Michael Jordan’s 23XI NASCAR team is adding another driver
The NASCAR team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin are adding more star power to their driver lineup. On Friday, 23XI Racing announced that Kurt Busch will drive the No. 45 Toyota starting in 2022 for the expanding Cup organization.
Bubba Wallace is currently the team’s only driver, piloting the No. 23 Toyota, and Busch will become the second racer for 23XI in its second season. He’ll have sponsorship from longtime partner Monster Energy.
Busch, 43, is in his 22nd season in NASCAR’s Cup Series and his third straight year driving the No. 1 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, a team closing its NASCAR shop operations and transferring assets to Trackhouse Racing next season.
Busch has 33 Cup wins and 326 top 10 finishes. He won the 2004 Cup Series championship and the 2017 Daytona 500 and has won at least one race in the last eight seasons. He most recently won a race at Atlanta to secure a 2021 playoff berth.
“When we started this team, our vision was to grow to a multi-car organization,” Hamlin said in a statement. “To be able to expand in just our second year is a huge step for us. Kurt brings a wealth of knowledge and a championship mindset to our team, and will be able to help us grow stronger and more competitive each and every week.”
23XI purchased 15 acres of land in Huntersville, N.C., this summer for $3.7 million and confirmed to Charlotte Business Journal this week that the land was “for a potential future expansion.” The Athletic reported in May that 23XI would expand to two cars next season with Busch being the leading candidate as a future driver. Busch only said in July that he still had to lock down his 2022 plans in an “owner’s market.”
“This shows that I can win at any age at any time,” Busch said after his Atlanta victory.
His future teammate Wallace, 27, is ranked 21st in Cup standings with a best finish of fifth place at Pocono in June.
Additional partners and personnel for the No. 45 team will be announced at a later date, the team said.
A video Busch posted on social media in conjunction with 23XI’s driver announcement indicated that the car numbers will move forward on the Next Gen side panels next season, a long-expected and now confirmed move. The video shows Busch exiting a private jet, taking a sip of a Monster Energy and then walking straight to his No. 45 ride.
“And you thought I was leaving,” Busch narrates in the video. “Racing for 23XI? Are you kidding me? It’s Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, Toyota. There’s more winning to be done.”
The No. 45 car in NASCAR has been affiliated with the Petty family (Kyle Petty and his late son, Adam, both raced that number). That jersey number was worn by Jordan in 1995 for his return to the NBA (it was also his baseball number). Petty gave his blessing for the number in a statement, saying in part that, “Seeing the number compete again, under the 23XI Racing banner, with Kurt behind the wheel, is exciting for us.”
“While the number will always hold many memories of Adam, we know Kurt, Denny and the entire organization will represent it well,” Petty’s statement said.
Regarding the news, Hamlin wrote on Twitter: “1 year ago I couldn’t have imagined owning a Cup team. Now 2?!? We could not have done (it) without the help of our partners at @ToyotaRacing. They believe in my vision and also my crazy dreams. This is only the beginning.”
Media availability with Hamlin, Busch, Toyota Racing Development’s David Wilson and Monster Energy’s Mitch Covington is scheduled for Saturday morning ahead of NASCAR’s regular-season finale at Daytona later that night.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 6:13 PM.
