Just when it seemed Michael Jordan’s mythology couldn’t stretch any further, he added another chapter — this one written at 200 miles per hour.
In early December, Jordan sat inside a Charlotte, North Carolina, courtroom, entangled in an antitrust lawsuit that threatened the future of his NASCAR team, 23XI Racing. Two and a half months later, he was in Victory Lane at Daytona, celebrating a Daytona 500 triumph, and shaking hands with the very man his team had sued, NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France.
Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were the two organizations that embarked on a 14-month legal battle culminating in an eight-day trial after accusing NASCAR of monopolistic practices. Many observers believed the teams were positioned to win before both sides ultimately settled.
The legal fight carried an enormous risk. Had Jordan lost, he could have lost his race team with it. There were even reports that 23XI’s most talented driver, Tyler Reddick, might explore other options amid the uncertainty surrounding the organization’s future.
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Instead, Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin held firm. Not only did they secure the return of the charters they had previously lost during litigation, but they also negotiated permanent charters — a significant shift in the sport’s structure.
Charters in NASCAR function much like franchises in stick-and-ball leagues, guaranteeing teams revenue streams and entry into all 36 points races in the Cup Series. The most recent charter agreement was renegotiated in 2024, with 13 of 15 teams signing on. The two holdouts — 23XI and Front Row — filed suit instead, hoping to gain permanent charters to protect their investment in the sport.
The stakes were enormous. Charter values have skyrocketed in recent years, climbing from roughly $2 million to a reported $45 million in a sale this summer. With that kind of money and future growth on the line, the battle between the teams and NASCAR was about far more than principle.
To those outside the racing world, his involvement in NASCAR might look like just another line item in a billionaire’s portfolio. But Jordan’s investment in NASCAR runs deeper than money.
As a child, his parents took him to races, where he first caught the NASCAR bug. Decades later, while still the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, that same passion resurfaced when he spotted Denny Hamlin sitting courtside at a game. Jordan struck up a conversation, peppering Hamlin with questions about the sport.
Soon, the two were exchanging phone numbers. Jordan began texting Hamlin about races, asking about strategy decisions he was watching unfold in real time. What started as curiosity steadily evolved into something more serious.
Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a fake news story surfaced claiming Hamlin was exploring the purchase of a race team with Jordan. Hamlin sent the article to Jordan as a joke. The response he received changed everything: “That’s obviously fake news, but if you want to make it real news, let me know.”
In 2021, 23XI Racing rolled onto the grid for its first Cup Series race — no longer a hypothetical headline, but a fully realized vision.
Jordan didn’t just lend his name to the venture. He regularly attends races, remains involved in team decisions, and even committed his Jordan Brand to producing the team’s racing gear. His pit crews are equipped with custom black Jordan 9 shoes with fireproof material.
His fingerprints are all over the organization’s new race shop, Airspeed, as well. The facility is intentionally split into two colors: Carolina blue on the business side, a nod to his days at the University of North Carolina, and Bulls red on the competition side, honoring the championship years in Chicago.
Since its debut, 23XI Racing has captured nine wins, with Tyler Reddick delivering a Regular Season Championship and a berth in the Championship Race in 2024.
Reddick’s story carries Illinois ties, as well. After moving from California, he got an early start in racing at the dirt track in Du Quoin. His wife, Alexa DeLeon, is the daughter of former major league right-hander José DeLeón, who pitched for the White Sox in 1994 — the same year Jordan stepped away from the NBA to pursue minor league baseball. During spring training, DeLeón was among the first pitchers to throw batting practice to Jordan.
Three decades later, the connection came full circle. On the final lap of the Daytona 500, Reddick, in the Jordan-owned No. 45 Toyota Camry, surged from third to first coming out of Turn 4, avoiding a spin by Carson Hocevar and threading his way through chaos to secure his first Daytona 500 victory.
It was the only lap that Reddick led the entire race, after finishing runner-up to William Byron the year before, giving Jordan’s team its biggest victory in NASCAR to date.
For a man whose competitive résumé already includes six NBA titles and a career defined by championship moments, this one felt different. It wasn’t a last-second jumper or a Finals MVP trophy. It was proof that his drive to win — no matter the arena — never left.
Hamlin perhaps captured it best after the Great American Race, reflecting on what the moment meant to his co-owner.
“He loves this race team. In that same meeting we had just a few weeks ago with the team, I reminded them about Talladega, and how excited he was on pit road,” Hamlin said in reference to Jordan’s reaction to Reddick’s 2024 victory at Talladega Superspeedway. “I was like, ‘Do you guys understand the responsibilities that you have? You have the power to bring joy to Michael Jordan. You have that power, and nobody else can do it.”
