DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A few weeks ago, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin addressed his team’s competition department and reminded everyone of a unique motivational opportunity.

“Do you guys understand the responsibilities that you have, that you have the power to bring joy to Michael Jordan?” Hamlin said of his 23XI co-owner. “You have that power. Nobody else can do it. There’s nothing else that can bring him the joy that seeing his team (win) can do.”

NASCAR is that powerful for Jordan, who has said stock car racing is the way for him to get his post-NBA competitive fix.

Sure, there’s always the golf course for some trash talk and taking his friends’ money. But on a professional sports stage, with real stakes and the adrenaline flowing?

Jordan’s heart races for NASCAR.

That was obvious in Daytona International Speedway’s victory lane on Sunday, as Jordan embraced his Daytona 500-winning driver Tyler Reddick and exchanged giddy high-fives with team members. This felt “like winning a championship, like a huge championship,” Jordan told The Athletic.

What better endorsement could NASCAR possibly ask for? The world’s most popular athlete, a global icon, getting this excited about a sport that has struggled to break out beyond its niche bubble — there’s no dollar amount that can be put on that.

Except until two months ago, NASCAR couldn’t even embrace the opportunity. Soon after Jordan became the majority owner of 23XI Racing, he and business partner Curtis Polk found themselves at odds with NASCAR’s old-school financial model.

They eventually tried spearheading negotiations for a change to the business of the sport and got other teams on board, but ultimately failed as NASCAR held steadfast and stubborn. It took a federal antitrust lawsuit and bitter two-week trial to ultimately get Jordan a favorable settlement — which has now changed the future for all NASCAR teams with permanent, franchise-like “charters.”

Until the moment of the settlement in December, in which NASCAR and Jordan locked arms and pledged to move forward together, NASCAR could barely acknowledge Jordan’s presence. And NASCAR certainly couldn’t use it as a selling point for why the general public should pay attention to its races.

Meanwhile, Jordan wasn’t motivated to do any promotional work on behalf of NASCAR when he was embroiled in a lawsuit that put his team’s very existence at risk — this despite watching every Cup Series race during the season (attending many of them) and even tuning into the lower-tier series races, in which his team has no personal interest.

The relationship between NASCAR and Jordan seemed to immediately thaw once the settlement was reached, but it had yet to be put to the test. It’s one thing to say “we’ll work together,” but would it really happen?

Well, the Daytona 500 was a great start. Jordan was very present in the garage area before the race and hung out with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, which certainly lends credibility to other athletes. He did a pre-race interview with Fox Sports — then won the darn thing and did another interview in victory lane.

That might not sound like a big deal on its own, but it’s not like Jordan is easily accessible. He is one of those mythical figures who may be seen or spotted, but not heard from as often. For example: NBC announced Jordan would be a “special contributor” to its NBA coverage, but it turned out to be one long pre-recorded interview chopped into segments.

So when Jordan speaks, people listen. And lately, he’s been speaking about how much he loves NASCAR.

Take the court case, for example. Jordan testified he grew up as a fan of NASCAR and recalled piling into the car for family road trips from Wilmington, N.C., to places like Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. He attended races as a kid long before his hoop dreams manifested themselves into someone who could be on the Mount Rushmore of all-time athletes.

It’s authentic. It’s genuine. And since the trial ended, it seems he will be much more willing to spread the word about NASCAR to a skeptical audience who thinks every stock car racing stereotype is true.

In that sense, NASCAR was already a winner before Sunday. Now Jordan is, too.