There were numerous rumors over the past few weeks that there was a new NASCAR ownership group lurking and they had their driver already picked out. Last night it became official, Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are starting a team together and Bubba Wallace is going to drive for them. This is going to open so many doors for new fans and new money in the sport. If you find yourself intrigued by his Airness getting in the racing game, I"m going to give you a little insight into the key players of the deal, plus I'm going to ask a few questions about the future of the team and what to expect.
If you read the blog you know I'm a Denny Hamlin fan, he's been driver since he joined the sport. Rusty Wallace had just retired and Joe Gibbs Racing had just pegged this young driver to drive for them, his first race at Daytona he won the Bud Shootout, I instantly became a Denny fan. Since then Denny has been one of the best drivers in the sport, not only in talent but also in influence. Denny is one of the most respected drivers in the garage and someone other drivers go to with ideas and NASCAR sanctioning body listens to. He doesn't have a championship yet but he's come close and we're hoping this is his year. He also was the only driver sponsored by Jordan Brand, if you see a picture of Denny's fire suit it has the Jumpman Logo on it. I'm going to assume Bubba Wallace will also be a Jordan Brand driver. Denny forged this friendship/partnership with Michael Jordan by being a season ticket holder to the Charlotte NBA franchise. They also both golf and have competitive streaks. Denny said in the announcement they had the idea for a race team while on the golf course, and they finally got their opportunity.
I don't have to introduce you to Michael Jordan, you already love him. You know everything about the guy thanks to The Last Dance. You know MJ wants to win and will do whatever it takes to win. My favorite part of MJ coming into the sport is that he's going to bring more fans. If NASCAR is good enough for Michael Jordan than maybe it's good enough for others to watch. Jordan is the most popular athlete of our lifetime, he was an influencer before influencer was a word. His brand is great, the money he can put into the sport is great, and he's got a partner who knows the sport and is ready to help him right away, and not struggle like his NBA Franchise has.
Bubba Wallace was an obscure driver, he was just the "black driver" for a few years. He climbed the ranks but bounced around while climbing. Normally a manufacturer or team will groom guys from trucks to XFinity, to Cup. Bubba went from a Toyota at Kyle Busch Motorsports to a Ford at Rousch Fenway Racing, to a Chevy at Richard Petty Motorsports, not the normal trajectory of an up and coming driver. The thing is he has the talent but he didn't catch the breaks and was always looking for a full time ride instead of staying with a team. Then 2020 happened and Bubba got pushed to the forefront of the sport. His first newsworthy thing happened during iRacing when he rage quit a race and lost a sponsor over a video game. Then the racial unrest during Covid happened and Bubba asked for changes inside NASCAR, and some controversy followed and things started to change. The more certain demographics of NASCAR disliked him the more sponsors he found. He brought new sponsors to his car in the last 4 months from his racial activism, companies like Door Dash, Colombia, Cash App, and Beats all jumped on board. He brings 18 million in sponsorship money to the new team next year. That money will come in handy next year for the fledgling team, a race car costs $400K. Bubba is only 26 and he has a bright future, he's won races in the lower series and I think he's going to win next year.
After the announcement there were lots of questions.
What will the team be named? I'm hoping for Jumpman Racing, or Jordan Hamlin Racing.
What car manufacturer will they drive for? I'm going to guess Toyota since Denny is a Yoda driver and I doubt he can own a different brand while driving another.
Will they get technical help from Joe Gibbs Racing? That's the assumption around the NASCAR world, Denny drives for Joe Gibbs would seem he would lean on them for a technical alliance, someone to bounce ideas off of, get set up from, probably rent a pit crew. All things that happen in NASCAR, perhaps when the new car comes in 2022 it won't be as needed but in 2021 if for sure will be. The only way they don't lean on JGR is if Toyota wants them to succeed so they give them their own engineers.
Is it fair to drive for one team and own another? NASCAR does cap how many teams and owner can have at 4 cars. With Denny driving for JGR and being part owner they had to ask NASCAR for interpretation of the rule. Many NASCAR fans site that Dale Earnhardt Jr. can't start a cup team because Rick Hendrick owns 1/3 of his race team. That's right Rick Hendrick can't be part owner of more than 4 cars. Denny doesn't own squat of JGR, he isn't the principle owner of this team. He drives for one and owns the other, it might get a little hairy out there if Bubba and him have contact but that's the risk he's willing to take. I for one hope he's in 2nd when Bubba drives his car to it's first victory.
What's the car #? Denny owns 2 in cars in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing series, they are numbered 23 and 32, the 23 is sponsored by Jordan Brand, seems logical that 23 will be the car number. There currently isn't a full time 23 car so it seems likely.
I wonder where the shop will be, they bought the Germain Racing Charter but I didn't hear if they got the shop as well. I also wonder who will be the Crew Chief, my guess is Denny's first cup Crew Chief Mike Ford who was working for Bob Leavine Racing and they sold their charter and shop a few months ago, so he's looking for a job, why not work for someone who he knows.
Bubba is now my 2nd favorite driver, I usually root for the Gibbs guys if Denny is out of contention but now those guys are 3rd-5th on the list. I'm hoping for everyone involved this is a success and yeah they may not win championships right away but being a competitive car and being in contention for wins is the biggest thing to show in year one. Let's have some fun and hopefully a few more people hop on the NASCAR bandwagon.
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