If you weren’t already aware that Michael Jordan owned a NASCAR team, you will be sure to be after watching this weekend’s Cup Series race in Kansas, where “Michael Jordan is putting his mark on NASCAR – literally.”
Kurt Busch will be debuting a unique, new paint scheme, which was revealed Thursday morning. Busch’s “Toyota car design is inspired by the iconic ‘Black Cement’ Jordan 3 sneakers, complete with a massive Air Jordan logo on the hood.”
FOX: NASCAR tweeted out a picture of the elephant print design, soon to be tearing around the track at Kansas Speedway.
Fans’ reactions seem to be positive, and many are raving about the reveal on social media. One user posted “One of the hottest schemes on track.”
Jordan is co-owner of the 150-million-dollar team, 23XI Racing, with Denny Hamlin, a former racer and three-time Daytona 500 winner. They launched their inaugural season in 2021 with Bubba Wallace as the team’s first and only driver, until the addition of Busch, and “Wallace and Busch race in the No. 23 and No. 45 cars, the two numbers Jordan wore in his incredible 15-year NBA career.”
Of course, the Chicago Bulls legend continues to cement his status in the world of sports and did so again when Wallace and Jordan “both became the first black driver and team owner to win a race.”
Last year after joining the team Busch said, “It’s an awesome amount of pressure to race for a living Smithsonian…He’s a legend, he’s the GOAT and arguably the GOAT of all of sports. I’ve just met him once. It was a great discussion that we had, kind of like an interview, and a, ‘Yes, we will win together.’ So, it comes with pressure, but I love that.”