What does 23XI Racing do from here? Do they act all pragmatic and maintain the lead Tyler Reddick has over his competition? After all, being pragmatic would be a safe option for a team to win a championship in half a decade of its creation. But for better or worse, Michael Jordan’s team isn’t going with the safe option. They’re going for something else.

Michael Jordan’s team isn’t done with winning yet in 2026

During a post-race press conference, 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta spoke about the significant gains the entire organization has made over the past few months and how they plan to approach the remainder of the season. Lauletta mentioned that the missing part for the team was ‘executing across the board’.

And this year, they have not only fixed it, but also enabled a cohesive execution where every department peaks when they need to. Lauletta explained, “Our pit crews have taken a big step forward. Everybody worked really hard in the off-season to refine our processes and our communication. We’re only 9 races into our six seasons, so still a lot of work to be done.”

He claimed that 23XI is right where they want to be when it comes to bringing the speed to any kind of racetrack that is up ahead this year. Beyond that, their plan is more of the same, to let the teams execute as best as they can.

To Lauletta’s point, 23XI Racing, and the #45 team in particular, have elevated their execution to a whole new level this season. The best example of that was on Sunday at Kansas when Reddick, despite running out of fuel with the white flag approaching, had a lucky break with a caution. This enabled his team to bring him in for a quick pit stop. But the job was still not done yet.

On the restart, Reddick got a good start and made a massive move on Kyle Larson in the final turns to ensure his 5th win of the season. Moreover, the 5 wins Reddick and 23XI have earned this year have all come at a variety of racetracks.

He has won on a superspeedway, a mile and a half, and a road course. Reddick also managed to get promising results at short tracks, a top 5 and a top 10 at Bristol and Phoenix.

Therefore, Steve Lauletta’s claim that the team is ready to bring the speed to any kind of racetrack is quite valid. And with Tyler Reddick’s skill and his pit crew’s efficiency so far this season, it seems more of the same from 23XI would help the #45 driver secure a historic title.

But does Reddick feel the same way as well?

Tyler Reddick is mindful of his competition

In a post-race press conference, Tyler Reddick was asked if having 5 wins in 9 races with 17 races left until the Chase feels like it’s his title to lose. Reddick said it is early to comment on that, especially since his rivals like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell all showed speed.

“There’s a lot of really good teams, a lot of good pit crews, a lot of good minds in this garage. Certainly over these next 17 races, the ones that are missing it a little bit here and there are going to start hitting it. I think the competition will certainly continue to tighten up as we get through this year. We’ve done a really good job of making the most of our days and scoring a lot of points,” he described.

It’s worth mentioning that both Hamlin and Larson were in the mix for a win at Kansas. In fact, Hamlin hasn’t finished below 11th after the weekend at COTA, while Larson’s six of the last seven results have been inside the top 10.

Reddick mentioned that when the season gets to the Chase, it’ll be a reset for everyone. But until then, he hopes to build on his lead as much as possible.

And if it continues to go the way it has, he is hopeful of getting a few more wins, which is what his team is also aiming to do.

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