Michael Jordan is no longer just relevant to the NBA. The sporting legend has invested heavily in NASCAR, which, over the years, has proved incredibly beneficial for the sport. Addressing the impact of the NBA legend and how his involvement in the sport via 23XI Racing improved the sport, the top brass of NASCAR could not help but tip their hat to him.

Michael Jordan’s influence on NASCAR

According to a recent report by Puck, NASCAR has seen a formidable increase in viewership compared to 2025 or the previous years. The reason behind it? One big name — Michael Jordan.

As per NASCAR executive vice president and chief media revenue officer Brian Herbst, the “GOAT”‘s presence in every race this year has certainly helped the viewership go nowhere but up. Sharing his comment on the same, Herbst said,

“There’s a little bit more buzz this year. The fact that Michael has been at every single race so far this year—because he keeps winning every time he shows up—certainly helps.”

This has come after FOX Sports, NASCAR broadcaster for the first few races, reported a 26 percent jump in the 18 to 34-year-old fans’ demographics. This means that the sport was able to penetrate into a domain that was very non-NASCAR-like.

Known as a sport for blue-collar Americans, NASCAR has traditionally catered mainly to working-class fans aged 40 or older. However, the recent increase is a positive sign, something the NASCAR executives cannot help but acknowledge.

Herbst’s comments come in line with the ‘GOAT’s’ presence in every race so far this season. In the first three races at Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA, Jordan was present at the race track and celebrated as the race-winning team owner all three times. Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, a team that MJ co-owns with Denny Hamlin, claimed three consecutive victories and became the first driver to do so in NASCAR.

Even though Jordan did not go home as the winner at Phoenix, his guest list, which included CBS’s Gayle King and rappers Jadakiss and Fat Joe, grabbed the eyeballs. Interestingly, Michael Jordan’s involvement in the sport has also made the drivers take notice, something Brad Keselowski shed light on recently.

Brad Keselowski hailed Michael Jordan’s NASCAR involvement

Among many others, Brad Keselowski was one to take cognizance of Michael Jordan‘s mega involvement in NASCAR. Speaking about paying respect to the NBA legend, Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion, and a fellow co-owner, said:

“I love the fact that he’s so engaged and at the races. I just can’t emphasize enough how important that is, not just for Michael, but for (NASCAR). I’ll give him a lot of respect and credit. He’s made the decision and choice to participate at a high level to be engaged. The fringe benefit for the sport is the brand that he has outside of it, which naturally comes with him. I’m happy for him. I’m genuinely happy that he’s a part of our sport.”

Notably, Michael Jordan’s involvement in NASCAR came after he and Denny Hamlin bought the majority stakes of Richard Petty Motorsports and changed its name to 23XI Racing. They coined the name after Jordan’s number from the NBA (23), and Hamlin’s in NASCAR (11).

They initially started with Bubba Wallace, the only black driver in the sport, and currently have three full-time rides, one for Wallace, and the other two for Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst.