Folks, what makes 23XI Racing a team to watch out for in 2025? Is it their speed, their growth, or a combination of the two? In just five seasons, they already have a regular season championship and a championship 4 appearance. Both came in 2024 with Tyler Reddick. Even look at the current season: both drivers are in the top 10 in points; Reddick is P7, and Bubba Wallace is P8. But there’s more to 23XI Racing than just talented drivers. It’s about one of the world’s greatest athletes being involved in making the team a success, and Bubba Wallace recently opened up about Michael Jordan’s influence on the team.

You’d think the NBA legend, along with his co-owner and long-time friend Denny Hamlin, is just a passive investor. After all, MJ’s got so many ventures. But that’s not the case. NASCAR is something he loves, and 23XI Racing is his baby. Remember when he had said, “I’ve been a fan for so long. And I’m always going to be that. Making money or losing money, I’m going to be a fan of NASCAR.” Recently, Bubba Wallace has confirmed this!

Michael Jordan is behind 23XI Racing’s success!

When you have Michael Jordan just a call away for guidance and mentorship, success is bound to come. This is a privilege not everyone in the NASCAR garage gets. And the 62-year-old is always on the track. Remember the 2024 Homestead Miami fall race? Jordan was there cheering the #45 driver. And after an amazing display of skill, Reddick bagged a championship 4 berth by passing Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney on the last lap and no one was more happy than MJ. “The little kid drove his a– off. I’m proud of him. … He just let go and he just went for it. I’m glad. I’m glad. We needed it,” he said.

And folks, this sparked some controversy: Michael Jordan calling Reddick a ‘little kid.’ But that’s what they are to him, both Reddick and Wallace. And it’s a pleasure for them. Back then, Reddick was quick to clear the air on this: “I would rather Michael say I’m a little kid than him say nothing at all.” His words and mentorship are that important to the drivers. And now, even Bubba Wallace has spoken about MJ’s impact.

Wallace was on The Breakfast Club show, where he said, “He’s watching each and every weekend, whether he’s here or overseas, whatever he’s doing. I have a text before and after the race every weekend… It’s always encouraging. He’s always a glass-half-full guy. No matter how rough the day gets, he’s always searching for the positives, and so it’s helped me grow up a lot in a short amount of time.”

Which is true. First three Cup seasons, Bubba Wallace ran with Richard Petty Motorsports, never getting a win, barely even getting a top 5. And in all those three seasons, Wallace never bagged a top 20 season finish. But MJ and Hamlin knew his talent needed a bit of nurturing. Enter 23XI Racing in 2021, Wallace was in the #23 car. The same number MJ won six championships with in the NBA. And having MJ in the sport was huge. NASCAR got more eyeballs, and Wallace got his first win at Talladega. And year by year, Wallace has kept progressing. Last season was his best so far: 6 tops, 14 top 10s. And the way the current season is going, it seems like he might surpass 2024. In just 7 races, he’s already got 2 top 5s and 3 top 10s.

And it’s all thanks to how much MJ is involved in the team. And it sometimes even surprises Wallace. “So MJ is super involved, and it might be a shock to a lot of people, and I think it was for me to start because you think of somebody as big as MJ that can be doing anything else that he wants with his time and his money. He has a strong passion for NASCAR. He’s been a fan. He’s watched, even before he became a team owner, he was a kid going to the races—Darlington, Talladega, Charlotte. He was going to all these places with his family growing up, and so he’s always had a strong knack for NASCAR and what it provides. And so now him being invested, oh, it’s game over.”

Michael Jordan was raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, the state where NASCAR was born. He has a deep connection with the sport, and this is reflected in his passion as an owner. From building a state of the start ‘Airspeed’ (the 23XI shop) to investing in marquee sponsors such as Monster Energy and using his Jordan brand as a platform for marketing, MJ has been instrumental in their success.

Also, Wallace has high hopes for the 2025 season!

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Can Bubba Wallace break his winless streak in 2025?

Even though the 2024 season was his best, it was winless. In fact, his last win came in 2022 at Kansas, and it’s been 86 races since then. However, the 2025 season is already showing signs of that changing. First, he won the Daytona Duel race. And now he’s gotten two back-to-back P3 finishes. First at Homestead Miami and then at Martinsville. Wallace also has the most laps run in the top 5 of any driver in the Cup Series this season, showcasing his versatility across various tracks. However, he needs to win!

Wallace said, “I need to win. There you go. I think that’s the easiest way to go about it. I need to win. Golf didn’t change too much, but Tiger [Woods] was dominant and created a lot of buzz. I’ve only had two wins in my eight years being in Cup. To me, that’s unacceptable… The way that we’ve been performing this year, last two races finishing third, two spots away from doing just that. I’ll take full responsibility in helping that.”

And there is a strong possibility of that win coming in the next race. Folks, NASCAR is headed to Darlington. Yup. The ‘track too tough to tame.’ Well, it might not be that tough for Wallace. Bubba has finished 16th or better in each of his past five races there, including top 10s in four of them. Additionally, he has posted Driver Ratings in the 90s in each of his past four Darlington starts. Plus, Darlington is a lot like Homestead Miami, riding close to the wall while avoiding the infamous Darlington stripe. And after his recent Homestead run, he’ll be a top contender to win.

Well, he’ll have a strong challenge from his boss, Denny Hamlin, who is the winningest active driver of the track (4 wins). Folks, what do you think are Bubba Wallace’s chances of winning this season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.