Michael Jordan Goes From Hardwood to Horsepower With a Spectacular NASCAR Takeover

Long before Michael Jordan became a global basketball icon, a billionaire businessman and the owner of six NBA Championship rings, he was a kid in North Carolina with a fascination for fast cars.As a young man, he would pile into his father’s station wagon for a weekend drive toward the local raceway, soaking in the sights and sounds of skilled drivers, wrestling roaring engines and tight ovals. Father and son bonded over the smell of rubber, the thunder of horsepower, the fascination of racing and how it rewarded courage, precision and nerve. A major family event watching the Daytona 500.“It was a group event,” Mr. Jordan said of his childhood in Wilmington, N.C. “The family sat there and we watched the race. Four hours, five hours, six hours didn’t matter. We were going to watch the race.”Those thrills never left him, not after winning a national championship in basketball at the University of North Carolina, not after six NBA Championships and not after becoming an owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Like nearly everything Mr. Jordan pursued, his passion for the track didn’t stay quiet. And now, in the opening weeks of the 2026 NASCAR season, it has become deafening.If skeptics once believed the NBA legend’s entry into motorsports was little more than a celebrity hobby when he founded 23XI Racing with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin in 2020, those doubts have been obliterated.Mr. Jordan’s team followed an historic victory at the 2026 Daytona 500—the most coveted event in NASCAR—with another triumph the following week at the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Opening the season with back-to-back wins delivers a thunderous message to NASCAR’s established powers.Tyler Reddick, driving the No. 45 Toyota, captured both races with a nod to teammate Bubba Wallace who sacrificed a chance at winning to ensure 23XI Racing crossed the line first in Atlanta. If the victory at Daytona was seismic for the sport due to Mr. Jordan’s celebrity, the triumph in Atlanta validated something more profound. In becoming the first team since 2009 to open the season by winning the Daytona 500 and the following race, 23XI Racing has evolved from an ambitious outlier into a legitimate ground-breaking force in NASCAR.“Holy mackerel!” Mr. Jordan said after back-to-back wins to open the 2026 season. “I don’t even know what to say. Tyler did an unbelievable job. The whole team did an unbelievable job.”Challenging the Old GuardCompetition has always run thick in Mr. Jordan’s DNA. Basketball, golf, casinos, even checkers; his fiery competitive spirit is as legendary as his jump shot. He never backed down from a challenge, especially when he believes the system itself needs confronting.That spirit was on full display when 23XI Racing joined Front Row Motorsports in a dramatic antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. The complaint accused the sport’s sanctioning body of enforcing an outdated charter system that functioned like a monopoly, restricting competition, limiting revenue growth, and unfairly benefiting long-established teams.Think of Jerry Jones shaking up the NFL’s old business order decades ago. Mr. Jordan and his partners sought to rework the established Charter System, which guaranteed team entry into all 38 Cup Series races and a pre-set distribution of revenue. Most teams rubber stamped their renewal agreements without protest, but 23XI and Front Row Motorsports claimed the financial terms were unreasonable and unsustainable for competitive growth.“Someone had to challenge aspects of the business model that unfairly disadvantage teams and the men and women who put everything on the line for this sport,” Mr. Jordan testified.After a year of legal wrangling, and a few days of courtroom drama, the two sides agreed to a settlement in December 2025 where NASCAR would revise its revenue sharing model and award 23XI and Front Row permanent charters.“This wasn’t about fighting NASCAR,” Mr. Jordan told reporters. “It was about progress; about making sure the sport evolves in a way that supports everyone.”23XI Racing’s Road to ProminenceThe courtroom victory set the tone for an unexpected and emphatic fast start to the NASCAR season for 23XI Racing, a name blending Mr. Jordan’s iconic No. 23 alongside Mr. Hamlin’s No.11. The early years of their partnership were grounded in promise, ambition and trust. The two men had known each other for years, bonded by golf, mutual respect and a relentless determination to win. The two friends spoke often about how difficult it was for new teams to break into NASCAR, a system dominated by long-established organizations.When NASCAR cracked open its door in 2020 seeking fresh voices and a broader appeal, Mr. Jordan saw an opportunity to team with Mr. Hamlin to build a championship organization from scratch.With Mr. Jordan’s celebrity and business acumen coupled with Mr. Hamlin’s racing expertise, 23XI experienced strong performances and moments of brilliance. The Autotrader 400 was the team’s 11th victory overall, but sweeping the first two races of the 2026 season is a loud statement that the traditional powers are facing a serious challenge.