Michael Jordan‘s entry into NASCAR has been celebrated and mostly welcomed by everyone. However, a section of the community has remained doubtful about his relevance to the sport. Sure, Jordan brings in the viewers and fandom, given that he is a legend from the NBA. But can a player who has spent his life on court really adjust to the high-stakes environment of motorsports?
The 23XI Racing team is a joint venture between Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. For some people, a misconception always remained that Jordan exists solely for investment and that he does not really play an important role with the team. And the doubts do have a solid reason. After all, Denny Hamlin is the NASCAR personality on the team. So Jordan, who does not have enough of an idea about the sport, would take a step back, right?
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Not at all. According to Nick Payne, who is 23XI Racing’s spotter, Jordan is as involved in his team as any other NASCAR owner. While speaking about this issue on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Payne elaborated further, explaining Jordan’s way of working with the team.
“It’s intimidating; I mean, I wouldn’t lie and say it doesn’t have that factor, but it’s rewarding in the sense of—he’s fully involved,” Payne said. “I think that’s the biggest misconception. People think he is probably not involved as he is, but he is.
“He sits in these meetings; he comes to our pre-race meetings when he is at the track or on the weekend, and he will give a speech, and he understands the strategy. And he understands what is going on, and he knows everybody by name, and he asks questions, and he’s fully become a student of the racing world. I think that part is really exciting to see.”
Jordan’s active role in the team is displayed by the fact that he was present with the team during most of the weekends in the 2026 season. Not only that, but in his interviews, he often refers to his drivers and their performances, explaining key race moments with accuracy. After Tyler Reddick’s win at Kansas, Jordan was heard referring to his late-race scare owing to him running out of fuel.
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Not only that, Jordan has expressed time and again how important NASCAR is to him. After winning the Daytona 500 this year, Jordan did not hesitate to compare it to his NBA victories and crowned his latest victory as the greatest title he’s ever held.
While the NBA and NASCAR are fundamentally different sports, the essence of their gameplay is the same. It is all about the team and its synergy. Jordan knows a thing or two about working in a team, with an NBA career as illustrious as his. So it’s no wonder that he was able to adapt to NASCAR so easily. He may not be an expert at engineering or race craft, but he knows how to amp up the team.
And that’s all that 23XI Racing needs. They have a great supporter for a boss in the form of Jordan. He has never shied from rebuking Denny Hamlin for trying to be too aggressive on track while racing his drivers, even though Hamlin is a co-owner of the team, too. At this moment, 23XI Racing is getting all the racing knowledge from Hamlin, and the rest is up to Michael Jordan.
So his involvement in the team was never a question; the real question was whether people truly realized his value as the co-owner of the team. That being said, it’s not as if his co-owner does not have a say in the daily working of the team. Denny Hamlin recently revealed how he decided on Tyler Reddick’s future at 23XI Racing.
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Denny Hamlin decided on Tyler Reddick’s contract extension
With the way Tyler Reddick is driving for 23XI Racing this year, it would be surprising if he were left without a seat. The recent contract extension he got from the team proved that 23XI Racing is looking for long-term collaboration with their star driver. But who was the real catalyst that got him this contract?
“He’s performing at a very, very high level… I was in charge of this one. My man got the bag. I look out for my guys… He’s buying dinners, I can assure you that,” Hamlin remarked. “Happy to get that done. He’s going to be here for a very long time.
“He deserves everything he gets. He’s performing at a very, very high level. He’s got a hundred-point lead in the Cup Series. He’s just kicking a**.”
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Reddick’s winning streak has been one of the hot debates this year.
From conspiracy theories to cheating allegations, his dominance in 2026 has sparked it all. And the upcoming race is not going to curb them anytime soon. Reddick nearly missed out on the victory last week, but at Watkins Glen, he will be looking forward to victory lane again. He is already one of the better drivers in the series when it comes to road courses.
At COTA this year, he proved that with the right car, he can also beat a road course giant like SVG. For Reddick, Watkins Glen will be another chance to go head-to-head against him. And the odds are completely in his favor. Even Kevin Harvick considers him to have a better chance this weekend compared to SVG.
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