|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Micheal Jordan has become one of the first Black majority owners of a NASCAR team. On Monday, September 21, 2020, he and Denny Hamlin revealed the news about the partnership on social media.
The retired NBA star and Charlotte Hornets owner is partnering with Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 race car driver, to start a new team. The only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level, Bubba Wallace, will be the new team driver.
The Partnership makes Jordan the first black majority owner of a full-time cup race team, since the Hall of Famer Wendell Scott in the 1960s and 70s. Scott drove his own car in about 495 races. He also was the first and only Black person to win in Cup history. Jordan stated,
Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been only a few Black owners, the timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change. Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters, and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life. The opportunity to have my own racing team in partnership with my friends, Danny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me
The NBA star pledged in 2020 to donate within 10-years $100 million to combat systematic racism. He believes this is a chance to empower, educate, and to create more opportunities for Black people in the racing industry. The organizations that will receive parts of his donations include Black Voters Matter, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement.
Although Hamlin is the minority owner of the new team, he will continue to drive for Joe Gibbs, racing in the No. 11 Toyota Carmy.
Wallace, the 26-year-old, has also been fighting for racial equality in Stock car racing. He fought for the ban of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events. He said,
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a great fit for me at this point in my career.
Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
City Metro: Michael Jordan becomes majority owner of new NASCAR team, signs Bubba Wallace; Katrina Louis
ESPN: Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin to field NASCAR Cup car with Bubba Wallace driving
NASCAR: Bubba Wallace to drive for owners Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin in 2021; Staff Report
Featured Image Courtesy of Simplistic.designs’ Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Roger Blake’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License