Bubba Wallace will drive for a new NASCAR team owned by basketball great Michael Jordan and race car driver Denny Hamlin from next year.
The big picture: Jordan will be the majority owner of the team, purchased from the Cup Series charter from Germain Family Racing, per a NASCAR statement.
This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career. I’m grateful and humbled that they believe in me and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) September 22, 2020
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BW https://t.co/q5tCyiurpi
- Wallace is the only Black driver in NASCAR's Cup Series and Jordan is the first Black majority owner of a full-time race team in the tournament since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, who owned and raced a car in the 1960s and 1970s, per CBS.
What they're saying: "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," Jordan said in a statement.
- "The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me.
- "Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners.
"The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more. In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing."
