Dominant start for 23XI Racing is Michael Jordan’s vision come to life

AP photo by Jenna Fryer / Banners showing team co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin and drivers Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim and Tyler Reddick hang in the lobby at Airspeed, the headquarters of 23XI Racing, on Tuesday in Huntersville, N.C. AP photo by Jenna Fryer / Banners showing team co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin and drivers Bubba Wallace, Corey Heim and Tyler Reddick hang in the lobby at Airspeed, the headquarters of 23XI Racing, on Tuesday in Huntersville, N.C.

By JENNA FRYER / The Associated Press February 25, 2026 6 min read

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — There’s a sign that hangs on a wall in Airspeed, the headquarters of 23XI Racing, that clearly states the vision of the NASCAR team owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, NBA great Michael Jordan and the basketball legend’s longtime business manager Curtis Polk.

“To be the world’s most recognizable motorsports team, winning on and off the track, moving forward together, and setting the standard for excellence,” it reads.

Any questions about how 23XI would emerge from December’s federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR have been immediately silenced at the start of the 2026 schedule for the top-tier Cup Series.

Tyler Reddick won the season-opening Daytona 500 and last weekend’s race at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta to open 2-for-2 in the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota, while teammate Bubba Wallace led a combined 86 laps in the two events in the No. 23 Toyota and easily could have been the winner.

Reddick and Wallace head to the Circuit of the Americas road course for Sunday’s race in Austin, Texas, ranked 1-2 in the points standings.