Bubba Wallace Publicly Sides With Michael Jordan Over Denny Hamlin in Fan Debate

Almost a month ago, Michael Jordan could not celebrate Bubba Wallace’s victory first-hand. The 23XI Racing driver snapped a 100-race winless streak at the Brickyard 400, a crown jewel NASCAR Cup Series race. Wallace wheeled his No. 23 Toyota masterfully, fending off fierce charges of defending race winner Kyle Larson in twin overtime restarts. After punching his ticket into the 2025 playoffs, his team owner could not be there – but Wallace probably did not mind at all.

In 2020, NBA legend Michael Jordan and Cup Series veteran Denny Hamlin put their heads together to create 23XI. It has been a rollercoaster ride since then, with Bubba Wallace picking up 3 of the team’s 9 wins. In his mentorship journey, however, Wallace has only one name in mind.

Michael Jordan beats his team partner

“I said I wish you were here for it, he was like, he’s going to have a drink or two for me tonight. So we’ll be celebrating together in spirit,” Bubba Wallace said about his post-Brickyard conversation with Michael Jordan. As it turns out, that spirit is close to unbreakable. The 6-time NBA champion has mentored Wallace through the ripples of his career. When Wallace faced harsh scrutiny back in 2023 for hooking Kyle Larson in Las Vegas, Jordan eased his rowdy approach. He told him to simply “beat them at the racetrack” in retaliation. Wallace did as instructed, clinching 5 top fives and 10 top tens in 2023, breaking into the playoffs by the end of the regular season.

Fast forward to 2025, and it is the same story. Michael Jordan may not be present on the racetrack, but he ensures his omnipresent guidance for his drivers. Earlier in April, Bubba Wallace divulged how he talks to his team owner multiple times a week, and gets two texts on race day. Win, lose, or draw, Jordan always maintains a channel of communication. These qualities naturally inclined Wallace more towards Jordan as compared to his other team owner, Denny Hamlin. A fan asked him on Instagram, “Who is cooler, Denny or MJ?” Wallace answered by simply pasting a picture of himself and the NBA icon.

Well, despite Bubba Wallace slipping in his favor for Michael Jordan, the team is sticking together in these harsh times. The ongoing NASCAR lawsuit has stripped both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports of their charters, and both teams are racing as open teams. That is why Denny Hamlin ramped up the pressure on his drivers. “I just know the resources that we’ve put in at 23XI, and all of our drivers should win,” he said. Hamlin targeted Wallace in early July: “Putting himself in a playoff position year after year is good, but winning makes it better.” Wallace delivered accordingly, winning the prestigious Brickyard 400, eliciting frenzied thumbs-up gestures from Hamlin during the cooldown lap.

While growing together in hard times, Bubba Wallace is performing remarkably. He faced a mishap in Richmond, but that does not diminish his good finishes.

Surviving a pit road disaster

Remember the Cup Series race in Las Vegas? Christopher Bell broke his winning streak, but at the same time, produced a heartwarming moment. He got a loose wheel fixed not in his No. 20 pit stall, but in the No. 19 pit stall of teammate Chase Briscoe. Last weekend in Richmond, Bubba Wallace also encountered a similar incident. The No. 23 Toyota driver was running in second place before pitting, having just won Stage 2 of the Cook Out 400 race. He came in for tires and fuel, but drove away too soon before the tire changers secured the nut onto the wheel. On the pit crew’s radio instruction, Wallace then aimed for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 pit stall. By the time he reached, his tire was already detached, rolling alongside his car.

Chase Briscoe‘s team again came to Bubba Wallace’s rescue. Although the latter could finish only 28th after leading the majority of the race, his spotter, Freddie Kraft, gleaned the positives. Kraft joked, “We had so many tires we were going to leave one on pit road. A gut punch. Thank God we won the race at Indy because they would have been a filler if Austin [Dillon] wins and we were there. Our car was so fast, and then we came down pit road and unfortunately lost a wheel. It was the perfect scenario. It followed us to the pit box.” Besides Richmond, Wallace has been on a roll. In the last five races, the 31-year-old has finished in the top 10 four times.

Hence, the strategy or mentorship that Bubba Wallace is following is working out strongly. Be it Michael Jordan or Denny Hamlin, Wallace’s team owners are pushing him towards success.