Aside from his love for basketball, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan has a deep passion for fast cars. Collecting the fastest automobiles in the world has turned into a great hobby. However, the speed of a NASCAR vehicle is the limit of Jordan’s tolerance. NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin revealed the time MJ experienced a race simulation and couldn’t handle it.
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With a net worth greater than a billion dollars, Jordan freely spends money, and he has a weakness for luxurious cars. His most recent car purchase is the Pininfarina Battista Targamerica. The first coach-built electric hypercar is one of the most stunning cars in Jordan’s collection.
The Bulls legend’s thirst for speed exceeds that of the vehicles in his collection. Jordan dove deep into the world of high-speed racing in 2021, joining forces with Hamlin to form the NASCAR team 23XI Racing. Star NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was the team’s first major acquisition.
Hamlin and Jordan formed a great relationship as friends and as business partners. In 2023, Hamlin was asked when the public would see MJ behind the wheel of a Cup car. His response didn’t appease the fans’ enthusiasm.
“Never again,” Hamlin said. “He did it once, but it was the simulator at TRD. He didn’t last long. It was probably 15 minutes and he says, ‘I’m done.'”
Jordan’s NASCAR “driving” experience was only virtual, but it was more than enough racing for him. It was the first and last time the NBA star stepped foot into a Cup car. His love for fast cars doesn’t reach the extent to which those cars can go, and he quickly realized driving those vehicles is entirely different than cruising in his custom coaches.
“He put the helmet on, and he’s like, ‘I got so dizzy, and I just started feeling queasy,'” Hamlin revealed. Jordan endured the grueling physicality of the “Bad Boy” Pistons in the early 1990s but never quit. The tumultuous experience inside the Cup car became one of the few instances his competitive fire didn’t push him to prevail.
Jordan only lasted 15 minutes in the simulator, but his respect for NASCAR drivers reached new heights. MJ remains extremely active with his Cup team. Their most recent race was the 2025 Food City 500.
