Tyler Reddick has a special bond with Michael Jordan, whether it’s as a boss, mentor, or sponsor on his NASCAR Cup Series car. Remember when Jordan called him a “little kid” after that Homestead win last season, the one that sent 23XI Racing to the Championship 4? Some thought Reddick might take offense, but he didn’t.
“I would rather Michael say I’m a little kid than him say nothing at all,” Reddick said at the time. That’s the kind of respect he’s got for Jordan — not just for being the GOAT but for backing him at every step of his Cup career.
Still, if anyone’s shown even more support than Jordan, it’s Reddick’s wife, Alexa DeLeon Reddick. So when the 23XI driver was asked to choose between the two, you knew it was going to be a tricky question.
Tyler Reddick Was Put in a Pickle by a Veteran NASCAR Journalist
Tyler was already a two-time Xfinity Series champ before moving up to Cup, but his early years with Richard Childress Racing didn’t fully unlock his potential. That changed when he joined 23XI in 2023. Since then, he’s finished sixth in points, won a regular-season title, and made the Championship 4 in 2024. Clearly, Jordan and Denny Hamlin believed in him, and it paid off.
And speaking of belief, Jordan Brand went the extra mile at Texas Motor Speedway, adding Alexa’s name to Tyler’s No. 45 car in honor of Mother’s Day and women in racing. Naturally, she was thrilled. Who wouldn’t want to ride shotgun — at least in name — on their spouse’s race car?
MORE: 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick Stuns Wife Alexa With Sweet Surprise Ahead of NASCAR Weekend
After the reveal, longtime NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass asked Tyler the question of the day: “What’s cooler, having the Jordan logo on your car or your wife’s name?”
Tyler was quick to choose his wife’s name as the answer, as he rightly should have. He said, “I think that’s an easy one for me. I get the honor of driving for Michael, but having the opportunity to put Alexa’s name on the doors has got to take the cake.”
Also, what made this moment extra special for Tyler was Alexa’s reaction to this whole thing. “And just seeing how excited she was about it. It’s hard to keep her finding out about surprises, and this one got her. She didn’t figure it out before it happened, so that was also cool,” Tyler added.
In the end, both the Jumpman logo and Alexa’s name shared the same car, so Pockrass’ question didn’t really have a wrong answer.