Andrew Rizzo We interrupt our NBA All-Star Weekend coverage to bring you a headline from the Daytona 500 down in Florida. Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, 23XIRacing, has debuted an Air Jordan 9 PE that’s about as slick as they come.
Worn by members of the 23XIRacing pit crew during yesterday’s Duel races, the sneaker features an almost all-black colorway with a suede upper and leather mudguard. The branding is done up in red, including a stitched globe (as opposed to TPU) on the spine, while the sockliner comes in grey. The most obvious aesthetic comparison is the original Air Jordan 9 “Charcoal,” although the color blocking and materials of course aren’t an exact match. The most important transformation is the materials, as NASCAR pit crew shoes must be SFI 3.3/5 rated for fire resistance and feature oil-resistant, high-grip soles for safety on slick surfaces. Thus, the decision to iterate on the boot-inspired Air Jordan 9 is a sensible one.
Racing and sneaker fans have been wondering if/when 23XIRacing will drop a sneaker since its founding in 2020, and while these aren’t expected to release, it does give us more reason to believe we’ll see some sort of drop eventually. Importantly, this headline comes just weeks after driver Tyler Reddick broke out a snakeskin Jordan 4 PE. Motorsports have long been a go-to design reference in the Air Jordan lineage, informing the design of some of MJ’s best models as well as myriad specific colorways.
Again, the 23XIRacing x Air Jordan 9 is a PE and not expected to release. See our Jordan Release Dates page to browse pairs you can actually get your hands on.
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- 23XIRacing
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