Michael Jordan Unveils Name Of New NASCAR Team

National Basketball Association legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 victor Denny Hamlin have announced today that their newly-formed NASCAR Cup Series team will be named 23XI Racing.

The single-car team will field the No. 23 for Bubba Wallace, it announced October 22.

Pronounced "twenty-three eleven", the name shies away from the traditional usage of the owner's surname in favour of tributes to the owners' numbers. Picking the auto number for Michael Jordan's new NASCAR team was a slam dunk: Bubba Wallace will drive the No. 23 vehicle when the team makes its debut next season.

It is unclear who the manufacturer will be for 23XI Racing, but Hamlin drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in a Toyota.

"This is the start of the new adventure!"

Expectations are that the team will use a Toyota Camry like Denny Hamlin drives at Joe Gibbs Racing, but an official announcement has not been made. This is only the beginning.

"Bubba has shown tremendous improvement since joining the Cup Series and we believe he's ready to take his career to a higher level", Hamlin wrote on Twitter.

Jordan becomes the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup team since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott drove his own racecar in 495 races from 1961 to 1973. This year he successfully campaigned NASCAR to ban the flying of the Confederate flag at its races.