The establishment of 23XI Racing in the Cup Series was a stepping stone for Bubba Wallace, who had struggled to win a single race during his first four seasons. However, the faith shown by owner Michael Jordan and Wallace’s zeal to win brought him his first Cup Series win in 2021 during the team’s first-ever season.

Recently, Wallace gave an insight into his experience of working alongside Michael Jordan and being a lead driver on his fairly new NASCAR team. The 29-year-old driver also trashed an infamous Michael Jordan myth while talking about the billionaire team owner’s value addition to the sport.

MJ signed Bubba Wallace as their only driver in 2021 with the #23 Toyota. And just before the NASCAR 2023 season kicked off, Wallace shattered a big myth about MJ’s approach as a racing team owner.

Did Bubba get star-struck when meeting MJ?

In a recent interview with Complex, Bubba Wallace shared that he was overwhelmed when he first got a call from Michael Jordan and had to take a moment to find his composure. However, Wallace reckoned that meeting the Chicago Bulls legend for the first time was a slightly different experience. The 23XI Racing driver stated, “I didn’t get starstruck over meeting MJ, but I often find myself in scenarios when we’re together and BSing and talking about life and it’s cool to step back and see yourself in that moment.”

However, Wallace also clarified that he never felt too nervous to speak around MJ and enjoyed the NBA legend’s company. Moreover, Wallace pointed out that Michael Jordan’s legendary status gave many people the wrong idea that he just wanted to start a NASCAR team for the sake of it. However, Wallace did not agree with the mentality as he rubbished an infamous claim. Bubba said, “MJ is totally different. He’ll call you and ask you first, ‘Why should I do this with you?'”

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Bubba also claimed that MJ was quite dedicated to winning and making his team the top contenders in the Cup Series, which brought in “a lot more pressure” on the driver.

Wallace sheds light on Michael Jordan’s perspective on racing

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During the interview, Bubba suggested that MJ understood motorsports from the perspective of an athlete and in terms of performance. Moreover, Wallace revealed that MJ was quite aware of the multiple dynamics that are involved in winning NASCAR races. Wallace said, “He’s never like, ‘Hey why didn’t you pass this guy?’ He notices when cars aren’t doing certain things or when we’re taking a different line and it’s not working.”

The 23XI driver added, “MJ sees a different perspective. He’s not like, ‘Win or else.’ MJ understands that it takes a whole army to win a race and I feel like we’re getting our last bit of troops in place to go out and conquer.”

Wallace believes that Michael Jordan’s presence on the team brings a lot of energy and he is quite confident about his future with the team.