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When it first hit the track earlier this year at Daytona, 23XI Racing entered the NASCAR Cup Series as the most-hyped and ballyhooed new team in stock car racing in many years. Come the Daytona 500 next year, there will be double the anticipation for the race team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, as they have added a second car to their stable.

On Friday, 23XI Racing announced that the team hired Kurt Busch to drive a second car, the No. 45 Toyota in 2022, with sponsorship from Monster Energy. Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, will become a teammate to Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 car.

Busch's move to 23XI Racing was an expected one, as it had been reported as early as May that he was the top candidate to drive a second car for the team. As of the initial press release, it is uncertain whether or not 23XI Racing has obtained a charter for the newly-christened No. 45 team.

"I cannot begin to express my gratitude for this opportunity," Busch said in a press release issued by the team. "Racing to win is what I live for. Helping to continue developing a new team, alongside Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Toyota is exactly what I want to be part of. Winning is important to 23XI, it's important to Monster Energy, and it's important to me. That is our goal."

Like the No. 23 that adorns Wallace's car, the No. 45 used on Busch's car is a callback to the incomparable NBA career of Michael Jordan. Jordan wore the No. 45 when he re-joined the Chicago Bulls coming out of retirement in 1995, and it has remained a part of his brand in the years that have followed since.

Jordan's use of the No. 45 in NASCAR came with the blessing of the Petty family, as the number had not been used in Cup competition since 2008. The No. 45 had belonged to Adam Petty, the grandson of Richard Petty, who was slated to move to the Cup Series full-time starting in 2001. In May of 2000, Adam tragically died in a practice crash at New Hampshire at only 19 years old, and his father Kyle would use his son's number for the rest of his own career.

"The number 45 is a special number to myself and the entire Petty family. We look forward to seeing that number back on the race track contending for race wins and championships," read a statement by Kyle Petty. "Seeing the number compete again, under the 23XI Racing banner, with Kurt behind the wheel, is exciting for us.

"While the number will always hold many memories of Adam, we know Kurt, Denny (Hamlin) and the entire organization will represent it well."

Joining 23XI Racing will mark a new chapter in the continuing Cup career of Kurt Busch, as he will compete in his 22nd full season in 2022. The elder of the Busch brothers brings a wealth of veteran wisdom and experience to 23XI, as he is a previous Cup Champion and has 33 career wins including the 2017 Daytona 500.

A 23XI press release stated that team personnel and additional partners for the No. 45 team will be announced at a later date.