Roommates, NBA legend Michael Jordan is making big moves in another sport—and he’s taking Bubba Wallace with him. It was recently announced that Michael Jordan has started a brand new NASCAR Cup Series and Bubba Wallace has signed on to be its first official driver.
Michael Jordan (along with Denny Hamlin) has formed a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver, which makes this the very first pairing of a Black majority NASCAR team owner and the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level. The partnership was announced earlier this week on social media by Jordan, Wallace and Hamlin.
“Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity, and there have been few Black owners,” Michael Jordan said in his statement. “The timing seemed perfect, as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more.”
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The historic announcement officially makes Michael Jordan the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott drove his own race car in 495 races from 1961 to 1973. Scott’s 1964 victory at the Jacksonville 200 is the only win by a Black driver in Cup history.
Earlier this year, Jordan pledged $100 million over 10 years for initiatives combating systemic racism and this is the next step into his efforts to foster race equality in NASCAR. “I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing,” Jordan said.
Jordan joins former NBA player Brad Daugherty, a partner at JTG Daugherty Racing, as the only Black owners at NASCAR’s elite Cup level.
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