In a recent interview, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace touched on his partnership with Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s new race team.
On Sunday, NASCAR posted the clip of Wallace’s interview on their website. He went on to discuss his initial conversation with the new race team’s owners. Of course, everyone wanted to know about his first conversation with legendary NBA star and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan.
Wallace said Jordan called him and was proud of his recent work as he continues to fight for social justice using his NASCAR platform. However, the two quickly agreed that winning on the track would be the primary goal for their new team.
“He called me and said, ‘we want to do this right.’ No more messing around, we want to win,” Wallace said of Jordan’s comments. “That’s very important to me. So i want to go out and showcase what I can do behind the wheel.”
Wallace is looking forward to working with both Hamlin and Jordan. However, the driver isn’t looking past the current season and knows there is a lot of racing left this year.
“I’m excited about the opportunity, but there’s still a lot of races this year to get the #43 to victory lane,” Wallace explained. “A lot of opportunities left in front of us. So we’re going to capitalize on that.”
There are still six races left in the 2020 NASCAR season that will finish in Arizona at the Phoenix Raceway on Sunday Nov. 8.
Bubba Wallace Joins New Team Owned by Michael Jordan
NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin confirmed last week that he and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan would field a team in 2021 that will feature Bubba Wallace as its driver. And of course the new team may utilize Jordan’s classic #23 for their car.
Hamlin, 39, announced the news on Twitter, saying he and NBA Charlotte Hornets owner Jordan, 57, would field a team in 2021. However, the new NASCAR team has yet to be named. Also, Wallace officially signed a multi-year deal to be the team’s driver.
“Starting a race team has been something that Michael and I have talked about while playing golf together over the years, but the timing or circumstances were never really right,” said Hamlin. “It just makes sense now to lay the foundation for my racing career after I’m done driving and also help an up-and-coming driver like Bubba take his career to a higher level.”
“Plus, Michael and Bubba can be a powerful voice together,” Hamlin added. “Not only in our sport, but also well beyond it.”
Jordan will be the principal owner of the new team. In addition, Hamlin will serve as a minority partner and continue to drive the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
[H/T NASCAR]