On Thursday night at Chicago’s Navy Pier, Upper Deck and 23XI Racing turned the clock back to 1996 with a special 30th anniversary screening of the iconic film Space Jam, a movie that features Michael Jordan, an NBA legend and co-owner of the 23XI Racing NASCAR Cup Series team.
NASCAR fans, trading card fans, Michael Jordan fans, and fans of the Looney Tunes and Space Jam showed up in droves to partake in the wide range of events on Thursday evening. Bubba Wallace, who will drive an Upper Deck/Space Jam 30th Anniversary-themed No. 23 Toyota Camry this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, took part in the festivities by spending time taking plenty of photos with fans and connecting with a slew of newly formed NASCAR fans.
For Wallace, having Space Jam on his car hit his nostalgic core, as much as Thursday night’s event did with the fans that showed out.
“It’s really special. The other day, we threw on Space Jam for Becks to watch, and it brought back a lot of memories for me,” Wallace said in an exclusive interview with TobyChristie.com. “Because it was one of those VHS tapes, a lot of kids don’t even know what that is, that you would throw in and just repeat.”
Wallace continued, “When this deal came about, I was super pumped. The car turned out awesome, it’s crazy looking. Firesuit, helmet as well, so they knocked it out of the park.”
According to organizers, the RSVPs for the event reached the allotted 1,500-person capacity for Polk Bros Park, and despite sweltering summer heat, a large portion of those RSVPs indeed showed on Thursday night.
When made aware of the turnout, Wallace said, “That’s awesome, especially in the summertime heat here in Chicago. “It’s hot, but it’s exciting to see people want to come out and want to enjoy the screening tonight.”
Upper Deck was thrilled to be able to showcase the skills and creativity shared between their team, Warner Brothers, and 23XI Racing on Thursday night.
“It’s a pleasure, it’s an honor, and it’s a lot of fun, right? To be able to get our creative juices in spaces, and put something together like this, around a fantastic event around Space Jam,” Gabe Garcia, of the Upper Deck Authenticated division, said. “Collaborating with Warner Brothers and the 23XI team has been absolutely so much fun and a pleasure.”
The No. 23 Upper Deck / Space Jam paint scheme was a focal point of the evening, as a showcar decked out in the wrap that Wallace will drive in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway was available for fans to see, touch, and even take photos in front of by themselves, with Bugs Bunny, and with Wallace throughout the event.
For those who were enamored with the showcar, 1:24 scale diecasts of the No. 23 Space Jam car were available for purchase on site, a special collaboration between Upper Deck and Lionel Racing. When the paint scheme was initially revealed, and the news broke that the diecast of the Space Jam car would be available for purchase, NASCAR fans went nuts.
“Yeah, it’s big. There are a lot of people who are diecast collectors, and I think this is a unique one. So, to be able to provide that early is beneficial for all of us,” Wallace said.
In addition to appearances by Wallace and Bugs Bunny, and the showcar, the event featured giveaways of special Space Jam prints from Upper Deck’s newly launched “Curated” collection, Bubba Wallace T-shirts featuring the Space Jam car, and even sets of Bugs Bunny ears for the children (and adults) in attendance.
The Boys and Girls Club of North Central Illinois was on hand, and several of the children in the club got to get up close and personal with the No. 23 Space Jam Toyota and partook in some exclusive time with Wallace and Bugs Bunny.
Upper Deck also had a mini half-basketball court on site, where children could attempt to see if they could jump as high as Michael Jordan did during the prime of his NBA career. While the children obviously didn’t have the power of flight that Jordan had during his legendary career, the basketball court was a big-time hit among the younger kids, who played until the showing of the film began.
There was even a station for visitors to have their photo taken to be placed in a unique personalized Space Jam 30th Anniversary Upper Deck trading card. It was a very nice touch, which did a lot to show fans the process of trading card production, and it likely introduced the hobby to some new members at the event.
The main event of the evening was obviously the screening of Space Jam, set with a big movie screen and a scenic backdrop featuring Lake Michigan. On the lawn of the makeshift outdoor movie theater, Upper Deck placed special Upper Deck blankets for families to sit on, and they were able to take those blankets home with them after the event concluded as well.
Overall, the event seemed to be a massive hit for visitors of all ages, and it genuinely seemed like everyone had an honest blast.
Now, Wallace will look to cap off the 30th anniversary celebration of Space Jam by parking the No. 23 Upper Deck/Space Jam Toyota in Chicagoland Speedway’s victory lane. If he does go on to win, Wallace will not incorporate a basketball into his victory celebration.
“No, I’m good. I’ll stick to what I know, and that is driving race cars,” Wallace quipped. “Nothing out of the realm there. Just a nice burnout, maybe not a burnout, I don’t know. We’ll see when the time comes.”
