Bubba Wallace to Drive No. 23 Car for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin's Team

Picking the car number for Michael Jordan's new NASCAR team was a slam dunk: Bubba Wallace will drive the No. 23 car when the team makes its debut next season.

Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Picking the car number for Michael Jordan’s new NASCAR team was a slam dunk: Bubba Wallace will drive the No. 23 car when the team makes its debut next season.

Jordan named his team 23XI Racing—that’s pronounced twenty-three eleven—in honor of both his retired uniform number with the Chicago Bulls and the car number of his partner and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin.

Jordan and Hamlin announced last month they had formed a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver, a high-profile pairing of a Black majority team owner and the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level.

“This is the start of the new adventure! So ready! #23XI,” Wallace tweeted last Thursday.

This is the start of the new adventure! So ready! #23XI https://t.co/8y9UY6fo32

— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) October 22, 2020

The team made the announcements by launching social media pages that include a video and a “Here we come. #23” message.

“A new chapter in Motorsports. The norm doesn’t fit for us. This is only the beginning. @23XIRacing,” Hamlin tweeted.

Jordan becomes the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott drove his own racecar in 495 races from 1961 to 1973.

Wallace is the only Black driver in the Cup Series and this season used his platform to push for racial equality. The 27-year-old successfully urged NASCAR to ban the display of the Confederate flag at its events.

On Friday, Toyota announced its partnership with 23XIRacing and released a photo of Wallace's No. 23 car.

It’s official 🤝 @ToyotaRacing pic.twitter.com/FuFwrvfj6N

— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) October 30, 2020

Sports Illustrated contributed to this report.