<p>Basketball great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin have partnered to form a new single-car NASCAR Cup Series team that will feature Bubba Wallace as its driver, the trio said on Monday.</p>.<p>Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, will serve as principal owner of the team with Hamlin a minority partner while he continues to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing.</p>.<p>Wallace, the only Black driver at NASCAR's top level, was thrust into the spotlight this year when his calls for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag -- which many Americans see as a symbol of oppression -- at all events was ultimately adopted.</p>.<p>The driver was later thought to have been a victim of a racial attack when a noose, a symbol connected to lynching and America's slave history, was found in his garage.</p>.<p>The US Justice Department said after an investigation that the noose may have been in the garage since last October and that Wallace was not the target of a hate crime, while NASCAR said the noose was used as a garage door pull-down.</p>.<p>"Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners," Jordan said in a statement. "The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more."</p>.<p>Jordan added that he saw this as a chance to "educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing."</p>.<p>The name, car number, manufacturer, sponsors and other details for the new team, which will start racing in the 2021 season, will be announced at a future date.</p>.<p>Wallace said the role was ideal for him.</p>.<p>"This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career," he added.</p>.<p>Gibbs said he was happy to lay the foundation for his racing career after he was finished with driving.</p>.<p>"Plus, Michael and Bubba can be a powerful voice together, not only in our sport, but also well beyond it," said Gibbs.</p>
<p>Basketball great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin have partnered to form a new single-car NASCAR Cup Series team that will feature Bubba Wallace as its driver, the trio said on Monday.</p>.<p>Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, will serve as principal owner of the team with Hamlin a minority partner while he continues to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing.</p>.<p>Wallace, the only Black driver at NASCAR's top level, was thrust into the spotlight this year when his calls for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag -- which many Americans see as a symbol of oppression -- at all events was ultimately adopted.</p>.<p>The driver was later thought to have been a victim of a racial attack when a noose, a symbol connected to lynching and America's slave history, was found in his garage.</p>.<p>The US Justice Department said after an investigation that the noose may have been in the garage since last October and that Wallace was not the target of a hate crime, while NASCAR said the noose was used as a garage door pull-down.</p>.<p>"Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners," Jordan said in a statement. "The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more."</p>.<p>Jordan added that he saw this as a chance to "educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing."</p>.<p>The name, car number, manufacturer, sponsors and other details for the new team, which will start racing in the 2021 season, will be announced at a future date.</p>.<p>Wallace said the role was ideal for him.</p>.<p>"This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career," he added.</p>.<p>Gibbs said he was happy to lay the foundation for his racing career after he was finished with driving.</p>.<p>"Plus, Michael and Bubba can be a powerful voice together, not only in our sport, but also well beyond it," said Gibbs.</p>