Michael Jordan has opened a cutting-edge $16 million USD (~ $24 million AUD) facility for his latest sports franchise venture, a racing team called 23XI Racing, in pursuit of its first NASCAR title.
After retiring from the NBA with six NBA Championships under his belt, Michael Jordan could have been forgiven for taking it easy away from the court. But if we learnt anything from the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries The Last Dance, the Chicago Bulls legend isn’t exactly one to rest on his laurels and has been even busier in retirement than during his playing days.
Jordan boasts a host of business interests and ventures; from luxury golf courses and steakhouses to entire sports franchises, he has earned a reputation for being a savvy business tycoon.
One such venture is 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team he co-founded with American racecar driver, Denny Hamlin. The NBA GOAT recently gave a behind-the-scenes look at the new $16 million USD (~$24 million AUD) facility… and it’s like something out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Located in Huntersville, North Carolina, the 14,000-square-foot complex is designed to be so much more than just you’re average race shop.
The facility, named Airspeed (a combination of Jordan’s iconic nickname and Hamlin’s on-track speed), features modern amenities like a gym and sauna for its employees, whilst a break room and lounge area are akin to the state-of-the-art offices for which global tech giant Google has become renowned.
“I wanted it to feel like the Google of race shops.”
Denny Hamlin
The open-plan office opened to the public this month and is expected to house the entirety of the NASCAR team’s 23 and 45 divisions. The move is inspired by Formula 1 team setups, providing an arena-like feel for car preparation.
The meeting rooms are covered in iconography from the illustrious careers of 23XI’s two successful owners: a sneaker wall displayed in “23”, Jordan’s iconic number at the Bulls and many of Denny Hamlin’s trophies and racing memorabilia. Even the windows are positioned with a 23-degree tilt.
“This is not a race shop. It’s a place that we work, yes, we put cars on the track, but it’s so much more than that,” Hamlin said.
“Would you say sitting right here, we’re in a race shop? No, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. So I think what we were in – in Mooresville, in the old Germain (Racing) building – was a race shop and a garage. This is not. This is something that is different, and so it needs to be named appropriately.”
With cutting-edge amenities and an innovative design aimed at enhancing team collaboration and efficiency, Jordan and Hamlin hope that their new Formula 1-inspired facility will be the catalyst for their new team to win its first championship in the sport, and to establish 23XI Racing as a leading force in NASCAR.