Inside Michael Jordan’s-Quest-for-NASCAR Glory
I'm so proud that in four years we've gotten to the point of competing for a championship,” Michael Jordan.
In recent years, His Airness has given up the basketball court for the racetrack, where winning a championship is still his top priority. We hit pit lane with His Airness as his 23XI Racing squad competed for a title.
It’s NASCAR’s championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway, and Tyler Reddick is hustling to his Number 45 car to put in his first qualifying lap of the day. As he speedwalks down pit lane, he spots—casually seated on the pit wall—the guy who signs his paychecks: Michael Jordan.
Yes, that Michael Jordan, the basketball GOAT and arguably most famous athlete of all time, who just so happens to be the majority owner of 23XI Racing, Reddick’s team.
“Go make it happen, big dog,” MJ says as he shakes hands with his driver.
Jordan co-founded 23XI with NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin four years ago. (Hamlin races in the Number 11 car—hence the team’s name.) Since then, His Airness has been a frequent presence at races. But for those in the know, MJ’s interest in NASCAR was no surprise. Jordan has loved the sport since he was a child growing up in North Carolina, a hotbed for stock-car racing, saying years ago that he “sets his alarm clock on Sundays” for each race.
This year, with his team making a championship charge, MJ has been a mainstay at the track, supporting his team week to week through the ups and downs of NASCAR’s 10-month season. And while he’s been able to provide lots of pep talks and encouragement, he’s found that going for a title as an owner is a lot different from when he was an NBA player.
“It's a very different feeling,” Jordan tells me via email after the race. “It's like how my parents must have felt when they would come to watch me play for the Bulls. I'm nervous, but there's truly nothing I can do. I have no ability to influence the outcome of the race, so I can only support and cheer on our team and drivers."
Of course, MJ being MJ, he’s not totally content to just sit helplessly on the sidelines. Billy Scott, Tyler Reddick’s crew chief, says that Jordan frequently speaks with him about strategy and other technical aspects of the race.
“At first it was kind of surprising how invested, how knowledgeable, and how big a fan he is,” Scott says. “He’ll have questions about tires, fall-off, things like that—stuff most fans are not even aware of.”
After a big strategy call a few weeks back in Charlotte helped Reddick avoid being bounced from the playoffs, Jordan effectively told Scott that he would pass the crew chief the ball with time running out—the ultimate sign that he had earned MJ’s trust.
“It’s just reassuring to have him around,” Scott adds. “You can see his competitive nature in everything he does. He wants to figure out a way to help and be a part of this as much as anybody.”
Jordan looks on as Reddick sets out on his qualifying lap, roaring around the oval in his souped-up Toyota Camry with Monster Energy’s “The Beast” brand emblazoned on the side. He sets the fifth-quickest lap of the session, generating roars from his team back in the pit box, MJ among them.
Later, while decompressing in his hauler (the massive 18-wheelers that serve as each NASCAR team's traveling home base from week to week), Reddick reflects on what a wild season it’s been.
“I’ve literally dreamt of being a NASCAR champion since I was a child,” he says. But winning it with MJ cheering beside him?
“Okay, maybe I didn’t dream that part up as a kid,” he laughs.
In only four years, 23XI has gone from an underdog story to a championship contender, but it’s been disrupting NASCAR since day one. For starters, it’s always been a unique team: Jordan is one of only two Black owners in the sport, and the team employs Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black driver. As time rolled on, the team brought on a second car (now fielding, appropriately enough, car numbers 23 and 45), and Nike-owned Jordan Brand came on as a sponsor.
The team’s been disrupting off the track, too. The elephant in the room throughout championship weekend is that Jordan’s team, along with one other, is currently suing NASCAR, calling out the sport’s governing body as “monopolistic bullies.” In fact, just days prior to the championship race, MJ appeared in court for the case’s first preliminary hearing.
“I put all my cards on the table,” he told reporters outside the courthouse, before quickly adding: “I’m looking forward to winning a championship this weekend.”
Back at the racetrack, co-owner Hamlin admits to the media that 23XI may end up not racing at all next season, though most insiders seem convinced that an agreement will be reached. Scott and Reddick, meanwhile, insist the legal dispute is not a distraction.
“They’ve done a good job of letting us handle the competition, so it’s been pretty well separated,” Scott says.
Reddick, looking cool and calm, insists that his attention is squarely aimed at winning the title.
“I’ve seen everyone’s mindset, the attitude of everyone around the shop, the focus,” he says. “Everything has been in a really good place, lasered in on what we need to do.”
On race day, MJ strolls up to the 23XI hauler in a green Jordan-brand shirt and camo pants, his presence drawing more than a few oohs and aahs from VIP guests and fans. He delivers a feisty speech to the team behind closed doors and high fives the pit crew as he exits. At one point, he pretends to put on headphones and says to an engineer, “Keep feeding me that info!"
Roger Penske, one of the biggest names in motorsports and a fellow NASCAR team owner, stops by to shake MJ’s hand and wish him luck. “Good luck to you as well,” Jordan replies cordially.
When the race begins, the two men’s differing ownership styles are on full display. Television coverage shows Penske watching the action stoically from a suite overlooking the track. Jordan, on the other hand, catches the entire race from the pit box, standing just feet away from his crew, practically breathing down their necks during pit stops.
As the race unfolds, Reddick hovers around the top 10 but can’t make much progress. MJ pumps his fist and high-fives Reddick’s dad when the driver makes a daring move to gain ground after a restart, putting him into fifth—and back in contention for the title. But as the laps tick away, Reddick simply can’t gain ground, and Team Penske’s Joey Logano ultimately wins the race, and the championship.
As the drivers exit their cars, MJ is the first one there to console a heartbroken Reddick.
“Enjoy your vacation, then we go right back at it,” MJ says. Reddick nods and replies, “Back to work.”
The team may have lost, but the weekend still feels like a win. In just a few years, 23XI has become a true contender, And it’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to see MJ back in contention for a title, even if it’s on a racetrack and not the hardwood.
“I don’t know when he’s last had that type of success in the sports arena,” Scott says, “but hopefully we’ve been able to give him just a small percentage of what he’s been looking for since he stopped playing.”
For his part, MJ seems content, even though he’s not exactly accustomed to losing championships.
"I'm so proud that in four years we've gotten to the point of competing for a championship,” Jordan tells me. “But I want us to keep improving. I have aspirations to win a championship and that's what we're constantly working toward."
