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Michael Jordan isn’t messing around with this whole NASCAR team ownership thing. The basketball legend co-founded 23XI race team with driver Denny Hamlin last season and has found immediate success.
The team won its first race with Bubba Wallace, the series’ only black driver, last year at Talladega Superspeedway. That win provided the impetus the team needed to expand from one car to two in 2022. They added former series champion and future Hall of Famer Kurt Busch to the roster for the 2022 season.
The addition immediately paid dividends and Busch earned a hard-fought win at Kansas Speedway to earn the team’s first NASCAR playoff appearance. Busch was also sporting Jordan Brand as a sponsor at the time,
Unfortunately, a crash that caused a concussion forced Busch to withdraw from the playoff race. That led Wallace to take over his car for the rest of the season. The talented young driver made the move count, winning the second race of his career as the team swept the season series at Kansas.
Michael Jordan And 23XI Racing To Add Young NASCAR Star Tyler Reddick In 2023
In the midst of the playoff hunt and driver switch, 23XI made a huge announcement. The team secured the services of rising star Tyler Reddick following the completion of his contract with Richard Childress Racing in 2024.
That didn’t sit well with Childress, who famously owns the No. 3 formerly driven by Dale Earnhardt. Not only did Childress go out and land two-time series champion Kyle Busch as a free agent for 2023. He also put Busch in Reddick’s No. 8 car for 2023 without announcing what that would mean for Reddick.
Well, we got an answer on Tuesday.
NASCAR reporter Candice Spencer reports that 23XI has opted to buy out the last year of Reddick’s contract and add him to the team in 2023.
Hearing @TylerReddick ‘s contract has been bought out from @RCRracing and he will join @23XIRacing next year. Announcement expected this weekend at @LVMotorSpeedway #NASCAR
— Lee Spencer (@CandiceSpencer) October 11, 2022
Reddick is a former two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the 26-year-old won the first three races of his Cup Series career in 2022, with four races left in the season.
The move raises questions as to whether 23XI intends to add a third card, something Hamlin has discussed previously, or if the 44-year-old Busch may announce his retirement.
Either way, it’s clear MJ is done messing around.