Cleveland Cavaliers icon Brad Daugherty makes history at the Daytona 500

Cleveland Cavaliers legend Brad Daugherty saw his team secure a major win this weekend.

To many, Brad Daugherty is the iconic center for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A staple of many playoff teams for the Cavs, Daugherty anchored the Cavs down low for most of the 80s and into the early 90s. He became one of the club’s best all-time players and secured his spot as one of the team’s most popular players.

Daugherty ended up having to retire early due to injuries, and it was a move that may keep him out of the pro basketball Hall of Fame, but it hasn’t diminished the love he gets routinely from the Cavs’ faithful.

Still, he isn’t one to coast on his reputation and decided to get into another sport. Growing up as a youngster in Black Mountain, NC, Daugherty was turned onto NASCAR through his friend and future NASCAR driver Robert Pressley. In fact, as much of a fan of basketball as he was, he was probably more of a race car fan than anything.

Telling Andscape in 2020;

"I went to races with my dad. But I went with [Pressley’s] family one time and it was unbelievable. The power. The speeds. The sound. And I never thought of anything else. No one ever bothered me. It started me being enamored with race cars."

As early as 1984, before the start of his Cavs’ tenure, Daugherty has owned stakes in various racing teams. He bought 50% of Liberty Racing in the 1990s, which competed in the Craftsman Truck and Busch racing circuits.

During his time after he sold his stake in the team, he became a commentator for NASCAR, and in 2016 he would again become an owner, this time of JTG Daugherty Racing. They had some modest success heading into 2023, but at this past Sunday’s Daytona 500, Daugherty and his team would see their driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. win the checkered flag at NASCAR’s most prestigious race.

A championship well-earned for the former Cleveland Cavaliers player

Stenhouse’s victory gave Daugherty a huge championship that many owners covet. Unlike other sports, for many a victory at Daytona to start the NASCAR season is even bigger than winning the league’s championship. So for Daugherty to finally be part of a huge championship win has to be great.

Especially since Daugherty spent most of his time in the NBA coming in second place to former North Carolina teammate Michael Jordan.

While he spent most of his pro career looking up at Jordan, the two men ventured into the same second act; pro sports owners. Jordan is the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the most dysfunctional teams in the league. Daugherty is the owner of the Daytona 500 winning car for 2023.

Looks like Daugherty finally got a leg up on his former teammate and long-time rival.