NASCAR is desperately trying to win back the millions of fans it lost after the disgraceful Bubba Wallace "noose" hoax, and according to BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock, they're using basketball legend Michael Jordan as their comeback strategy.
Remember 2020? The mainstream media and NASCAR brass went into full hysteria mode when a garage pull rope - shaped like every other garage pull rope in racing - was found in Wallace's stall at Talladega. Despite the FBI quickly determining no hate crime occurred, NASCAR had already thrown its own fanbase under the bus, lecturing patriotic Americans about racism while drivers took a knee before races.
Now, with NASCAR's ratings in the gutter and attendance cratering, Whitlock argues the sport is banking on Jordan's star power to repair the damage. Jordan's 23XI Racing team has won three straight NASCAR races, making headlines and bringing much-needed attention back to a sport that alienated its core audience.
The Woke Gamble That Backfired
"NASCAR is fixing its popularity problem" with Jordan, Whitlock observed, as The Blaze reported on the host's analysis. But here's the real question: Can celebrity ownership overcome the trust NASCAR shattered with working-class Americans?
When you spend decades building loyalty with blue-collar fans, then suddenly lecture them about their supposed prejudices over a garage pull rope, don't expect them to come running back just because His Airness bought a team.
The racing world is certainly buzzing with comeback energy. Torque Feed tweeted about Brad Keselowski's return to Cup Series action, noting the "thrilling comeback" atmosphere, while international racing circuits are also generating excitement with classic livery returns.
But Whitlock's "Race Jam" theory cuts deeper than surface-level celebrity marketing. NASCAR bet big on woke politics and lost big with the fans who actually buy tickets and watch races. Now they're hoping Jordan's winning streak can make Americans forget how the sport's leadership threw them under the bus.
The question remains: Will real NASCAR fans forgive and forget, or is this just another corporate attempt to paper over the damage done by years of anti-American virtue signaling? Patriots remember who stood with them when the media mob came calling - and who didn't.