Tyler Reddick won the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, sealing one of four coveted spots in NASCAR’s championship race—and setting up a potentially bittersweet season finale for the sanctioning body.
Reddick drives for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, one of two teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations surrounding the sport’s controversial and complicated team charter agreements (loosely known as NASCAR’s version of franchises).
With the win, Reddick qualified for the Championship 4 and will battle for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10. “We needed it,” an enthusiastic Jordan said on pit row after the race. Reddick previously won the regular-season points championship.
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship will feature a full field, but only the top four are eligible for the season-ending trophy. Joey Logano holds another spot, and two more will be earned this coming weekend.
Getting Awkward?
On one hand, Reddick’s achievement elevates Jordan’s ownership and gives NASCAR a chance to drive mainstream interest in its championship race that may not otherwise be there. On the other hand, Reddick racing in the finale—and potentially winning—could bring about unwanted discussion about the ongoing legal fight.
Last week, NASCAR asked a federal judge in Charlotte to deny a prior request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to compete in 2025 as non-chartered members, as they were the only two teams not to sign agreement extensions in September.
It would be unprecedented for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion not to compete in the following season due to a legal dispute between his team and the sanctioning body. While a deadline to sign the charter agreements passed, NASCAR could still allow 23XI and Front Row to sign them.
Jordan wants NASCAR teams to receive more than their current 25% share of media-rights revenue, as new seven-year, $7.7 billion deals with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon, TNT Sports, and The CW take full effect next season.
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