Tyler Reddick Goes Viral After Sharing the Iconic Three-Peat Image With Michael Jordan Tribute

Tyler Reddick just made history, and he made sure the whole world knew about his achievement.

After clinching his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series win to open the 2026 season, the 23XI Racing driver climbed out of his No. 45 Toyota at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, flashed three fingers at the crowd, and did something nobody saw coming.

He recreated the most iconic photo in basketball history. It was Michael Jordan’s 1993 championship pose after the Chicago Bulls completed their first three-peat.

The crowd lost it. Social media went nuclear. And for a brief, electric moment, two sports worlds became one.

1. Reddick’s Three-Peat: What Actually Happened

Let’s set the scene. It’s March 1, 2026. The DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix at COTA. Reddick crosses the line first again, securing his third straight victory to start the new season. Not one driver in NASCAR Cup Series history had ever done that before. Not once. Not ever. This wasn’t just a win. This was a statement. Reddick’s season opener has been nothing short of surgical. Back-to-back wins to start the year already had the NASCAR world buzzing. Then came win number three at COTA. It was a track he had already conquered once before, and the 2026 season officially had its story. After the checkered flag, Reddick reflected on the gravity of what he’d just done. “It’s one race, but it was so important,” he said. “It’s so fitting to get three in a row and make history.” Fitting is an understatement.

2. Why the Michael Jordan Tribute Hit Different

Here’s the part that elevated this from a great sports moment to a cultural one. 23XI Racing is co-owned by Michael Jordan. The same man who turned the number three into a symbol of sustained dominance. The same man whose 1993 three-peat photo became one of the most reproduced images in sports history. When Reddick recreated that pose, he wasn’t just celebrating a win. He was drawing a direct line between two legends, two sports, and two eras of greatness. It was a tribute, a nod, and a flex all wrapped into one gesture. Fans called it “a crazy aura moment.” That’s about right. Jordan built his legacy on doing it twice, then doing it again. Now, the driver carrying his team’s number has gone and done something no one in NASCAR ever managed, and honored the boss in the most poetic way possible. Forget the optics for a second. The math alone is staggering. Reddick now leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings by 70 points. He’s notched his 11th career Cup Series victory. He’s won at COTA twice. And he’s done all of this in the first three races of the season. Analysts aren’t mincing words. Reddick is the championship favorite, and it isn’t particularly close right now. Every other team in the garage is watching their championship models shift in real time.

3. What This Means for 23XI Racing

When Michael Jordan first bought into NASCAR, skeptics were everywhere. Could a basketball legend really build a competitive racing operation from scratch? Progress came, but questions lingered. Those questions are gone now. Reddick’s streak doesn’t just put him at the top of the standings. It validates everything Jordan has invested in 23XI Racing, which is the resources, the talent, the culture. This is what a breakthrough moment looks like. And for a sport that constantly competes for mainstream attention, a crossover moment involving the most famous athlete on the planet doesn’t hurt either. New eyes are on NASCAR. NBA fans are watching race replays. That’s not an accident. That’s the only question left. Three straight wins to open a season is unprecedented territory. Sustaining that level of performance week after week, across tracks with completely different demands, is an entirely different challenge. The field will adjust. Pressure will mount. The target on Reddick’s back just got a whole lot bigger. But right now? He’s earned the right to flash three fingers and let everyone else figure out how to catch him.

• Tags:
• Tyler Reddick