Michael Jordan has only been a NASCAR owner for a few years, but the 23XI Racing team that he co-founded with Denny Hamlin is making impressive moves out on the race track. First, Bubba Wallace won at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2021. Then 23XI Racing expanded to a two-car team, signing Kurt Busch, and Busch wasted little time making an impact, securing victory at the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas.
The win is Busch's 34th in his NASCAR Cup career and now gave 23XI Racing two victories in its relatively short history.
When Busch signed with 23XI Racing, he received a pair of Jordan Georgetown 1s. While the kicks are a nice perk, Busch's victory at Kansas secured him something even more impressive: millions of dollars.
James Gilbert/Getty Images
In February 2021, Busch joined ESPN's Marty Smith for a ride-along on the Daytona 500 track. Busch talked about his career and his move to 23XI Racing. At the end of the interview, Busch mentioned an interesting tidbit:
He owns a Michael Jordan rookie card.
Busch, a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan, told Jordan to hang onto the rookie card. He said he wanted Jordan to sign it, but only after the pair achieved victory together. Now that Busch has delivered on his end of the deal, it's time for him to cash in.
Jordan rookie cards have skyrocketed in value over the past couple of years, as card collecting has taken on a life of its own during the pandemic. Highly graded cards have fetched anywhere from $50,000 to more than $200,000.
Adding Jordan's signature to the mix makes the card FAR more valuable. An online-only auction at Christie's valued an autographed Jordan rookie card between $2 and $3 million.
Of course, Busch probably won't actually sell his card if Jordan were to sign it. For starters, it would look mighty suspicious to Jordan. Secondly, Busch has a net worth of about $60 million thanks to previous victories and sponsorships. Finally, he's also a big Bulls fan, and it's a dream for him to work alongside his favorite player. He wouldn't give that up, even if he could earn millions of dollars in the process.
Check out the full interview between Busch and Smith below.
.@KurtBusch was on @SportsCenter during a ride-a-long with @espn Reporter @MartySmithESPN around the track at @DAYTONA discussing the future at 23XI – and gifted him a pair of Jordan Georgetown 1s! pic.twitter.com/L5AlCj0gxj
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) February 24, 2022
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