Kurt Busch Bet Big On Himself With MJ

by Tom Jensen July 08, 2026

A prized and highly valuable Michael Jordan rookie card turned into a high-stakes gamble for Kurt Busch that paid off big.

Swagger can be defined as “a bold, confident, and sometimes arrogant way of walking, behaving, or carrying oneself.” And swagger is something star athletes in every sport have.

Take National Basketball Association Hall of Famer and six-time champion Michael Jordan.

On and off the NBA hardwood, Jordan positively radiated swagger and deservedly so, because he was one of the very best to ever play the game.

And when Jordan moved to NASCAR as co-owner of 23XI Racing with driver Denny Hamlin, he brought that swagger to the race team. 

Kurt Busch, an inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026, knows all about swagger himself. Like Jordan, Busch was a fierce competitor and a cocky one, too. Busch was a star; knew he was a star and wasn’t shy about letting the world know he believed in himself.

Soon after Jordan signed Busch to drive for his second-year 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team in 2022, Busch made a huge bet on himself, one that ultimately would pay big dividends.

Prior to the start of the 2022 season, Busch purchased a 1986 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie trading card from a sports memorabilia dealer he knew in his native Las Vegas.

Jordan rookie cards are prized commodities in the sports collectible market, and the 1986 Fleer #57 Jordan card is the most valuable of several series produced. Depending on condition and authenticity they can be worth anywhere from about $75,000 to more than $2.5 million each, especially ones that have been autographed by Jordan and verified.

Armed with that knowledge – and having spent the money to buy the card – Busch showed his new boss some serious swagger at Daytona International Speedway.

February 17, 2022, was a historic day for both Busch and 23XI Racing. It was Jordan’s 59th birthday and the day Busch qualified for the Daytona 500, his first points race with his new team. After finishing ninth in his Daytona Duel qualifying race earlier that evening, Busch went to Jordan’s motorhome and presented him with the expensive rookie card as a birthday present.

There was one catch: Jordan would autograph and return the card to Busch after Busch won his first race with the team. It was a bold gamble. If Busch didn’t win, he would be out the huge sum of cash he paid for the card. But Busch was willing to bet on himself because he knew he was a winner and figured he’d help get 23XI to Victory Lane sooner rather than later.

As it turned out, Busch’s audacious gamble paid off for him.

On May 15 in his 13th start with 23XI, Busch took the checkered flag in the Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway ahead of Kyle Larson and Kurt’s younger brother Kyle Busch. It was Kurt’s 34th and final Cup Series victory in a career that would ultimately land him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The triumph was just the second victory for the young team, which had won its first race with Bubba Wallace in the previous year.

After Busch’s Kansas victory, Jordan signed and overnighted the rookie card back to his driver early the following week. It was a sign of respect from one champion and Hall of Famer to another. 

You can see the Michael Jordan rookie card and the rest of Busch’s artifacts in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Hall of Honor until early January 2027.

Plan your visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and purchase tickets by visiting nascarhall.com/tickets.