Michael Jordan Went From Watching His Team Nearly Win The Daytona 500 This Afternoon to Closing Out The NBA's All Time 75th Team Awards In Cleveland Tonight

Washington Post - Austin Cindric handled the final lap of the Daytona 500 like a veteran, or at least like the member of racing royalty that he is. The 23-year-old driver for Team Penske began his first full-time NASCAR Cup Series season by winning its biggest race.

It wasn’t easy, given that Cindric was charged with leading a pack of hungry pursuers out of a restart in overtime. With the finish line looming, he had to move high to hold off teammate Ryan Blaney and then go low to block Bubba Wallace’s attempt at a last-second pass.

Wallace, racing for a new team co-owned by Denny Hamlin — a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 who crashed out of this year’s running relatively early — and Michael Jordan, finished a close second. Chase Briscoe came in third and Blaney was fourth.

MJ was in Daytona this weekend (along with Tesla Eddie and Large and Co.) which had idiots like me up in arms that he was choosing a NASCAR race over showing face at the NBA All 75 Awards at tonights All Star Game.

He had front row seats for the fiery crash that took place on the last few laps

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But MJ, cool as a cucumber joked it off, then walked casually to his gassed-up private jet parked nearby the track and took off for Cleveland. 

(ps- can we talk about how filthy his G-IV decked out in the Jordan 3 elephant print is?)

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Just 3 hours after the race's conclusion he touched down in Cleveland and headed to Rocket Mortgage where he closed out the ceremony to a thunderous applause.

They saved the best for last.

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Tonight's festivities and the amount of talent they assembled under one roof, was insane. But it wouldn't have felt right without Jordan showing face. 

He missed this photo but something tells me they'll be sure to get another one with him there