Kyle Busch reveals Michael Jordan talks over NASCAR team switch

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has revealed he has previously held talks with Michael Jordan over a switch to 23XI Racing.

Jordan is a co-founder and co-owner of 23XI alongside the likes of Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, and the team has been making good progress since they entered the sport in 2021, including winning the regular season championship with Tyler Reddick in 2024.

In an alternative universe, they may well have been enjoying that success with Busch, it seems. After his wife, Samantha, admitted that she still gets starstruck by the six-time NBA champion at the racetrack, she revealed that Jordan once called her husband, with Busch confirming that it was regarding a move.

“You remember when Joe Gibbs fired me?” Busch explained on the Bert Kreischer YouTube channel.

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“I had to talk to Michael Jordan about hiring me.”

The two-time Cup Series champion added: “It was a work call…I wasn’t fanboying on him or anything, but Samantha fangirls on him all the time.”

Kyle Busch considered NASCAR retirement

In the end, the move did not come about, with Busch instead signing with Richard Childress Racing ahead of the 2022 season.

Since then, Busch has gone on to win three races in the No. 8 Chevrolet, although the last of those came at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023.

Whether or not a move to 23XI could come about in the future remains to be seen, with Busch's contract at RCR set to expire at the end of this season.

One thing is for sure, retirement isn't on the two-time champ's mind, with Busch revealing earlier this season that whilst it was considered before his RCR move, he is still enjoying his craft: "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."

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