$193 Billion Worth Behemoth Sponsoring Michael Jordan’s Drivers Leaves NASCAR Fans Divided

Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team definitely stands out when it comes to marketing ideas. The birth of 23XI Racing was under unique circumstances when Jordan joined hands with the black hat of motorsport, Denny Hamlin. And what a partnership between the two! Did you know Hamlin wasn’t even 2 years old when Jordan won the 1982 NCAA title as a freshman at North Carolina, and less than two months later, he excitedly met Richard Petty in the Charlotte Motor Speedway garage?

The love of racing ran deep for Jordan, and even today, his presence at 23XI spurred the arrival of sponsors and diverse leagues of fans to NASCAR, resulting in some fascinating paint schemes on their drivers’ cars. Ranging from bright green Monster Energy livery to eye-catching Jordan brand designs, 23XI paint ideas usually make fans’ jaws drop. Now McDonald’s is back to wield the brush for both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick’s rides at Iowa Raceway.

McDonald’s mascots have appeared on Michael Jordan’s cars before.

Michael Jordan trumpets 23XI Racing at business meetings with ease. The prowess that made him the world’s first billion-dollar athlete helps him charm corporate magnates. “[Michael Jordan] is a huge influence; he’s a huge fan of the sport,” said Steve Lauletta, team president of 23XI Racing. “It’s a different perspective, which I think is great for where we can help and work with NASCAR.”

Hence Denny Hamlin acknowledges what an asset Jordan is for roping in sponsors and believes MJ very well knows how to “come and say hello to some of the people who write big checks to us each and every year.”

Bubba Wallace, 23XI’s first driver, brought established brands with him when he joined the team, including McDonald’s, DoorDash, Columbia, and Root Insurance. Although 23XI Racing had Toyota supporting them from the beginning, once Wallace officially joined the team, Dr. Pepper entered the fray as well. And these brands indulge in 23XI’s design projects lavishly.

For instance, No. 45’s splash of colors for the 2023 playoffs was a sight to behold. Tyler Reddick’s car carried the Jordan brand logo and snazzy livery that screamed basketball. This design could have won the award for best paint scheme (there should be one).

McDonald’s $193 billion food chain behemoth appeared on Reddick and Wallace’s cars last year at the Homestead-Miami playoff race. McDonald’s mascots Grimace and Hamburglar graced the No. 23 and No. 45 cars, respectively. Recently, the fast food chain announced its comeback on 23XI’s cars with another character, Birdie.

One of the major reasons for such collaborations could be the way that 23XI Racing has worked with its partners and drivers to position themselves at the intersection of motorsport and pop culture. “We’ve got some programmes coming that are focused in a couple of markets with Bubba – away from the race track – to introduce Nascar to the African American community,” mentioned Lauletta back in 2022. Denny and Bubba were in a Post Malone video. “We get these opportunities] with the partners that we have, like McDonald’s, the Jordan brand, and Monster Energy,” Lauletta further added.

This time, the new birdie paint scheme by McD comes on a special occasion, as these schemes will be used at Iowa Raceway, where NASCAR has never flagged off Cup races before. This should be enough to churn up excitement among fans. However, the NASCAR community threw in some mixed responses to McDonald’s paint schemes.

The NASCAR community cautiously welcomes the new McDonald’s birdie paint scheme

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McDonald’s is a household name on a global level. Hence, most fans were neck-deep in excitement as the popular fast food brand announced their repeat collaboration with 23XI. One fan hailed last year’s project by posting Bubba Wallace’s purple Grimace car, and commenting, “LETS RUN IT BACK”.

Another fan was enthralled by Tyler Reddick’s Hamburglar car design. They expressed a wish to see new products with that design. “Make that 45 in a die cast and I’m copping immediately”. Another fan chimed in, echoing the sentiment, “I am in LOVE!”

However, even 23XI Racing’s liveries receive backlash. One fan made their stance perfectly clear, “Definitely not !!!” Another fan quipped along similar lines, “No… no they’re not…”

Iowa Speedway has hosted NASCAR and IndyCar races before and is a popular short track. In the event of NASCAR’s first-ever Cup race, one fan could not help disliking McDonald’s paint scheme for the special occasion: “bruh, the one iowa race i cant go to”.

One thing is clear: NASCAR fans are going to be talking about Michael Jordan’s new paint schemes, despite being divided.