Michael Jordan is bringing his championship mindset to NASCAR, saying he’s “cursed with this competitive gene” that retains him chasing victories — and change.
Jordan, co-founder of the NASCAR workforce 23XI Racing, instructed Gayle King that his ardour for the sport traces again to his late father, James, a “diehard mechanic.”
“He used to work on all the neighborhood cars… he would fix our cars. We would never send our car to the service. He would figure out a way to fix it. So I think it gravitated into his love for cars. And he likes driving fast. My mom likes driving fast,” Jordan instructed King after the pair met up at the Phoenix Raceway for a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview.
From rumor to actuality
Jordan based 23XI Racing in 2020 with legendary driver and three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin — a partnership Hamlin says started with a rumor that unexpectedly changed into actuality.
“I’ll never forget. I saw an article that wasn’t true. Says, ‘Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are lookin’ to purchase a NASCAR team,'” he recalled. “I saw the article, sent it to him. He says, ‘Not real, but if you want to make it real let me know.'”
And from there, a partnership was born.
The Hall of Fame basketball participant modified one sport. Now, he’s altering one other.
NASCAR has been privately owned and operated since 1948 by the France household. In 2016, NASCAR launched a constitution system, a franchise-like mannequin that assured 36 groups entry into every Cup Series race and promised them “new revenue opportunities.”
Jordan referred to as the system “lopsided” and “wrong,” submitting an antitrust lawsuit in October 2024 with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. He alleged NASCAR was being run like a monopoly, controlling which tracks had been used, what automobile provides had been allowed, and giving groups restricted, restricted charters to compete in races.
Landmark settlement
In December 2025, NASCAR reached a landmark settlement in the antitrust case, giving all groups evergreen charters with improved phrases. Jordan referred to as it a gamechanger.
“This outcome gives all parties the flexibility and confidence to continue delivering unforgettable racing moments for our fans, which has always been our highest priority since the sport was founded in 1948. We worked closely with race teams and tracks to create the NASCAR charter system in 2016, and it has proven invaluable to their operations and to the quality of racing across the Cup Series. Today’s agreement reaffirms our commitment to preserving and enhancing that value, ensuring our fans continue to enjoy the very best of stock car racing for generations to come,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France mentioned in a statement at the time.
“This fight was needed, you know? And I was going to fight even harder. And if I got kicked out, at least I made people aware that change needs to happen in the sport, you know? And I think it’s lopsided. And, you know, so I went in with the idea that I don’t care — even if I lost, I won,” Jordan mentioned.
He did not lose. Still, successful does not come straightforward.
“It comes with sacrifice,” Hamlin mentioned.
“Yes. It’s infectious. You know, you win, everybody’s– you got an unbelievable building. Everybody’s happy. When you lose, there’s a sadness within the building. Which is necessary because when you lose you want to be sad,” Jordan added.
F23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick, who started the season with three wins in a row, says having Jordan as a boss “[motivates] the hell out of us.”
“I mean, you’re ready to run through a wall, first off,” Reddick joked. “But then two, you know, hearing a champion, a winner, a legend tell you these things, and it’s like, ‘Oh wow, you know, we’re not that far off. A few adjustments and we’re right there.'”
Life after basketball
While Jordan as soon as mentioned he needed a quieter life after retiring from basketball, he acknowledges NASCAR hasn’t precisely saved him out of the highlight.
“It’s a quieter life where I’m not really the show, even though as of late, you know, I’ve been in the forefront … a lot more than I probably anticipated. But I think the sport needs it to some degree, and my team needs it, and I want them to see the passion that I have for winning and for the– you know, being a part of the team,” he mentioned.
While he’s been making headlines for his function in NASCAR, Jordan mentioned it is nonetheless not the identical as when he was enjoying basketball in Chicago.
“But it’s something that I think keeps me alive,” he added.
During his time with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan mentioned the weight of his fame usually felt like a burden, as he labored to reside as much as the expectations that got here with being the face of the sport.
“The burden of living a certain way, you know? Living up to– trying to maintain whatever everybody’s perspectives is for you or was for you. That is a burden, you know? And it’s a lot of people that has to endure it. And there’s a certain period of time that you can go through that, and then at some point in time you say, ‘I’m tired of…doing that'” Jordan mentioned.
However, Jordan admits there’s nonetheless a “huge piece” of him that desires to select a basketball up.
“But I’ve compensated that– that feeling through NASCAR or through fishing … But that urge to dream, that if I wish I can still pick up a basketball and … I would love to do that. Believe me,” he mentioned.
Jordan is now 63 and wears many titles, although there’s one he would favor to not maintain: G.O.A.T.
“There’s no such thing as G.O.A.T., you know, to me,” Jordan mentioned. “It’s not to me. You know, it’s only because I think, you know, we are transcended from other people, other athletes. We learn from other athletes. We progress the game as we move further. To say that one is better than the other is not really right.”
Jordan mentioned he would not change a factor about his life or profession, embracing each his errors and the classes they introduced, and crediting the relationships he’s constructed alongside the method as a part of what formed who he is at the moment.
“If it ends today, you know, I will have a smile on my face, 100%,” Jordan mentioned.
Watch extra of Gayle King’s interview with Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin and driver Tyler Reddick Monday and Tuesday on “CBS Mornings.”
