Rumors

The 2025 NASCAR season begins Sunday at the Daytona 500 with a big change, and one major outstanding issue, off the track. On a positive note, NASCAR is entering the first season of new seven-year, $7.7 billion media-rights deals. On the flip side, the season begins with an unsettled antitrust lawsuit from two teams, including one owned by Michael Jordan. Also in 2025, NASCAR will race in a new country and launch an in-season tournament as the sport looks to continue its push into the mainstream.

Front Office Sports

Michael Jordan has been a pitchman, an NBA team owner and a tequila connoisseur — and on Sunday, with Bubba Wallace at the wheel, he makes his official debut as a NASCAR team owner with 23XI Racing in the Daytona 500.

NBA.com

NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin today announced the formation of a new NASCAR Cup Series race team that will begin competition for the 2021 season. Rising NASCAR star Bubba Wallace has signed a multi-year deal to drive for the yet-to-be-named, single car team.

NBA.com

Yup, meet the Daytona 500 driver who had his ankles broken by AI. Before Gaughan started a lengthy NASCAR career and Iverson became of the NBA's greats with the Philadelphia 76ers, they were teammates in the 1990s at Georgetown. Gaughan was a role player with the Hoyas under coach John Thompson, and had one big assignment — roughing up Iverson in practice. "It was a lot of fun," Gaughan said Wednesday. "You know the old joke where they say he'll cross you so hard, he'll break your ankles? Actually, he crossed me so hard I did break my ankles. It was black-and-blue two years guarding him. Chipped a bone and tore some ligaments."

AP