Bubba Wallace Gets Honest About Michael Jordan’s Impact

As Michael Jordan and his 23XI Racing partners prepare for a major lawsuit against NASCAR, people are wondering if His Airness is in over his head in an industry he’s a relative newcomer to.

But for his star driver Bubba Wallace, who has been racing since Jordan was still with the Washington Wizards, it’s actually an easy question to answer. Per GP Fans, Wallace asserted that Jordan has “a lot” of impact on the day-to-day running of 23XI Racing.

“It’s a lot,” Wallace said. “I think everybody at Airspeed (the 23XI shop) knows that MJ is invested mentally, obviously we know financially, but being there, being a part of this team, being a part of this sport in the fashion that he is, it brings a lot of joy to the people that show up at work at 7 a.m. each and every day.

“I think that’s important to have. And then it carries over to the race track. When we show up, we have all the confidence in the world.

“Zak my car chief he’s text me every week, ‘we got a bullet for ya’, so basically like ‘here you go big dog, let her eat, You do you.’”

Wallace’s partnership with 23XI Racing helped raise the prestige of the racing team early on. Upon making Wallace their first-ever driver in 2021, he helped deliver the team their first-ever win at the YellaWood 500 in Talladega. The next year, Wallace gave 23XI Racing their third-ever win at the 2022 Hollywood Casino 400.

While Wallace’s win total with the team has since been surpassed by Tyler Reddick, who has enjoyed back-to-back top-six finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series and even won last year’s regular season title, Wallace has remained a persistent thorn in the side of other drivers eyeing the checkered flag.

Bubba Wallace of the No. 23 car.

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – MARCH 22: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, prepares to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22, 2025 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Between Wallace and Reddick, 23XI Racing are a serious problem for all other racing teams.

Michael Jordan should be proud of the work he’s done in such a short amount of time.