“Just a Zebra Mess”: Racing Fandom Splits as Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Roll Out Bubba Wallace’s Miami Grimace

As the playoff rumble is coming to an end, the anticipation revolving around the Championship 4 keeps building. Most experts and fans believe that it will be a showdown between Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson being the favorites. Some have even argued that Christopher Bell will finally capitalize on his qualifying prowess and force his way into the Championship 4.

Whatever the results might be, Michael Jordan’s driver Bubba Wallace has exited the playoff chat after he finished 23rd in the closing race of the round of 12 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Nevertheless, his teammate Tyler Reddick advanced further. It might have tasted bitter for Wallace but with the announcement of his Homestead-Miami itinerary, it could now taste sweet like a milkshake. And for Tyler Reddick, his playoff journey perhaps will taste like a juicy hamburger. Confused?

Back-to-back announcements for Michael Jordan’s Cup Series team

Team owner invests huge sums of money for their teams to run in the Cup Series. After the drivers themselves, perhaps, the owner’s biggest assets are their cars. So much so that they even deploy their own companies to sponsor the races.

Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing is known to come up with various new liveries for his Toyotas, some of which have received quite some praise from the racing community. Moving on to the penultimate race of the round of 8, the 23XI Racing team has announced two brand new paint schemes for two of its cars. Interestingly, both are based on two of McDonald’s iconic delicacies.

For Tyler Reddick, it’s the Hamburglar. While the Hamburglar (formerly called The Lone Jogger) is a fictional character that steals hamburgers and sandwiches, it has gained wide popularity in the US with its entertaining demeanor.

The unmistakable black and white Zebra pattern with the Hamburglar himself on the hood of Reddick’s #45 Toyota Camry, will surely urge the fans to book the tickets to the 4EVER 400 on Sunday and hurry to their nearest McDonald’s outlet, grab a burger afterward. Who doesn’t like a good snack while watching their favorite racers race?

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Reddick might have left his teammate behind in the playoff competition but Bubba Wallace seems to have overpowered Reddick with the paint scheme on his #23 car.

Bubba Wallace v/s Tyler Reddick; Bubba wins!

It’s almost impossible that one has visited McDonald’s and has left without ordering their signature, berry-flavoured, purple milkshake, better known as the Grimace. This shake went trending after TikTokers made videos sipping the purple drink and pretending to die after that. Interestingly, the #grimaceshake hashtag has amassed over 145 million views on TikTok.

And when the 23XI fans got a sneak peek into Wallace’s car, they had widely opinionated views on the same, most of which gave a thumbs-up.

Comparing it to Tyler Reddick’s car, a fan wrote, “This one is miles clear of the Hamburglar one, that is just a zebra mess.”
However, not everyone was of the same opinion, “Easily the worst they run.”
“And McDonald’s screwed up,” said another.

But most of them seemed to love the dashing purple-themed machine. On that note, a user typed “23XI banger as usual.” Someone wrote, “That’s a sick paint scheme.” A 23XI supporter couldn’t contain their excitement about the upcoming race at Homestead-Miami and exclaimed, “23XI has been on a roll of purple cars and I am absolutely here for it.”
“Purple with flames. Holy sh*t I need to sit down,” another concurred.
While another cried out, “I f**king LOVE a purple race car.”

Who do you think wins here? Is it Hamburglar-themed #45 or is it Grimace-themed #23? Let us know in the comments below!

Read more: Tyler Reddick Admits Michael Jordan Wasn’t “Expecting a Lot” From Him, But It Was a Ploy for the Best