Former NBA player is first Black NASCAR owner to win the Daytona 500 — and he is already trash-talking Michael Jordan
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr won the Daytona 500 in overtime by avoiding several costly wrecks.
- With the win, Brad Daugherty became the first Black principal owner to win the Daytona 500.
Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty used to be rivals on the basketball court. Now they are rivals in NASCAR, and Daugherty just got one back on his old nemesis.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr won the Daytona 500 to open the 2023 NASCAR season by successfully avoiding several late wrecks that eliminated other contenders and beating out defending champ Joey Logano when the race ended on a yellow flag in overtime.
The win was the first for Stenhouse at "The Great American Race," and he almost certainly punched his ticket to the playoffs.
It was also a historical win for Daugherty, who became the first Black principal owner to win the Daytona 500, a feat that also comes with some special bragging rights.
With the achievement, he beat his former University of North Carolina teammate and NBA rival Michael Jordan to the distinction. After the race, Daugherty seemingly wanted to remind Jordan of this.
Daugherty had to leave the race early due to light sensitivity following eye surgery, but co-owner Jodi Geschickter spoke with reporters about Daugherty's conversation with Jordan after the race.
"I talked to him for a few minutes, and he said that he and Michael Jordan are already talking trash," Geschickter said. "I'm not sure what was said, but there have been conversations."
While Daugherty has been a NASCAR owner for 15 years, Jordan is still relatively new to the ownership side of the sport. In 2021, Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin debuted their 23XI Racing team, which has won three races in its first two seasons.
While Daugherty spent time after the race trash-talking MJ, Stenhouse chose a different way to celebrate. He took the trophy to a Waffle House.