Top 5 celebrity NASCAR team owners
There are 17 full-time teams in the NASCAR Cup Series and a team can field a maximum of 4 cars in the series.
Follow Us
Michael Jordan and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
NASCAR is the premier stock car racing series worldwide and has a huge fan following. Motorsport is more than just a profitable business opportunity for investors. Most of the time, the adrenaline rush of seeing vehicles defying gravity to achieve maximum speed attracts the owners to the sport.
NASCAR has its fair share of VVIP or celebrity owners who took over the Cup teams due to their love of motorsports. The sport saw an influx of legends of different disciplines making their way into the last season following the introduction of the Next-Gen car. Other renowned personalities also took over NASCAR teams and found success in the past. Here is a list of the Top 5 celebrities to do so.
Michael Jordan: co-owner of 23XI Racing
23XI Racing is one of the top Cup series teams co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan. Jordan regarded as the greatest ever to play basketball and arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time, was approached by Denny Hamlin with the plan to field a new Cup team.
23X1 was born in 2021, and they debuted as a single car team under Toyota Racing development in 2021 with Bubba Wallace as their driver in the No:23 car. They expanded it to a two-car team in 2022 with Kurt Busch joining the squad, and in 2023 they are a two-car plus one open entry car team, with Tyler Reddick replacing Busch’s full-time role.
Though the team is yet to score the same number of wins as Jordan’s championship rings (6) they are on the right path to becoming a championship contender in 2023 and beyond. They finished the 2022 season with two race wins and hoped to multiply the wins and secure a playoff spot in the 75th anniversary year.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: co-owner of The Money Team Racing
The greatest modern-day boxer with a 50-0 professional record Floyd Mayweather Jr. needs no introduction. Mayweather is among the richest athletes of all time as he has been at the winner’s end of several high-profile boxing bouts, earning him a fortune. The Money Team Racing made its NASCAR debut in 2022 with Kaz Grala and Conor Daly on part-time duties.
The Money Team Racing hasn’t produced any solid performance in the Cuyp series as they are yet to have a solid crew to run the operations. They have plans to run full-time in the series near future and have been looking to sign deals with established d teams for years.
Pitbull: co-owner of Trackhouse Racing
Pitbull made his NASCAR team owner debut at the same time as Jordan. The Latin pop star, who sand the 2018 FIFA World Cup anthem, joined forces with ex-NASCAR driver Justin Marks to field one of the premier Cup teams. Within just two years of its inception, they established a team with a clear vision for the future. It has already branched out to multiple regional series.
Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez drive for the team in 2022 and will remain with them this year. Both drivers partook in last year’s playoff, and the former fought for the championship in the season finale and finished P2 behind champion Joey Logano. They are championship contenders going into the 2023 season.
Brad Daugherty: Co-Owner of JTG Racing
Bradley Daugherty, nicknamed “Big Dukie” and “The Hooch”, is a legendary NBA player turned NASCAR team co-owner. He rose to fame with Cleveland Cavaliers and got into the NBA All-star team five times. His No:43 shirt was retired by the Cavaliers. He wore the No:43 shirt as a tribute to NASCAR legend Richard Petty whom he considers one of the greatest sportspeople ever.
He purchased stakes in JTG racing in 2009 and has been one of the prominent supporters of the team since. They are one of the top midfield team fields, the No:47 car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and have just one Cup race win in their history that dates back to their first part-time entry in 2007.
Joe Gibbs: Owner Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs is one of the most successful sportspersons in the USA. He was one of the most accomplished American football coaches of his generation. He coached the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, and the San Diego Chargers in the NFL. He won three NFL championships with the Commanders.
After retiring from the NFL coach role, he started Joe Gibbs Racing which debuted in 1992 with Dale Jarrett No:11 car. They now field 4 Cup cars and 2 Xfinity cars and open entries. He won two Cup titles and multiple Xfinity series titles as an owner. His grandson Ty Gibbs currently races for him in the Cup series.
Discover more:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4880 Articles Published)