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Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, alongside Front Row Motorsports, announced Wednesday morning that they had sued NASCAR. Jordan, a Basketball Hall of Famer, has owned a NASCAR team since 2021. Since 2021, it been a wild ride for Jordan and 23XI, but how did he find himself in a courtroom?
In September 2020, the NASCAR world first heard the news that NBA legend Michael Jordan and his longtime friend, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, were starting a NASCAR team. The team would be named 23XI Racing, or Twenty-Three Eleven Racing, combining the two athletes’ iconic numbers.
Furthermore, the team would sign hot commodity Bubba Wallace to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry in 2021. The car would utilize the Charter of the closing Germain Racing.
In late 2021, 23XI added to its lineup with a driver the exact opposite of Bubba Wallace. Veteran driver and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch announced he would leave Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 45 for 23XI Racing in 2022. Notably, the No. 45 is Michael Jordan’s second number used during his Basketball career. This announcement also confirmed to NASCAR fans that car numbers will shift forward with the introduction of the Next Gen car.
Thirty-one races into the 2021 season, 23XI was experiencing some growing pains. The team had just two top fives and a best-of-second in the August Daytona race. At Talladega in October, it would all pay off when Bubba Wallace found his No. 23 at the front of the pack when rain began to fall in Alabama. NASCAR would call the race for weather 117 laps in. This race was both Wallace and 23XI’s first NASCAR Cup Series win.
Early into his time at 23XI Racing, Kurt Busch battled hard with reigning Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson to win his first race at 23XI. Notably, Busch not only won in the No. 45 but won with Michael Jordan’s Jordan Brand on the hood of his Toyota Camry.
With six races to go until the start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Kurt Busch, set to make 23XI’s Playoff debut, wrecked his No. 45 during qualifying for Pocono’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. This wreck and the resulting concussion would end Busch’s career. This was, however, unknown at the time. TRD hot shot Ty Gibbs would enter the No. 45 that Sunday.
Following the start of the NASCAR Playoffs, Bubba Wallace entered the No. 45 for 23XI Racing. This move was due to 23XI wanting to maximize its owners’ points, making for an easy transition for the team. At Kansas, the same track Busch won at in May, Wallace drove his injured teammates’ car to victory lane.
In a shock move, 23XI signed the driver of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 8. Tyler Reddick, a three-race winner in 2022, still had time on his contract at RCR. However, the two parties would come to an agreement for the former Xfinity Series Champion to race the No. 45 in 2023.
Just six races into his career at 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick would lead 41 of 75 laps at Circuit of the Americas on his way to winning number one in the No. 45. Notably, Kurt Busch, with his future still unknown, would be in the booth for Fox Sports, making for an emotional moment for the former champion.
Just three seasons into the teams’ existence, both of its full-time drivers would qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. It would not have resulted in a championship, but it showed a major step in the right direction for Jordan’s team.
Returning to the track, 23XI won their first race at Tyler Reddick would at Talladega. For the second time, 23XI won with Jordan Brand on the hood of the car. However, for the first time, a delighted Michael Jordan was in attendance for the win, making national headlines as he celebrated in victory lane.
Following a stellar season for 23XI, Tyler Reddick and his No. 45 team brought home the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship. Despite the thrill, Bubba Wallace would fall short of the Playoffs. However, the driver of the No. 23 has posted career-high stats in 2024.
Throughout the 2024 season, 23XI Racing’s were vocal about their displeasure in NASCAR’s Charter negotiations. However, when NASCAR forced the hands of teams to sign on a short deadline, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports publicly held out on signing, and in doing so, risking everything they had built.
On Oct. 3, the Charter battle took on a new front when 23XI and Front Row Motorsports announced they were suing NASCAR for violating antitrust laws. In a press release from 23XI Racing, Jordan said:
“Everyone knows that I have always been a fierce competitor, and that will to win is what drives me and the entire 23XI team each and every week out on the track. I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.” — Michael Jordan
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