NBA icon LeBron James’ connection to NASCAR Cup Series team RFK Racing recently came to light on social media for many fans connected to the sport.
As drivers and teams prepare for the 2024 NASCAR season, RFK Racing, co-owned by Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush and veteran driver Brad Keselowski, recently shared a post on its social media, revealing a date for the team’s design reveal to be imminent. Coming season.
Also catching the attention of fans was the response from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Quoting a tweet from RFK Racing, the 39-year-old driver wrote:
“Can’t wait to see what’s cooking!!! @RFKracing 👀🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👑”
LeBron James’ reply left fans questioning the partnership between the Cup team and the NBA legend. Digging deeper into the connection, fans discovered that James is a minority owner of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which owns MLB’s Boston Red Sox, NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and Premier League’s Liverpool Football club shares.
Originally founded by Jack Roush as Roush Racing, RFK Racing underwent a transformation in 2007 when John Henry, owner of Fenway Sports Group, acquired 50% of the shares and renamed it Roush Fenway Racing. In 2021, Brad Keselowski joined the team as co-owner and driver, the same year FSG also added James as a partner.
James’ partnership with the NASCAR team is similar to that of legendary basketball player Michael Jordan. The latter retired from the sport in 2003 and is a co-owner of another Cup team, 23XI Racing.
However, the similarities between James’ involvement in RFK Racing and Michael Jordan’s co-ownership of 23XI Racing haven’t gone unnoticed by fans. One user commented on Instagram:
“He really wanted to be Michael Jordan”
Which other NBA stars own NASCAR teams?
When exploring other NBA stars involved in NASCAR team ownership, it’s clear that LeBron James is not alone. As mentioned before, basketball legend Michael Jordan is the co-owner of 23XI Racing.
The team was established in 2020 and currently has two cars, with Bubba Wallace driving the No. 23 Toyota Camry and Tyler Reddick driving the No. 45. In the past, former Cup Series champion Kurt Busch also drove the No. 45. Meanwhile, former X Games champion Travis Pastrana also made his Cup Series debut at the Daytona 500 last season in the No. 67 23XI Racing car.
In addition to James and Jordan, former NBA player Brad Daugherty is not only a long-time NASCAR analyst but also the co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing. Dougherty’s journey in NASCAR began with co-owning Liberty Racing, a Truck Series team that included drivers such as Kevin Harvick and the late Kenny Irwin.
Now, his Cup Series team, JTG Daugherty, remains one of the few one-package teams in the Cup Series, fielding the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro currently driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. .) driving.