What’s Happening?

For the first time as a car owner, Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, was at the race track as his car pulled into victory lane. He is far from the only celebrity to try his hand at NASCAR ownership, and these are a few examples.

• For this list, we will focus on any NASCAR National Touring Series. Whether that be the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, or Craftsman Truck Series.
• Celebrity car owners have enjoyed varying levels of success. Some owners have won multiple races, while others fell out of the sport after only a few years. These are the most notable celebrity team owners.
• Fans enjoy seeing celebrities owning race cars. It gives others who would never watch NASCAR a reason to tune in to a race on Sunday.

Pitbull – Trackhouse Racing

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
7	39	70	Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Shane Van Gisbergen

It’s rare to find a true celebrity outside of the sports world that embraces NASCAR quite like Pitbull does. He partnered with Justin Marks to found Trackhouse Racing, and the team has challenged the status quo of what a NASCAR team could be. That comes along with being a force to be reckoned with on the race track.

Joe Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing (Cup Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
211	905	1497	Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin

When 3-time Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Joe Gibbs left the NFL world to form a NASCAR team, many were surprised, but, what a decision it was. The team started in 1992 and burst onto the scene by winning the Daytona 500 with Dale Jarrett in 1993. He became one of the best car owners of his generation, taking home more than 200 victories and counting.

Michael Jordan – 23XI Racing (Cup Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
6	35	59	Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Kurt Busch

Born in North Carolina, Michael Jordan was a NASCAR fan from a young age. He soon formed a friendship with Denny Hamlin, and the two partnered up in 2021 to form 23XI Racing. The team has 6 wins, and Jordan was at the track for a win for the first time at Talladega.

Brad Daugherty – JTG Daugherty Racing (Cup Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
2	25	85	Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

After a successful NBA career, Brad Daugherty, another avid NASCAR fan, started his own race team, JTG Daugherty Racing. While never a powerhouse, JTG Daugherty has been respectable with two Cup Series wins, including the 2023 Daytona 500, and 3 Xfinity Series wins to boot.

Floyd Mayweather – The Money Team (Cup Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
0	0	0	Connor Daly and Kaz Grala

The Money Team…definitely existed, there’s no way around that. Floyd Mayweather joining NASCAR was met with a lot of excitement, but, it turned out to be a dud with only 7 starts to date. The team has not entered a race since 2023, and their 2023 Daytona 500 effort showcased just how much this team struggled.

Terry Bradshaw – FitzBradshaw Racing (Xfinity Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
0	6	23	Randy LaJoie, Casey Atwood, and David Stremme

Terry Bradshaw joined the NASCAR ownership ranks in the early 2000s with FitzBradshaw Racing, an Xfinity Series team. While the team had some solid performances, Bradshaw stepped out of ownership after the 2005 season. His comments on “Buschwhacking” during the 2005 season give some insight into the ongoing debate about Cup drivers in the lower series.

Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman – Hall of Fame Racing (Cup Series)

Wins	Top-5s	Top-10s	Notable Drivers
0	2	4	Tony Raines and Terry Labonte

NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman both teamed up to form the appropriately named Hall of Fame Racing for the 2006 season. While the team showed some flashes, including 2-Time Cup Series Champion, Terry Labonte, finishing 3rd after leading 17 laps at Sonoma in 2006, the pair left ownership after the 2007 season. The team shuttered for good after the 2009 season.

Could we see more celebrity team owners in NASCAR in the future? Time will tell, but, there are plenty who are absolutely invested in the sport right now.