad’s time at the [Chicago] White Sox when Michael was a part of the White Sox spring training.
“They got to know each other through that. I think there’s even a picture – I could be wrong – of MJ holding Alexa as a baby. I feel like that’s a story I heard years ago. But they had some interaction.
“I’ve never actually asked Michael about it. I’ve wanted to, but I just haven’t. Why we haven’t asked him about it? I don’t know.
“Probably because it’s a weird, obscure thing from a long, long time ago. But maybe one of these days, I’ll ask him about it.”
Jordan himself has not addressed the viral clip directly. He did, however, speak glowingly about the Daytona triumph — a win that earns him another championship-style ring to add to his six NBA titles.
“I can’t even believe it. Yeah, I mean it was so, so gratifying. I mean, we had four guys that were really fighting, that was helping each other out,” he said. “I mean, you never know how these races gonna end right? It’s like you’re just try to survive.
“I thought Riley [Herbst] did an unbelievable job by pushing at the end,” the five-time MVP continued.
“Yeah, that shows you what teamwork can really, really do. He didn’t get enough credit. He won’t get enough credit, but we feel the love. We understand exactly what he did.
“I mean, we just hung in there all day. Great strategy by the team and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. Look I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say. It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring I won’t even know.”
For Reddick, the priority remains the victory itself — the biggest moment of his career.
For Jordan, it is another trophy added to an already legendary sporting résumé.
And for much of the NASCAR paddock, the focus remains on the race — even as social media continues to dissect a few seconds of footage from the celebrations that followed.
Featured image credit: TheStephenASmithShow/X (screenshots)
