Michael Jordan earned $3 billion from his ownership stint in Charlotte, but he wasn’t able to lead the Hornets to silverware as an owner. However, he might get to make up for it by lifting a championship in NASCAR.
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His team, 23XI Racing, which MJ co-owns with Denny Hamlin, was competing in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami on October 27th. Michael and Marcus Jordan were in Florida cheering on the team’s racers as they competed for a spot in the Championship Race.
To the delight of MJ, his driver Tyler Reddick passed the team’s owner Hamlin in the final lap before taking the checkered flag as the winner of the race. Marcus Jordan had front-row seats, not just to the race, but to his father’s ecstatic reaction upon winning.
Marcus shared an Instagram story capturing his dad’s priceless reaction.
Marcus showing his dad MJ some love for that NASCAR passion pic.twitter.com/ffDwQh4fsC
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) October 29, 2024
For NBA and Chicago Bulls fans, it was a welcome sight to see the 61-year-old celebrate like he had just won his seventh championship. To be fair, this race did hold the significance of a Conference Finals as winning it has put Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing in the Championship 4.
This was Reddick’s third Cup win of the season and the 8th of his career. He became only the second driver in over two decades to win at Homestead after starting at the pole position. His terrific race even earned him a hug from Michael Jordan.
“Little kid drove his ass off, and I’m proud of him. He didn’t let go. He just went for it, and we needed it. We needed it,” the Hall of Famer exclaimed after the race.
Jordan’s excitement is understandable as he is now just one race away from winning the NASCAR playoffs.
23XI Racing has had a meteoric rise in just four years
In 2020, Mike partnered with Denny Hamlin, a seasoned racer with 54 NASCAR Cup wins under his belt, to form 23XI Racing. 23, of course, referred to Jordan’s iconic jersey number while the 11 came from the hood of Hamlin’s race car.
Bubba Wallace was their only driver during the 2021 season and after a short stint with Kurt Busch in 2022, Jordan’s team landed Tyler Reddick in 2023. In his first season, Reddick helped the team to a playoff berth by winning two races and finishing sixth in the standings.
Now, the 28-year-old driver has secured the second spot in this year’s Championship 4. He will join Joey Logano at the Phoenix Speedway on November 10th to compete for the NASCAR Cup and potentially, take Michael Jordan to the promised land in just his 4th season as an owner.
