Bubba Wallace to Race in No. 23 Car for Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR Team

Bubba Wallace will get behind the wheel of the No. 23 car when he drives for the team launched by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. 

The group announced Thursday it will be known as 23XI Racing, with Wallace's car number mirroring Jordan's jersey number for the bulk of his basketball career.

Wallace announced on Sept. 10 he would be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the current season:

Hamlin confirmed 11 days later he was officially bringing Jordan into the world of NASCAR and that Wallace would be the team's first driver:

The Associated Press noted Jordan is the first Black principal owner of a NASCAR Cup Series team since 1973.

Wallace is the only Black driver on the circuit. The 27-year-old has made 33 appearances in 2020, finishing in the top five once and earning five top-10 finishes. He's still looking for his first career victory, having made the full-time jump in 2018.

Wallace became a notable voice in the social justice movement when he called for NASCAR to formally distance itself from the Confederate flag, which fans would regularly fly at events. The organization banned the flag on June 10.

Twelve days later, NASCAR announced it was investigating what appeared to be a noose tied in Wallace's garage at Talladega Superspeedway. The FBI, which was called into aid in the investigation, determined that the garage pull rope had been fashioned in the shape of a noose well before Wallace's team had been assigned the garage.