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Contrary to popular belief, Michael Jordan was not the first NBA personality to win a race as a team owner in NASCAR. Turns out there was another NBA star that bagged a win in 2014.

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Back in 2014, AJ Allmendinger took the win at Watkins Glen International with his team, JTG Daugherty Racing. How did that make history? Well, that marked the first time a team co-owned by an NBA personality grabbed a win at the NASCAR Cup Series. JTG Daugherty Racing is a team co-owned by Brad Daugherty, who formerly played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA.

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Michael Jordan then became the second NBA personality to achieve such an achievement after Bubba Wallace won the race at Talladega last year while racing for 23XI Racing. However, Wallace’s win at Talladega was just not historic for Jordan, it was also something special for the African-American community.

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Bubba Wallace became the first black driver to win at NASCAR since 1963

The last time an African American driver won at the top series of NASCAR was all the way back in 1963, when Wendell Scott took the chequered flag at Jacksonville.

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USA Today via Reuters

However, back then, even though he was recognized as the winner, Wendell never received his trophy or got to celebrate in the post-race victory ceremonies. Thankfully, things have changed over time and with Bubba Wallace’s win at Talladega came massive celebrations and multiple other personalities across sports congratulating him for his remarkable achievement.

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But ever since, Wallace is yet to score another win for his team. Moreover, this year he failed to make it into the driver’s playoffs, but he will be participating in the owner’s playoffs driving the #45 car of injured teammate Kurt Busch. Do you think that Bubba can score another win just like last year? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

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Written by

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Srijan Mandal

1,061 Articles

Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master's Degree in Journalism from a top institution, Srijan has written over 1000 articles across various platforms. His passion for racing began at a young age and has only grown stronger over time. From Formula 1 to NASCAR and from World Rally Championship to World Endurance Championship, Srijan has followed and studied all aspects of these thrilling sports. Srijan's passion for racing extends beyond writing. He is an avid participant in professional open-wheel sim racing and enjoys producing music, which he shares on popular streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music under the moniker "Lunaprism".

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Edited by

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Pritam Priyedarshi

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