The 23XI Racing team, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, unveiled Friday the car that driver Bubba Wallace will be racing when the team makes its official NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2021.
The car sports a red, black and white color scheme, the same colors as the Chicago Bulls. Jordan played the majority of his NBA career with the Bulls and won six NBA championships with the team.
The car also uses the number that was on Jordan’s Bulls jersey, No. 23. The team’s name is a combination of Jordan’s retired uniform number and the number of the car raced by Hamlin, a three-time winner of the Daytona 500.
The team partnered with Toyota to be its manufacturer, which comes as no surprise considering Hamlin raced under the Toyota banner for years as a part of Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Toyota has been a big part of my NASCAR career,” Hamlin said in a statement. “We’ve achieved multiple milestones together including back-to-back Daytona 500 victories. I know how they support their teams, and when I decided move to team ownership, I knew that I wanted Toyota to be alongside our team. Toyota supports my vision with this team and will be integrated with our team members to support us as we grow and strive to achieve race wins and championships.”
The partnership includes support from Toyota Racing Development, who will build the team’s engines and provide technology, data and technical assistance.
There is also an agreement with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team that Hamlin drives for, that allows 23XI Racing to buy equipment and share technical information to help improve performance.
“My main goal for 23XI Racing is to be competitive for a championship as soon as possible,” Jordan said in a statement. “Our partnership with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing gives us the equipment, resources and expertise to do it.”
The 23XI Racing car with Wallace at the wheel will make its debut at the 2021 Daytona 500 on February 14.
