Michael Jordan is coming to NASCAR. The current owner for the Charlotte Hornets will be starting his own single-car team for the 2021 season. Denny Hamlin, current driver for the number 11 FedEx Toyota and close friend of Jordan's, will be a minority owner of the new team. Jordan becomes the first Black majority owner of a NASCAR team since Wendell Scott in 1970.
Jordan purchases the charter previously owned by Bob Germain and Germain Racing. After fielding the number 13 Chevrolet for 11 seasons in the Cup Series, the single-car team will cease operations at the conclusion of the 2020 season, due to lack of funding because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr, the Cup Series' lone black driver, has been chosen to pilot the car for Jordan and Hamlin's team. Wallace announced two weeks ago that he would not be returning to drive the number 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports, despite being in the middle of a career-best season. In 137 starts, "Bubba" has three top fives and nine top 10's.
