Jordan buys NASCAR team, Bubba Wallace to be a driver

Basketball icon Michael Jordan announced Monday that he has purchased a NASCAR Cup Series charter team and recruited pioneering black driver Bubba Wallace to compete for the new team next season.

Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest player in NBA history with an estimated net worth of $ 1.6 billion, will be the majority owner of the new franchise with veteran manager Denny Hamlin as a minority partner.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents took my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I have been a NASCAR fan my entire life,” Jordan said in a statement.

“The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend Denny Hamlin, and have Bubba Wallace driving for us is very exciting for me.”

Jordan, who also owns the Charlotte Hornets NBA team, said he hoped his property could bring new audiences to the white-dominated world of NASCAR and increase minority participation.

“Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few black owners,” Jordan said.

“The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more. In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as an opportunity to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for blacks in careers. “

Wallace, the only black driver in NASCAR, will lead the team behind the wheel. The 26-year-old had confirmed earlier this month that he would no longer compete with Richard Petty Motorsports.

Wallace has spoken out against racism repeatedly this year in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, and in June he called on NASCAR bosses to ban the Confederate flag from racetracks used at the circuit.

The flag has long been a staple on NASCAR tracks in the heart of the sport’s southern United States, but it remains a symbol of slavery and racism for many. NASCAR then banned the flag from being displayed at its races.

Wallace was involved in a controversy in June after his team reported that a rope had been found hanging in the team’s garage at Talladega Superspeedway.

A subsequent investigation by the FBI determined that Wallace had not been the victim of a hate crime and that the rope was a rope to lower a garage door that had been there since 2019.