The NBA star and co-owner of 23XI Racing, Michael Jordan’s sponsor has just released its latest collaboration with the series Jujutsu Kaisen, which is a top anime right now. Inspired by McDonald’s Japan’s iconic Black Garlic Sauce, this collaboration has a limited release that features a distinctive blend of garlic and soy sauce with a touch of tangy sweetness.

It’s the first garlic sauce to make its debut on McDonald’s USA menus. Good news for the McDonald’s Fan Zone at the Chicago NASCAR Street Race, it will debut the sauce cover designs on NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s car this Sunday. As Wallace will race in the second annual Chicago Street Race with a Sukuna-themed paint scheme from “JUJUTSU KAISEN,” fans are all over it on social media, but probably not in the way Jordan must have envisioned.

JJK’s new marketing strategy with 23Xl Racing

Bubba Wallace‘s ride is about to become a rolling controversy on four wheels at the Chicago Cup. The #23 car has received a major makeover, and let’s just say the design team wasn’t playing it safe. It’s not red anymore!
Imagine a clash of titans: a sleek red and black base, emblazoned with the bold number 23, then wham! the golden arch from McDonald’s on one side, and a character ripped straight out of an anime to go along with it. Sounds confusing, right?

This wasn’t your average NASCAR paint job, and once reporter Bob Pockrass posted to X (formerly Twitter) revealing the car, fans went from hyped to horrified faster than a pit stop. It seems the million-dollar question was this: did the team, co-owned by the legendary Michael Jordan himself, just jump the sponsorship shark? See for yourself.

Now, Wallace is a hero in his own right; there is no doubt about that. He has bravely used his platform to fight for racial equality, even convincing NASCAR to ditch the Confederate flag, and has always been a champion for inclusion, both on and off the track. So, it doesn’t hurt to ask: Why stick him in a car that looked like it belonged at a comic convention drive-thru? Is this collaboration hurting Wallace already?

Sure, Jordan’s name attracted big bucks like flies to honey. Still, Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver in the sport’s top series, was about to become a rolling billboard for burgers and anime. The thought of that seemed to make some fans scratch their heads and wonder if this was the kind of “change” Jordan envisioned for the NASCAR team.

NASCAR Fans in a Spin Cycle Over a New Paint Scheme

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When it comes to NASCAR, not only is the sport great entertainment, but the fans live for the silly moments that come up during seasons. Whether it’s one driver clowning another or an insider taking a dig at a team, fans live for the constant interaction on social platforms. And, unfortunately for Michael Jordan’s partner, it might just be their next target!

“Will Bubba be giving backshots to the field in Chicago?” one fan quips, already picturing the anime-adorned car leaving the competition in the dust.

While another clearly a champion of the unexpected, throws down the gauntlet: “Paint scheme of the year!” But not everyone’s convinced. One fan, channeling their inner NASCAR podcaster, cracks a wise joke: “Will Bubba be giving backshots to the field in Chicago?” mockingly picturing Wallace leaving his competitors in the dust, just like he tried doing in Nashville, but this time dwarfed by the sheer audacity of his anime-wrapped chariot.

This outlandish design, however, seems to have unearthed a hidden anime fan in the NASCAR community, as he wrote, “Never thought I’d see bob talk about jujutsu kaisen.” Very well caught there! We have seen Bob Pockrass reporting every millisecond of NASCAR races and off-track shenanigans but never read a post like this. And there was this another user who couldn’t stop but look at this post with a different feeling as he wrote, “Holy cringe.”

Meanwhile, Wallace himself isn’t left out of the online lovefest, as fans occasionally shower him with their digital compliments on his “sharp” new look. Whether they’re actually praising the car or Wallace’s ability to rock a bold design is anyone’s guess, but the positive vibes are undeniable for sure.

So right now, this paint scheme has NASCAR Twitter buzzing like a hive full of caffeinated bees, thanks to Michael Jordan himself. But love it or hate it, you can’t deny it’s generating a reaction; perhaps that’s all they needed. Is it a marketing masterstroke or a monumental misstep? Only time and the ever-growing pile of online commentary will tell!