NASCAR's president has revealed a conversation he had with Michael Jordan shortly after the NBA legend's legal team settled their lawsuit against the sport.
Jordan may have spent 2025 waging war on the sport's governors through the courts with his 23XI Racing team, but he insisted the entire time that he was doing it for the betterment of the sport that he loves.
Steve O'Donnell's words this week, to the Sports Business Journal, back up that assertion – revealing that Jordan's first move after a settlement was reached was to reaffirm his commitment to the sport and to working with NASCAR.
The Chicago Bulls great appears to be matching actions to words, having been present at the year's first two races to see 23XI driver Tyler Reddick win two out of two, and even being seen embracing CEO Jim France on victory lane after the Daytona 500.
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NASCAR chief: MJ loves the sport
O'Donnell admitted that he's still running to keep up with NASCAR's recent rollercoaster, saying: “It’s been a little surreal. In mid-December, I found myself in a courtroom, face-to-face with Michael Jordan.
"At the end of the day, he loves the sport. Getting through that trial, I think we settled into a good place. His words to me right after were, ‘I’m all in, and let’s grow this thing together’. That was awesome.”
He continued: “It’s surreal that he wins the Daytona 500 and then follows it up with back-to-back wins with Tyler Reddick. He’s always there. He’s passionate and has been a fan for life. He helps bring us to new audiences, and we want to be respectful of him and the fact that he’s a true fan. It’s really cool to see.”
In a narrative so on the nose that a scriptwriter would reject it out of hand, 23XI has so far won 100% of NASCAR Cup Series races since the lawsuit was settled, and has two of its drivers occupying the top two spots in the points standings.
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