Sad News: OF Michael Jordan announcement that he is leaving NASCAR Now another significant issue for team…..see more

Daugherty has been deeply embedded in the NASCAR world for nearly three decades.

He explained how racing has always been a part of his family’s history, saying, “My family has been around racing my whole life.

My uncles, my father, everybody — they were drag racers. So I grew up around race cars.

I’ve been in the NASCAR space for about 30 years and have owned a team for about 20-25 years.

It’s a lot of fun; I love hot rods, and I dragged Michael into this space now, so he’s racing with us.”

According to Daugherty, Jordan wasn’t always the biggest NASCAR fan during their college days.

In fact, he used to give Daugherty a hard time about his interest in the sport.

Despite this, Daugherty always knew that Jordan had an unspoken appreciation for stock car racing.

Daugherty recalled, “He would also sit there and watch with me. He liked it. He always did.”

Before co-owning 23XI Racing, Jordan saw an opportunity to achieve greatness in NASCAR. In 2020, ahead of the team’s inaugural season, Jordan explained what led him to become a NASCAR team owner.

He pointed to the potential he saw in driver Bubba Wallace, explaining that he believed Wallace could one day become a NASCAR champion.

“If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t get into this. Luck has a lot to do with winning in a lot of sports.

But if you feel you have the same knowledge and the same equipment, you give yourself a chance. Then it’s all up to the driver.

Since its founding, 23XI Racing has grown rapidly, expanding from a one-car operation into one of NASCAR’s most promising teams.

In 2024, Tyler Reddick, a driver for the team, clinched the regular season title and qualified for the Championship 4.

The team also opened a new facility, Airspeed, further cementing its place in the sport.

Jordan has spoken about how his involvement in NASCAR wasn’t just about building a competitive team.

he saw it as a chance to broaden the sport’s audience and create new opportunities for Black people in racing.

“I want to educate a new audience and open up more opportunities for Black people in racing,” he shared.