Kyle Busch exposes details of failed move Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing

Kyle Busch recalled his failed attempt to join Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin owned 23XI Racing after leaving JGR in 2022.

Kyle Busch exposes details of failed move Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing

Kyle Busch (via IMAGO), Michael Jordan (via NBC)

Kyle Busch recalls the time when he approached 23XI Racing’s co-owner, Michael Jordan for a potential move to the team. 23XI has made great progress in terms of performance since the 2021 season, which could’ve improved further with Busch at helm, just like his brother Kurt Busch. However, the No. 8 was not signed with Jordan’s team as he finally found his place at RCR.

Kyle Busch decided to part ways with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the 2022 season due to sponsorship challenges and contractual issues with the team. The 39-year-old tried to join multiple teams, including Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin owned 23XI Racing. Busch also suffered from a challenging year in 2022, which further caused hinderance in his move to Jordan’s team.

Busch reminisced about the time when he tried out for the 23XI Racing after being fired from JGR. The 39-year-old approached Michael Jordan with great hopes of being accepted into the team. The current No.8 driver was seeking a long-term contract with the team, which they weren’t able to offer him. As such, this ultimately led to Kyle Busch considering other team options and locking in with Richard Childress Racing from the 2023 season onwards.

You remember when Joe Gibbs fired me? I had to talk to Michael Jordan about hiring me.

Kyle Busch said on the Bert Kreischer cooking show.

Michael Jordan remains one of the highly influential and popular people on the current NASCAR grid. Kyle Busch wasn’t particularly a fanboy of the NBA legend back then and kept the conversations strictly professional. The 39-year-old recounted that the call was purely work-related and he did not talk about Jordan’s Basketball career. However, Busch acknowledged that his wife, Samantha Busch was a big fan of the 62-year-old and fangirled on him all the time. As such, Mrs. Busch would’ve been extremely delighted if her husband were to race for 23XI Racing back then.

It was a work call…I wasn’t fanboying on him or anything, but Samantha fangirls on him all the time.

Kyle Busch added.

Kyle Busch asserts he is not considering retiring from NASCAR anytime soon

Kyle Busch has raced in NASCAR since the 2003 season and hasn’t looked back since then. The 39-year-old has not taken a break or quit the sport temporarily since then. Now, even after 22 years in the sport, Busch is still not considering calling it quits. The RCR star recalled that he was considering exiting NASCAR a few years ago after his departure from JGR.

Samantha Busch and Kyle Busch
Samantha Busch and Kyle Busch (image via Fox News)

Busch highlights that he considered retiring from NASCAR over three years ago. However, since then, the No. 8 driver has worked through the thick and thin and continues to keep up with performances. The 39-year-old asserts that he enjoys racing in the sport and wants to improve RCR’s performance. Moreover, the two-time Cup Series champion aims to return to the victory lane with his team and keep working hard.

It [retirement] was a consideration three years ago, I think daily, you kind of work through those things and thoughts and where you wanna be and what you want to do, When you’re still out here being able to enjoy what you’re doing, working with your team and continuing to try to improve RCR and improve the program and get it to where we all want it and put ourselves in Victory Lane, we’re gonna keep working at it.

Kyle Busch noted.

Despite positive-looking performances from Kyle Busch, he has yet to achieve a victory in NASCAR in the past couple of years. Busch is currently in a deep performance slump after being winless for over 66 races in the Cup Series. The 39-year-old has still come close to winning a race on multiple occasions, but couldn’t quite bridge the gap. Hence, the 2025 season must be better for the No. 8 driver in order to clinch his seat at Richard Childress Racing. Time will tell about how the two-time champion fares against the massive hopes banked on him by the fans and the team.

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