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Michael Jordan is Now the Principal Owner of a NASCAR Team
By Jeff Osienya Sep 22, 2020 EntertainmentMichael Jordan buys a spot to start a NASCAR team with long-time friend and fellow sports veteran Denny Hamlin as the minority owner. The duo signed Bubba Wallace to steer the team.Michael Jordan, the NBA legend and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time has announced yet another momentous move into the realm of sports ownership. On Monday night, the basketball icon and Charlotte Hornets owner announced that has joined forces with NASCAR superstar, Denny Hamlin to form a new racing team. The new NASCAR Cup Series race team will make its debut during the 2021 season with rising star Bubba Wallace as the driver after he signed a multi-year contract.
Jordan, the NBA billionaire acquired a charter from Germain Racing to guarantee the team a weekly slot in the NASCAR’s 40-car field. Denny Hamlin, who is a three-time Daytona 500 winner will serve as a minority owner of the new team with Jordan as the principal.
A Landmark Moment for NASCAR’s Diversity
After the breakthrough announcement, the basketball bigshot released a statement disclosing that he has been a fan of NASCAR his entire life, and even narrated how his parents would take him and his siblings to the races in his younger years. True to his word, MJ has been a longtime fan of motorsports, and back in 2004, he started an AMA superbike team that hit the pro circuit for 10 years. As part of his statement, Jordan further voiced his excitement by indicating that;
Quote“The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners. The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more."
With this new partnership, Michael Jordan becomes the first African-American majority shareholder of a full-time racing team in the NASCAR since the early 70s when Wendall Scott raced his own car. Wallace on the other hand is the only black NASCAR driver at the moment and is the first full-time black racer of the Cup Series since Scott’s stint. After the deal was announced, NASCAR came forward to laud the trio in a press statement as follows;
Quote“We proudly welcome Michael Jordan into the NASCAR family, and look forward to watching Michael, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace compete in 2021. Michael is an iconic sports figure and celebrated champion whose fiercely competitive nature has placed him among the greatest athletes of all time. His presence at NASCAR’s top level will further strengthen the competition, excitement and momentum growing around our sport. We wish Michael and his team tremendous success.”
Big Month for Jordan
So far, September has been an incredibly outstanding month for the five-time NBA MVP. At the beginning of the month, Jordan announced his deal with Nasdaq-listed DraftKings that saw him become a board member of the sports betting and fantasy sports giant in an advisory capacity.
Fast forward to this past Sunday, the former hoops hotshot seized another moment of glory after he scored an Emmy Award for the first time, under the Nonfiction Series/Outstanding Documentary for the production role of his hit show, The Last Dance. And now, he has a NASCAR team, making history as the first African-American to do so as a majority owner.
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