“NASCAR is so lucky to have him” - Denny Hamlin’s crew chief hails Michael Jordan’s “unbelievable” passion for the sport

Denny Hamlin‘s crew chief Chris Gabehart praised 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan’s “unbelievable” love for NASCAR. This comes after Bob Pockrass shared a picture of Tyler Reddick getting photographed with his title-winning #45 team, while MJ enjoyed the moment from the sidelines.

Reddick entered the Cook Out Southern 500 as the regular season championship leader but stomach problems troubled him during the crown jewel race. Nonetheless, after starting sixth, the #45 Toyota driver finished fourth and eighth in Stages 1 and 2, respectively. He survived the final stage chaos and posted a 10th-place finish.

With that, he etched his name onto the 2024 regular season championship by a single-point margin over Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson.

As the regular season winner and his team were photographed, Jordan stood to the side, looking at his winning team with a smile on his face.

Here’s the photo Bob Pockrass shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"During the Tyler Reddick team regular-season driver champion photos, Michael Jordan stood to the side enjoying the moment," Pockrass wrote.

Chris Gabehart replied to the motorsport journalist's post, hailing Jordan’s passion.

"MJ's passion over the years is unbelievable. Now watching him selflessly engaged in his @23XIRacing team, showing support on the ground, before the flag and long after, because he GENUINELY wants to be there for his them is true #goat status. @NASCAR is so lucky to have him," Gabehart wrote.

The title victory marked the first NASCAR championship for Reddick, his team, Denny Hamlin, and Michael Jordan.

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When Denny Hamlin learned about Michael Jordan's passion for NASCAR

23XI Racing was founded by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan in 2020, and the team began fielding the #23 entry with Bubba Wallace behind the wheel. The co-owners first met during a Charlotte Hornets' basketball game which Hamlin attended. Hamlin shared earlier this year how they came to meet.

During halftime, Jordan's security asked the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to meet the NBA legend. In their meeting, Hamlin discovered the NBA legend's unexpected love for NASCAR.

In a conversation with Fox Sports, Hamlin shared how he came to know about Jordan's passion for NASCAR. He said:

"He (Michael Jordan) was watching, I guess, the race that was a couple of weeks before, and he was asking something about some strategy that played out and was just asking me why some guys did the strategy they did.

"And my immediate reaction was, ‘You watch NASCAR racing?’ And he laughed and said, ‘Yeah. I never miss a week,'" Hamlin said.

Jordan's connection to NASCAR dates back to his basketball days. A few weeks after he claimed the 1982 NCAA title at North Carolina, he met Richard Petty at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Moreover, his father used to work on a Cup Series car owned by a local insulation salesman, Hoss Ellington.