Michael Jordan: The Future of NASCAR?

Blue shirts cover the stadium seats as the Los Angeles Clippers will have their first full capacity game since the start of the pandemic for Game Six of the Western Conference second-round playoff series against Utah Jazz at Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 18, 2021. (Note To User: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement) (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan has hoisted a lot of trophies as a professional athlete.

Now, he has another accolade as a NASCAR owner and appears to be all-in with winning more races.

Jordan co-owns the 23XI team with Joe Gibbs Racing driver and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. Their driver Tyler Reddick raced to victory lane in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.

It was the first time that Jordan was at a race in person as a NASCAR owner, so he picked a good time for the road trip.

Could this be the beginning of more accolades for the former NBA star on the racing circuit?

Jordan certainly has developed a passion for racing.

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“This, to me, is like an NBA playoff game,” Jordan said after the race. “I am so ecstatic, obviously for the fans who support the sport itself. And we’ve been working hard, trying to get ourselves up to compete against all the top guys in this sport. But we’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are. And for us to win a big race like this, I mean, it means so much to me and for the effort that the team has done.”

Few professional athletes in the United States have had more success than Jordan.

He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, and with five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player in NBA history. In addition, he is a four-time gold medalist at the 1983 Pan American Games, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1992 Tournament of the Americas, and 1992 Summer Olympics without ever losing a game on the international level.

The race at Talladega had all of the intrigues of an NBA playoff game.

The race was tightly contested throughout the afternoon. Near the end, front-runner Michael McDowell crashed when he lost control to block another driver from passing him. Reddick avoided the wreck and raced through the right side unscathed to capture the checkered flag.

“Fortunately, when our little group of Toyotas crashed, it put those who didn’t crash into a good position,” Reddick said. “I hate that for the rest of them, but sometimes, things just don’t go as you planned, especially here at a place like Talladega.”

Jordan has been a quick study with racing and is quickly picking the nuances of the tracks and strategies of the drivers. On Sunday, it was fortuitous that so many cars wrecked, paving the way for Reddick’s victory.

However, Jordan had to convince his partner, Hamlin, that his presence was not bad luck for the drivers on their racing team. Crew chief Billy Scott was proud to have Jordan in attendance and witness an important victory.

“Honored that we got the first win with him being here today,” Scott said after the race. “And glad he was able to be here for one and doesn’t think it’s a curse to come or something because there’s certainly been some ones that could’ve gone the other way. And just to see his excitement, it’s interesting. He is a student of the sport.

“I was talking to him before the race and he watches every Truck race, every Xfinity race, every Cup race, just trying to learn and understand what we’re going through and figure out how he can help from the owner’s side. It’s impressive. And just to see the excitement on his face, that’s what I enjoyed.”

23XI Racing represents a combination of Jordan’s iconic No. 23 jersey number which he wore during most of his NBA career and Hamlin’s No. 11 which he has driven his entire career in the NASCAR Cup series.

In their 2021 debut season, Bubba Wallace earned his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway. The team also earned three top 5 and three top 10 finishes.

In 2022, the team expanded to two cars with Kurt Busch piloting the No. 45 Toyota.

This year, Wallace still drives the No. 23 Toyota and Reddick has taken the wheel of the No. 45.

The biggest challenge for Jordan is he doesn’t drive a car in the races, so he is not fully in control. Although with his athletic prowess, his driving in NASCAR might not be that far-fetched.

“It replaces a lot of the competitiveness that I had in basketball,” Jordan said. “This is even worse because I have no control. If I was playing basketball, I’d have total control. But I have no control, so I live vicariously through the drivers, crew chiefs, and everybody.”