A big fan of motorsports Michael Jordan has finally become an integral part of it

Michael Jordan is now a co-owner of a team from the American NASCAR championship: he bought out Germain Racing and will now build his team on its basis. At the moment, the project is very crude, but even now its goals and reasons for its creation are more or less clear.

Jordan keeps team information under wraps

Michael is keeping most of the information under wraps, for now, promising to reveal everything later. It is only known that the squad will put up one car – but the legendary athlete did not announce the brand, number, or even the name of his project. However, Jordan is said to be targeting the number 23 he wore in the NBA.

Only the name of the rider is known for certain: Jordan signed a contract with the only black NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace, who became famous because of the racist scandal with a noose on a rope in the pits.

Jordan plans to fight racism by racing

Many people know the legend of the Chicago Bulls as a big fan of motorsports. But in the history of creating his own team, the love of racing turned out to be secondary – Michael is much more concerned about the problem of racism.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents took my siblings and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan all my life,” Jordan said. “Being able to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend Danny Hamlin is very rewarding. Historically, NASCAR has discouraged diversity and black team owners (the last being Wendell Scott in the 60s).

The timing seems perfect as NASCAR evolves and embraces social change more and more. In addition to the recent donations I have made to fight racism, I see this as a chance to train new drivers and open up more opportunities for black people in motorsport.”

A childhood dream and the fight against inequality will have to seriously pay

Motorsport is not cheap, and Jordan will have to work very hard on the team’s budget. You have to spend a lot. To begin with, the cost of a complete set of parts for one potentially champion car is $15 million.

Of course, there are small organizations and crews that survive for a third of the amount, but they rarely roll even into the top 10 – it is unlikely that the legendary basketball player is interested in this.

Do not forget about regular engine changes: on average, the squad changes 45 engines per season, and each one costs about $ 50 thousand – which is another 2.25 million a year. In addition, fuel, special equipment, and personnel are needed – the costs for them in the main US series usually cost about $ 16 million.

In total, the budget of an organization with ambitions can easily hang under 35 million per year.