Michael Jordan NASCAR Team Drivers are Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Travis Pastrana and Kamui Kobayashi. 23XI Racing has been owned by Jordan since 2010.
MJ takes everything seriously, his passion for racing also helped him secure a racing team in order to participate in the NASCAR Cup.
Firstly, he garnered interest in the event after talking to Hamlin in a match of Charlotte Bobcats (2006) where the Hall of Famer is also part owner of the team.
Jordan known to be an avid golfer and participant in the American Century Championship invited Denny to play golf in Florida, where they started to build a partnership to compete in the NASCAR races.
Denny Hamlin also has a minority stake in the basketball G.O.A.T's company 23XI Racing. After starting the business in 2020, they made a deal with Toyota to become their manufacturer.
23xi Racing Drivers List
23xi racing drivers are Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Travis Pastrana, and Kamui Kobayashi. Kamui is the part-time driver in Jordan's team, he shall be participating with 23XI in the 2023 race.
Twenty-three eleven is a recently founded NASCAR company it made its first debut in Daytona 500 in 2021. Its last race was in 2023 in the Cook Out 400 Richmond.
To date, they have completed 92 races and won four of them, and attained a single pole position. They do not have a drivers championship yet but Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course looks promising for them.
Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace is a decorated driver on the team. He shares a similar ideology and hard-core passion to MJ. Wallace was awarded Rookie of the Year in the 2008 UARA-Stars Late Model Series.
Bubba is a new record setter, he is the only full-time African-American driver who competed in three national series cups, Xfinity, and Truck. He placed top 10 in the New Hampshire race.
Born as William Darrell Wallace, has made history by becoming the most successful athlete in NASCAR of African-American descent. Moreover, after the inception of 23xi, he joined the team.
He had his first success with the basketball legend's team in 2021 winning the Talladega Cup. His second win came into the Kansas where he led 67 laps alongside a partnership with Hamlin.
Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick is part of Jord's 23xi racing team, he is a 27-year-old athlete who holds an astounding record of completing 123 races in five years.
Reddick is eighteen wins throughout his career. He is one of the prized athletes in the race who has won consecutive titles in the Xfinity series in 2018-19.
Tyler only became part of 23XI Racing this year, he participated in 18 events and won a race, placing top 5 in four races and top ten in six races.
In addition, he participated in the Daytona 500, where he started in the 26th position and finished in the 39th position in the race.
Travis Pastrana
Travis Pastrana debuted in the 2021 season, he has started in five races and has collected two wins among them is a 2022 Class 1 World Powerboat Championship in partnership with Steve Curtis.
Pastrana shares a Latin heritage from his father's side, he also represented Puerto Rico in the international competition where he took his team to the finals and completed the race in third position.
Besides racing, he is also a thrill enthusiast, who did sky-diving without a parachute and met another diver in mid-air for a safe landing.
Travis participated in the Vegas jump and leaped over 484 feet. He participates in X games and has extensive dirt track race experience.
Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi is a part-time driver of the team. Kobayashi is a Japanese racer and FIA World Champion and Super Formula Champion.
Kobayashi grew up in the famous Japanese city of Kobe, he began learning motorsport at a young age. Kobe short for Kobayashi participated in his first carting tournament at the age of nine.
Kamui has participated in 76 races, he has finished first in more than dozens of races during his career. Asian Awards honored him for his Outstanding Achievement in the Sport in 2013 at a London event.
Does Michael Jordan Own A NASCAR Team?
Michael Jordan owns a NASCAR team alongside Denny Hamlin who shares a minority ownership of the Jordan's company.
Jordan company's net worth is estimated at $150 million where Denny holds a small percentage. Michael seems to be the money behind 23xi while Hamlin is the brains.
Denny stated in an interview that the racing team relies on 75% of its revenue from sponsors and only 25% of media revenue is given to the NASCAR team while 65% is shared with the tracks.
It is likely that Jordan's team is having a difficult time breaking even due to such financial inequality. However, both of the partners are urging the NASCAR execs to change their business model to grow the sport.
In addition, the management of 23XI is looking forward to the longevity of the team. As they have added veteran drivers like Kobayashi, youngblood like Pastrana, and full-time racers like Wallace and Reddick.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is a 42-year-old legendary NASCAR driver. In the course of his career, he has participated nearly 800 NASCAR races in Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series.
Denny has accumulated over 69 wins over the course of his career. He was honored with NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers this year.
Hamlin and Jordan's joint ventures were established in 2020, they organized a single-car team to participate in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series. In the 2021 season, 23xi driver Wallace secured his first career Cup at Talladega.
Florida-origin driver does not participate much in events but he went all out in Stafford Motor Speedway winning the July 13th competition of Superstar Racing Experience (SRX).
Who Owns The 23 Car In NASCAR
23 Car In NASCAR is owned by Bubba Wallace. Wallace started out with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) as a part-time driver. He also participated with Roush Fenway Racing in the Xfinity series.
After JGR and other teams were unable to secure sponsors, he pursued other options and tried on multiple teams settling at AM Racing while he drove the no. 22 car in 2019.
Being the only African-American racer, he had the upper hand to become part of MJ's crew, he accomplished multiple career records with the team.
However, his entry into the racing crew was plagued with controversy, discrimination, and hatred by fans of the sport. Regardless, he overcame those issues with the support of fellow drivers and elite basketball players.
Ty Gibbs And Daniel Hemric
Ty Gibbs And Daniel Hemric drove no. 23 in the 2022 season. Ty Gibbs was supposed to drive no. 23 cars in the NASCAR Cup series of the same year.
However, he was unable to attend due to the death of his father Coy. Gibbs was fined $75,000 after he changed direction crashing with Ty Dillion and nearly sending him towards NASCAR officials and pit crew members.
In the beginning season of 2023, he participated in the NASCAR Cup series in a no. 54 cars for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Other Car Numbers
Tyler Reddick drives no. 45 car which is a Toyota Camry. It features a Jumpman logo and was painted Carolina Blue which was an homage to Jordan's time in North Carolina.
Similarly, the number 67 car shall be driven by Travis Pastrana and Kamui Kobayashi. It is a Toyota car, Kamui shall drive the vehicle in the Indianapolis Road Course in August.
23XI NASCAR Races 2023
23XI NASCAR Races 2023 include Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway course on 13th August 2023. Likewise, other 23xi races for this year are as follows;
- Firekeepers Casino 400: Michigan International Speedway (6th August)
- Verizon 200 at the Brickyard: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (13th August)
- Go Bowling At The Glen: Watkins Glen International (20th August)
- Coke Zero Sugar 400: Daytona International Speedway (26th August)
- Cook Out Southern 500: Darlington Raceway Darlington (3rd September)
- Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By Barstool Sportsbook: Kansas Speedway (10th September)
- Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Bristol Motor Speedway (16th September)
- AutoTrader Echopark Automotive 400: Texas Motor Speedway (24th September)
- Yellawood 500: Talladega Superspeedway (1st October)
- Bank of America Roval 400: Charlotte Motor Speedway (8th October)
- South Point 400: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (15th October)
- NASCAR Cup Series: Homestead Miami Speedway (22 October)
- Xfinity 500: Martinsville Speedway (29th October)
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship: Phoenix Raceway (5th November)
Additionally, these races can be watched live on the road course or in the NBC, XM Radio Channel 90, or USA channel they take place around 2 PM and 3 PM.
