Michael Jordan was left watching on in disbelief as a bizarre incident destroyed one of his 23XI Racing cars before the NASCAR season finale.
Jordan was at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Friday’s practice session before the last race of the season takes place on Sunday.
None of his drivers – Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace or Riley Herbst – are in contention to win the championship, with Kyle Larson looking almost certain to wrap up the title ahead of Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
Reddick and Wallace both reached the playoffs but Reddick’s hopes of launching a championship push never materialized despite an inspiring pep talk from Jordan on a visit to their Mooresville, North Carolina race shop before the postseason began.
Nonetheless, Jordan’s passion for the sport continues to shine through, and it didn’t stop him being at the track for this weekend’s final event before the offseason.
However, their practice session came to a miserable end as Reddick destroyed his car coming to pit road at the end of the session.
Tyler Reddick crashed entering pit road at the end of practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Michael Jordan watched on in disbelief from the pitbox as the unusual crash wrecked the car
Trouble on pit road as practice comes to an end. �� https://t.co/KFbDWiVwyB
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 6, 2026
He ran into the back of the slowing Zane Smith, spinning out and doing enormous damage to the front of his No.45 Toyota Camry.
Footage showed Jordan open-mouthed in disbelief and with his arm raised in confusion as he watched from the pit box.
He later explained to reporters he was ‘having a lot of fun in practice’ with the best car he has ever had at the track, before it ‘ended really bad’. Jordan celebrated Reddick winning a dramatic playoff race at the same track in October 2024.
Reddick explained: ‘I knew we were both coming down, knew he (Zane Smith) was making a hot pit in, we were kind of on the same page about doing that together.
‘It’s practice so you don’t get a speeding penalty so you’re being aggressive, getting to the line.
‘And it looks like Todd (Gilliland) and some cars ahead of him were turning into the garage and by the time I commit to braking I didn’t see that.
‘It’s kind of honestly, covered up by the 38, so I thought I was good. And basically about the last second when it’s either hit him or hit the barrels, I saw that there were cars turning into the garage in front of us.
‘So just tried to lock it down and not hit anything too hard, but tore the car up really bad. The whole nose. It’s a bummer. It was the best car I’ve had here.’
Reddick’s car was left spinning as he tried to avoid the back of Smith and the inside wall
Reddick celebrated an dramatic late win with Jordan at the Homestead-Miami track in 2024
Reddick’s team now faces a tough task to try and fix the car before Saturday’s qualifying, with the final race of the season taking place on Sunday.
He is sixth in the Cup Series standings after a season which started in historic fashion with three wins in the first three races, including the Daytona 500.
Speaking before The Chase started in August, the 10-race postseason to decide the champion among the top-16 drivers, Reddick told the Daily Mail about Jordan’s visit to Airspeed HQ to address the team.
‘When he came in here to address the company, he’s just a great speaker,’ he said.
‘He knows how to get the point across, he knows how to get people excited, and he knows how to make it relatable. Just an amazing leader, a great speaker, and for us, it was great that he made the time to come see us, come talk to us. Just anytime he makes time for us, it goes a long way.
‘For me, anytime I get to spend that time with Michael, it leaves a huge impact on me. I really do love it when he comes to 23XI, to Airspeed, because I have an opportunity to see the impact that he has on the men and women that work here.’
