Basketball HOFer Michael Jordan being in attendance at Talladega Superspeedway to see his NASCAR team win Sunday’s Geico 500 was “undoubtedly a big moment for NASCAR,” according to Paul Newberry of the AP. NASCAR has “endured some dips in popularity but seems on the upswing again.” Judging by the reaction on social media seeing Jordan “celebrating wildly in the pits, like he once did on the court,” the victory by 23XI driver Tyler Reddick, is “sure to move the needle even more.” Cup Series driver and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin said, “23XI is very important to this sport, absolutely. It’s good for everything you can imagine. You’re talking sponsorship, your manufacturers, your team morale” (AP, 4/22). THE ATHLETIC’s Jeff Gluck wrote Sunday “put a giant exclamation mark on precisely why Jordan is so important to NASCAR.” His “pure joy and unbridled enthusiasm” for watching one of his cars win a race was “instantly sent around the wider sports world and gained attention for NASCAR that most other Talladega results would not have.” Jordan “isn’t about to start doing a bunch of promotional appearances on talk shows or hawking race tickets,” but he “in some ways has a chance to become NASCAR’s greatest current ambassador.” There is no one who “transcends the entire sports world as a whole like Jordan” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/22).
DIFFERENT IMPACT: NBCSPORTS.com’s Dustin Long wrote it was a “momentous occasion for the sport,” as a “cultural icon and one of the greatest athletes of the last 100 years left no doubt about his feelings as a NASCAR team owner.” Unlike other famous co-owners who came and went, Jordan’s presence has “grown on and off the track.” He became “more involved after he sold his majority interest as owner” of the Hornets last June (NBCSPORTS.com, 4/22). Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty said Jordan being present for the victory celebration was a “huge moment for the sport.” Petty said having an “iconic basketball player, an iconic individual like Michael Jordan go to victory lane” will be “played out on sports pages and on TV all across America” (ON3.com, 4/22).
