Denny Hamlin Recalls Hilarious Story About Michael Jordan Trying NASCAR Simulator: “He Didn’t Last Long”

Denny Hamlin Michael Jordan
Sean Gardner/23XI Racing/Getty Images

Michael Jordan has been out of the NBA for 20 years now.

However, for the past couple of years one of his main focuses has been on racing, as he’s co-owner of the 23XI racing team, alongside Denny Hamlin.

The team has seen some success in their short history, with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick as their main drivers.

But as far as racing goes for Michael Jordan? You won’t ever see him in the driver’s seat of race car.

Denny Hamlin recalled a hilarious story on his podcast Actions Detrimental, when a fan asked if we’ll ever see Michael Jordan behind the wheel of a cup car.

Apparently, he decided he wanted the opportunity to feel what a NASCAR driver feels while going 200 mph around the toughest tracks in the country.

So, Hamlin decided to set him up in an authentic NASCAR simulator, and needless to say, MJ’s reaction was awesome.

Hamlin recalled:

“Never again. He did it once, but it was the simulator at TRD. That content has not been released, nor will it probably ever be released because good luck trying to get them to approve it.

But he wanted to feel what we feel, and so Toyota set it up and our team set it up for him to get in the Toyota simulator. This was a couple years ago.

He’s like, ‘I don’t want Daytona it’s just hold her wide open, that’s too easy. Like, give me something, what’s the next step.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s go to Charlotte.’ I probably could have picked Las Vegas or something or Michigan, probably should have done that, but he didn’t last long.

I mean, he did okay, he had a problem holding the car down on the bottom of the track. And then it was probably 15 minutes and he says, ‘I’m done.’”

Of course, he barely fit in the machine:

“It was very hot. You would not believe how they had to modify it, like the back seat is out of the simulator to fit his legs in the pedals.

He put the helmet on and he’s just like, ‘Man, I just my eyes, I got so dizzy. Like I just started feeling queasy.’ So he had to quit.”

He also said that Jordan probably won’t be going on a ride along anytime soon:

“Probably not. I don’t think so… he wouldn’t trust me. He wouldn’t trust me to do it. He knows I’d tried to scare him. If I get into a two-seater race car, and you are the passenger, the only fun and enjoyment I have is to see you sh*t your pants. I’m gonna run right up against the wall. If I hit it, eh, that’s fine.

Listen, I haven’t crashed a two-seater car, but I try to run right up against the wall to give the people the feeling of like, ‘This is how close we can run and not hit it.’

I mean, that’s part of the skill set of what we bring to the table, so…”

I’m not gonna be that guy to go out and say NASCAR is a physically demanding sport, even though I’ve never stepped foot in a race car before in my life, but I’d say this story is proof.

You can check out the full podcast:

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