Before he was the greatest player in NBA history, or one of the greatest, depending on how you view such matters, Michael Jordan was just a kid, guided by his parents.
Of the many things fathers can pass down to sons, beyond lessons, love and loyalty, is a passion for something. James Jordan instilled a zest for racing in his son that has never wavered.
As Tyler Reddick races for a Cup championship this weekend for 23XI Racing, the team Jordan co-owns, Jordan’s exuberance — and even anxiety at times — reveals how deep racing runs through a man often viewed through superhuman highlights on a basketball court.
But before he was a logo and before there were any championships, there was racing for Jordan.
“My father used to take me to races. Not just me, but my whole family to races,” Jordan told NBC Sports in 2020 after the announcement that he and Denny Hamlin would co-own a NASCAR Cup team. “He was a big car person. He used to work on engines for years.
“He became a big stock-car fan and he bred us to do the same. Went to Darlington, Rockingham, Charlotte, Talladega. Hoss Ellington used to be from Wilmington (North Carolina) and he used to work on cars with Hoss Ellington way back in the day. I’ve been involved in car racing for a long period of time as a fan, obviously, through my parents, through my father.”
That two key moments this season for 23XI Racing came at Talladega and Darlington this year, likely made the moments even more special for Jordan because of his history with his father at those tracks.
Those races showcased Jordan the fan, not the Jordan who won six NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals and an NCAA basketball title.
While Bubba Wallace delivered 23XI Racing’s first victory with his triumph at Talladega in 2021, Jordan wasn’t at the track to see his team win until Reddick took the checkered flag at Talladega in April.
Jordan celebrated with everybody, including Reddick’s son, Beau.
“He did a great job,” Jordan said to Beau as he held him. “Are we going to celebrate?
“Yeah!” the 4-year-old shouted.
Beau’s enthusiasm elicited deep, playful laughter from Jordan as he patted Beau’s stomach.
Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, celebrated Tyler Reddick’s win at Talladega with Reddick’s son Beau.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 21, 2024
📸: @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/A2yfWURTSi
Steve Lauletta, president of 23XI Racing, noted the significance of that Talladega win to the team.
“I told everybody when we got back to the race shop, being able to give Michael Jordan a first of anything is something to be super proud of,” Lauletta said.
Just as revealing was Jordan’s feelings as he watched Wallace and Reddick race in the Southern 500 in September. It was Wallace’s last chance to make the playoffs and an ill Reddick competed for the regular-season championship.
Asked by NBC Sports’ Dave Burns if he got nervous for Wallace, Jordan shook his head and smiled: “I’m absolutely terrified right now because I want him to do well, obviously, and Tyler, too. … That’s what NASCAR is all about. I enjoy it.
“I don’t have basketball anymore; this could replace it very easily.”
In a way, it has.
“The racing side of it brings out more emotion and passion than I’ve seen outside of his own career in sport,” Hamlin said last weekend at Martinsville. “I’ve seen him on golf courses. I’ve seen him play cards, things like that – I’ve seen all of that, but nothing matches the emotion that winning a NASCAR race has shown in him.”
“Little kid drove his ass off.”
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick are going to the NASCAR Championship together. One as an owner. The other as a driver. pic.twitter.com/Z5XiMWqPir
Jordan showed that after Reddick’s dramatic victory two weeks ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reddick went from third to first on the last lap, passing Ryan Blaney for the win. As Jordan headed to Victory Lane, he told Burns: “Little kid drove his ass off.”
Shortly after that, Jordan bear-hugged Reddick and lifted him off the ground.
“It caught me off guard,” Reddick later said. “I was very surprised. It was a really cool moment. I weigh about 165, so I’m not the easiest to pick up, but for him, he can.”
Tyler Reddick WINS and gets a hug from team owner Michael Jordan! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ccbQ4TZiiD
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 27, 2024
Jordan is expected at Phoenix for this weekend’s championship race and likely will be on the team’s pit box. While he easily could watch the race from a suite or in a motorcoach in the infield, he prefers to be with the team, close to the action where he can feel the rumble, smell the burnt rubber and hear the thunderous roars of cars racing by.
There’s something different about being at a race in person and Jordan seems to enjoy that aspect when he has to chance to be at the track.
“Since I’ve been around since the beginning, the thing I’ve been most pleasantly surprised about is his true, honest love of this sport,” Lauletta said. “Obviously, he’s super competitive. He wants us to do well, but he’s followed it his entire life. He loves being a part of it.”
A close part of it.
“He’s there to put his arm around the guys when we go great,” Lauletta said. “He’s there to pick us up if we have a rough day.”
Jordan’s influence has grown since selling his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets in August 2023.
Hamlin noted in September of that year how Jordan’s presence had grown in team meetings.
“I think he’s brought some very good intel into our meetings on mindset, on how do we get better individually as a team,” Hamlin said then. “He’s obviously been a part of team sports forever. He’s, at times, heard things in meetings where he’s like, ‘I don’t like that. We need to be more self-reflective on what we need to do better.’ That goes such a long way with our team.”
This championship run comes amid uncertainty for 23XI Racing. Jordan’s team and Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and NASCAR Chairman Jim France in October.
“Everyone knows that I have always been a fierce competitor, and that will to win is what drives me and the entire 23XI team each and every week out on the track,” Jordan said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. “I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.”
Jordan attended Monday’s preliminary injunction hearing, along with Hamlin, 23XI Racing co-owner Curtis Polk and Front Row owner Bob Jenkins.
After the hearing, Jordan spoke briefly to reporters about the case before turning his attention to Sunday’s race — his next chance to enjoy a passion handed down by his father and, possibly, add to his competitive legacy.
“I’m looking forward,” he said, “to winning a championship this weekend.”
