“It Was an Accident”: Fake News Spurred Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin to Own a Race Team

Barely three years into his stint as a race team owner, Michael Jordan is already a winning name in NASCAR. After 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick stormed the Talladega trophy, fans went gaga over Jordan’s newfound success. As the team owner, this is the first time the NBA legend witnessed the race.

Jordan’s love for racing runs deep, as Denny Hamlin had discovered on their first meeting. Michael Jordan was raised on a NASCAR diet, and his thirst for race tracks persisted until he met Hamlin. Both were thrown into the race team owners’ mix, even though they did not intend to.

Denny Hamlin reveals 23XI’s unorthodox origin story

When Denny Hamlin was asked about 23XI Racing’s creation, he had a four-word answer. Hamlin told Barstool Sports’ journalist Frank Fleming: “It was an accident”. 

The beginnings of racing in Michael Jordan’s life were subtle yet solid. His father was a gearhead who tinkered with engines and even worked on a Cup car. The Jordan family frequented race tracks, including Darlington, Talladega, and Charlotte. Hence, when he saw Cup driver Denny Hamlin attending a Charlotte Hornets’ NBA game in 2010, Jordan was eager to talk about racing with him.

Hamlin narrated the surreal incident. “I was a courtside season ticket holder, and I was going to the halfway break house during halftime. He had a security pull me aside and asked to meet me. So, of course, I am completely starstruck. He gets my phone number, and then the second half of the game he’s asking me all these racing questions...’This guy watches NASCAR?!‘ I was just blown away by it.”

Then, the two fostered a relationship studded by Hamlin’s Jordan brand sponsorship and occasional golf meet-ups. Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan nurtured a friendship that soon led to something big. In 2020, Hamlin was considering buying a stake in a race team when a rumor floated. A fake news article posited that Hamlin and Jordan were buying into Richard Petty Motorsports.

Denny Hamlin then joked about this with his basketball friend. But the humor-laden conversation soon took a serious shade. “So I sent him the article and said, ‘Hey, it looks like we’re going into business together‘. He says, ‘Ha ha. That’s obviously fake news, but if you wanna make some real news, let me know’... I say, ‘What do you mean?‘ He says, ‘Well, are you gonna be a team owner or not?‘ I say, ‘Given the right situation, yes.‘ He says, ‘Well if you want a partner, let me know’.”

Then, the rest was history, as both athletes conjured a feasible business plan. Hamlin continued: “For the next month and a half to two months, his group vetted it, looked it over, and said, ‘We’re in.‘”

Despite his new venture as a race team owner, Michael Jordan wanted to top the charts.

Jordan told Hamlin he was looking to win!

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Tyler Reddick’s Talladega victory revealed the success 23XI Racing is capable of. And the team’s co-owner majorly drives that victor’s mindset. Michael Jordan is a household name in sports for good reason. He won six NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, and one NCAA title. Jordan wanted to bring that winner’s streak within his racing venture as well.

When he and Denny Hamlin were cooking up their NASCAR plans, Jordan’s message was simple.“My biggest conversation to Denny was I don’t want to … just go around and around and around and finish 18th, 19th, 20th, 30th. I want to win. I want to be put in the position for the best chance for us to win. That’s my competitive nature.”

And now, we witnessed the competitive spirit come alive during the recent race at Talladega Superspeedway.