Early contender for the most ridiculous take of the year.
Whether you like his involvement in the sport or not, it’s hard to deny that Michael Jordan has had more of an impact on NASCAR over the past couple years than pretty much any other team owner.
The NBA legend is co-owner of 23XI Racing, along with Cup Series superstar Denny Hamlin, which fields the #23 car of Bubba Wallace, the #45 of Tyler Reddick, and the #35 car for Riley Herbst.
The star power and marketing prowess of Jordan has allowed the team to attract some of the biggest sponsors in the sport, names that have included recognizable brands like McDonald’s, DraftKings, Xfinity, Monster Energy, and even Eric Church’s downtown Nashville bar Chief’s, and led to Wallace winning his first Cup Series race in his very first season with 23XI after spending 3 years struggling with another team.
The biggest impact Jordan has had on the sport, though, came in the courtroom when 23XI Racing filed a lawsuit against NASCAR last year.
The lawsuit was a result of teams that were unhappy with the charter agreement that was being offered by NASCAR in 2024, which (among other things) expired after 7 years.
If you’re not familiar, a charter basically guarantees a team a spot in every race, as well as a larger portion of the race purse than teams who race without charters. Teams wanted the charters to be made permanent so their investments were secure and weren’t at risk of becoming worthless when the charter agreement expired in 7 years, but NASCAR wouldn’t budge and gave teams an ultimatum in September 2024: Sign the agreement or lose your charters.
Teams weren’t happy, but most owners begrudgingly signed the agreement – because they didn’t have any other option.
Two teams didn’t sign the agreement though: Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports. Instead, the teams filed a bombshell antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, accusing them of illegal anticompetitive conduct and demanding major changes to the sport.
The lawsuit ended up being embarrassing for NASCAR as emails and text messages were produced throughout the course of the litigation, and 8 days into the trial last December it was clear that NASCAR was losing – both in court and in the court of public opinion.
As a result, NASCAR finally agreed to settle the lawsuit and give the teams permanent charters, and increased voice in governance of the sport, and a bigger portion of revenue – something that never would have happened without Jordan.
It was a gamble that most owners wouldn’t take, but Michael Jordan isn’t most owners: He’s one of the most powerful figures in all of sports, with a bank account that could fund an expensive lawsuit, but more importantly he’s a lifelong NASCAR fan who was willing to stand up to the sport in what he saw as an opportunity to make it better in the long run.
And it was a gamble that paid off in a big way for the teams, and ultimately for fans.
Of course it also resulted in the departure of former NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, who announced after the trial that he would be stepping down following the release of embarrassing text messages that came out during the lawsuit.
Yet another way Michael Jordan has changed NASCAR.
23XI is also off to a hot start in 2026: Tyler Reddick has won the first two races of the season, including the season-opening Daytona 500, and Reddick and Wallace are currently sitting at #1 and #2 in the points early in the season.
Jordan has been a reliable figure at the race track, supporting his team at both races this season and appearing on the television broadcast multiple times for interviews during the broadcasts. He was celebrating with Reddick in Victory Lane after both races, which is an invaluable image for a sport trying to grow its fanbase and fix its image.
Hell, he was even hugging NASCAR CEO Jim France in Victory Lane after the Daytona 500, an image that was unthinkable just a couple of months ago when the two were sitting on opposite sides of the courtroom.
Beyond the tangible impact that Jordan has had on the sport, it’s impossible to overstate the impact that having an ambassador like MJ has on the sport. He’s a larger-than-life personality (both figuratively and, if you’ve ever stood beside him, quite literally), somebody who’s instantly recognizable in a way that nobody else in NASCAR is, and somebody who can attract new fans who never would have given NASCAR a shot. And he also just happens to be a lifelong NASCAR fan himself.
Simply put, he’s one of NASCAR’s best assets.
Which is why it’s absolutely insane that apparently some in NASCAR thinks he brings nothing to the table.
During this week’s episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin revealed a conversation that he had with somebody who he says is a “prominent figure” in the sport:
“There was someone that we had a meeting with in Daytona that said Michael Jordan does nothing for the sport. And he is a prominent figure in the sport.”
Not only could that not be further from the truth, but it’s also actively harmful to NASCAR to deny MJ’s contributions and dismiss one of the sport’s most valuable assets. Just goes completely against the sport’s interests.
Denny gave us one big clue about who it could be:
“He also has a podcast.”
Ok, I guess that’s two clues because we know it was a man and someone who has a podcast.
Of course the internet began to speculate about who it could have been. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another one of the biggest names in the sport who also has a podcast, but there’s approximately a ZERO chance that it was him: He’s way smarter than that, and has recognized many times how valuable MJ is for NASCAR. There’s no chance Junior would think something like that, let alone say it. So let’s cross that one off the list immediately.
Kevin Harvick is a retired driver, broadcaster and also hosts his own podcast Happy Hour. Could it have been something he said during a broadcast meeting with the teams? I guess, but that also doesn’t seem likely to me.
One name who eliminated himself as the source of the quote was NASCAR Director of Race Communications Mike Forde, who hosts the Hauler Talk podcast that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look into the decisions made by NASCAR. Forde was asked about the comments, and denied even being in the meeting Denny was referring to:
“It was not me. I was not in that meeting, and I didn’t say anything about Michael Jordan to Denny Hamlin. I’m flattered. I’m flattered people think I’m prominent enough … first of all, if it was me, I can promise you that Denny Hamlin would have used my name.”
Amanda Ellis brings up Denny Hamlin’s comments about the meeting in Daytona, where someone said Michael Jordan does nothing for NASCAR. She says that Reddit believes it was Mike Forde.
Forde: “It was not me. I was not in that meeting, and I didn’t say anything about Michael…
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) February 25, 2026
Many people online have speculated that it was Larry McReynolds, an analyst for FOX and former crew chief who is also a host on SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio.
It’s not exactly a podcast, but last year Larry Mac was one of the most vocal supporters of NASCAR and outspoken critics of 23XI Racing and their lawsuit against NASCAR. It’s clear that he doesn’t like “outsiders” coming into the sport, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he’s trying to diminish MJ’s impact on NASCAR behind the scenes, which would be terrible for the sport and a horrible look for Larry Mac if it were true.
I have a feeling we’ll find out sooner or later who made the comments, but I also have a feeling that once we do, that person will soon find out just how much MJ really brings to NASCAR.
You can check out Denny’s full podcast here, with the part about the comment coming at around the 53:57 mark:
