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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 08: NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell speaks to the media during the NASCAR annual State of the Sport address at Phoenix Raceway on November 08, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Michael Jordan\u2019s 23XI Racing opened the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> season with strong results on the track and renewed attention around the sport. Tyler Reddick<\/a> delivered wins in the Daytona 500<\/a> on February 15 and again the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway<\/a>, giving the team back-to-back victories to start the year.<\/p>\n The stretch placed 23XI Racing<\/a> at the center of early-season coverage and pushed Jordan\u2019s ownership role into focus across NASCAR. League executives also took note of the impact.<\/p>\n NASCAR\u2019s Steve O\u2019Donnell spoke about Michael Jordan\u2019s involvement, the recent legal resolution between the sides, and how the early-season moments reflect the sport\u2019s direction. His comments highlight both the competitive start and NASCAR\u2019s effort to connect with fans through authentic stories.<\/p>\n Steve O\u2019Donnell Reflects on the Courtroom Meeting and Jordan\u2019s Commitment<\/p>\n Steve O\u2019Donnell said<\/a> his recent interaction with Jordan came during the legal process involving 23XI Racing and NASCAR. He described the moment and what followed after the case concluded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a little surreal. In mid-December, I found myself in a courtroom, face-to-face with Michael Jordan<\/a>. 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, \u2018I\u2019m all in, and let\u2019s grow this thing together.\u2019 That was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit was resolved before the season began, allowing the focus to shift back to competition. Soon after, Reddick\u2019s Daytona 500 victory gave Jordan his first win in NASCAR\u2019s biggest race as a team owner. Reddick followed that result with another win at Atlanta, becoming the first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the opening two races of a Cup Series season.<\/p>\n NASCAR Points to Jordan\u2019s Passion and Audience Reach<\/p>\n O\u2019Donnell said Jordan\u2019s presence remains visible at races and helps draw attention to NASCAR beyond its traditional fan base. He linked Jordan\u2019s personal interest in racing to 23XI Racing\u2019s early success.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s surreal that he wins the Daytona 500 and then follows it up with back-to-back wins with Tyler Reddick. He\u2019s always there. He\u2019s 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\u2019s a true fan. It\u2019s really cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Authentic Moments Seen as Key to NASCAR\u2019s Direction<\/p>\n O\u2019Donnell also pointed to the Daytona 500 as an example of the type of moment NASCAR wants to highlight moving forward. He said the interaction among owners from North Carolina reflected the sport\u2019s roots.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re getting back to the essence of who NASCAR is. I think we\u2019ve chased fans a little instead of focusing on what truly excites people about the sport. I go back to the Daytona 500, where the first- and second-place car owners played together in North Carolina, Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty in a huddle. That\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that sharing those scenes helps show the sport\u2019s identity and future.<\/p>\n \u201cBy showcasing moments like that, it feels authentic. It shows who we are and where we\u2019re going. That\u2019s the part of the sport we want to embrace, bring people in, let them experience it, and we believe they\u2019ll become fans.\u201d<\/p>\n With two races complete in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, 23XI Racing holds early momentum while NASCAR leadership points to Jordan\u2019s involvement and visible race-day presence as part of the sport\u2019s broader push to connect with fans and highlight its core culture.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 08: NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell speaks to the media during the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325841,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-496884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}