“This team being nonexistent six years ago is just amazing that we’re able to do what we did with building this thing from scratch and now having the results week in, week out that is contending with the big boys,” Mr. Hamlin said. “Mr. Jordan celebrated winning six world championship rings in the NBA. He’ll get another ring after Mr. Reddick delivered a breathtaking last lap pass to earn the team’s first Daytona 500 victory.“I can’t even believe it,” Mr. Jordan said at the time. “It was so gratifying. You never know how these races are going to end. You just try to survive. Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. I’m ecstatic.”Photographs from Victory Lane,showing Mr. Jordan hoisting the trophy with Messrs. Reddick and Hamlin, quickly became iconic. The images resonated far beyond Dayton Beach, capturing a moment where basketball royalty officially conquered one of motorsports most hallowed stages. Legacy in the MakingMr. Jordan’s status as the greatest basketball player of all-time-with all due respect to LeBron James—is secure. Now, he’s carving out a second legacy in NASCAR which is shaping up to be far more consequential than that of a celebrity owner dipping a toe in motorsports.His involvement signals a serious, long-term commitment to not only competing, but making a firm imprint on NASCAR and reshaping the sport’s future. He mingles easily among the organization’s top officials, chats with crew chiefs about aerodynamics and race strategy, and stops frequently to sign autographs for young fans. His presence has shifted perception inside the sport and beyond it.“It’s big for the sport,” Mr. Hamlin said of Mr. Jordan’s presence. “He’s the most popular athlete in the world. I don’t think there’s any dispute about that. And he loves the sport.”The courtroom victory and overhaul of the NASCAR revenue sharing model will ripple for years. In a sport that has often been criticized for its resistance to change and lack of diversity, Mr. Jordan’s presence has injected a fresh cultural relevance and broadened NASCAR’s appeal to new audiences.“My objective has always been to help grow NASCAR, to open doors of new fans and new competitors alike,” he told reporters in Daytona. “And to show the world that this sport—with all its passion and heart, deserves to be bigger and better.”Look out for BubbaWhile Mr. Reddick has been first to the checkered flag in the season’s first two races, Mr. Wallace hasn’t been far behind. A breakthrough win appears imminent.Mr. Wallace currently sits second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 85 points behind Mr. Reddick who leads with 125.Mr. Wallace led a race-high 46 laps at the Autotrader 400 before a late overtime decision dropped him to eighth place. With two laps left, Mr. Wallace moved from the bottom to the outside lane to block an oncoming challenger. But he drifted too wide, allowing multiple cars to pass underneath him. “I thought we had it,” Mr. Wallace said afterward. “But that’s racing. It ain’t over until it’s over.”Mr. Jordan tried to console Mr. Wallace after the race. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day,” Mr. Jordan said. “But Tyler drove his ass off. I’m very happy for Tyler. I’m very happy for 23XI.”Still, the numbers tell a promising story for Mr. Wallace, who also finished in the top 10 at Daytona. He has led for 86 laps this year and continues to show race-winning speed. “Another top 10 is great,” he said. “Damn, I wish we were in victory lane again.”If he continues to knock on the door, Mr. Wallace’s wish may soon be granted.The NASCAR Cup Series continues on March 1 at the Circuit of the Americas, the first road course of the 2026 season. Christoper Bell outdueled Kyle Busch and William Byron to win in Austin last year. It was the second of three consecutive NASCAR Cup victories for Mr. Bell in 2025. Richard Petty won 10 straight races during the 1974 seasonFor now, Mr. Jordan’s NASCAR journey looks a lot like his basketball career, early skepticism met with unbridled determination followed by undeniable success. The basketball legend has proven he’s not simply passing through NASCAR, he is helping redefine it.

Michael Jordan Goes From Hardwood to Horsepower With a Spectacular NASCAR Takeover

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