23XI Racing

23XI Racing is an American professional auto racing organization that will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2021. It is owned and operated by Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan, with current Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as a minority partner. The team will field the No. 23 Toyota for driver Bubba Wallace, with a technical alliance with JGR.

History
During the summer of 2020, rumors swirled that basketball player Michael Jordan intended on purchasing an ownership stake in Richard Petty Motorsports, who fielded the only African-American driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, Bubba Wallace. Such claims were repeatedly denied by Jordan's management team.

On September 21, 2020, Jordan and Denny Hamlin announced the formation of a Cup team to begin competition in 2021 with Jordan as majority owner, Hamlin as minority owner and Wallace as the driver. The team bought a guaranteed starting spot in every 2021 race by purchasing a charter from Germain Racing. The team's name, car number and manufacturer were not revealed at the time of the announcement. Hamlin later said that the two had discussed owning a team but that it never came to fruition. On October 22, the team announced its name, 23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven), and would use the number 23 (Jordan's number during his basketball career). On October 30, the team revealed that they will run Toyotas with a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.