Back in August, basketball great Michael Jordan denied rumors that he was considering getting into the world of NASCAR. It turned out to be totally true. Jordan has officially become NASCAR’s first Black principal team owner in nearly 50 years, The Root reported.
Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level, has been selected as the Jordan team driver.
Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin will form a NASCAR Cup Series team, according to NASCAR.
Jordan says he’s been a NASCAR fan his whole life.
“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races,” Jordan said in a statement. “The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners. The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more.”
Jordan, who owns the basketball team the Charlotte Hornets, earlier this year pledged $100 million over 10 years for initiatives combating systemic racism, ESPN reported.
“In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing,” Jordan said.
Jordan is the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since NASCAR legend Wendell Scott drove his own race car from 1961 to 1973, according to ESPN.
Many expected there would be a slew of racist feedback on the news of the Jordan deal. For years NASCAR has been trying to combat the image that it is a racist sport. However, many tweets were pro-Jordan.
“I just truly hope everyone will embrace how Awesome this is for our sport! We truly welcome Michael Jordon to #NASCAR I promise you, @dennyhamlin will make sure this effort is successful! Congrats to @BubbaWallace” Larry McReynolds @LarryMac28 tweeted.
“Jordan & NASCAR in the same sentence sounds weird AF” @JoshCrawford86 tweeted. ConcreteWallflower replied, “Mike has actually been a fan of motorsports in all forms. Shouldn’t be surprising if you’ve ever watched the few off the court profiles about him.”
When Wallace recently cut ties with Richard Petty Motorsports after three seasons, many wondered what his next move would be. Well, a deal seemed to have been brewing with Jordan to make NASCAR history.
“This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career,” Wallace wrote in a social media post. “I am grateful and humbled that they believe in me, and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them.”
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Jordan and former NBA player Brad Daugherty, a partner at JTG Daugherty Racing, are the only Black owners at NASCAR’s elite Cup level.
Jordan tested the waters in the racing circuit with Michael Jordan Motorsports. At one point, he owned an AMA Superbike team.
