Denny Hamlin Doesn’t Rule Out Championship Hunt With Michael Jordan’s 150 Million NASCAR Team

Many people were left scratching their heads when Denny Hamlin decided to join hands with Michael Jordan. In 2020, the pair met at golf courses and got to know about their common interest in leaving an impression on NASCAR history. Signing rising talent, Bubba Wallace as their first driver, 23XI Racing, set off on a journey to make history.

In current times, Denny Hamlin is still winning accolades for Joe Gibbs Racing. After a hard-fought 50th Cup Series win at Pocono, he arrived on the popular talk show ‘Rubbin is Racing’ with hosts Spider and Large.

Denny Hamlin lets out championship plans for 23XI Racing

23XI Racing is a brainchild of Hamlin and Michael Jordan.  And the $150 Million worth team’s ambitions also seem to have taken a cue from the owners. Their recent signing, Tyler Reddick, has impressed in the #45 Camry and is sitting comfortably in a playoff spot. Reddick also had a fantastic outing on Sunday with a second-place finish. But both of the drivers in their arsenal have not yet proved their mettle as a powerhouse on the grid. But if someone like team owner Denny were to join their ranks, their firepower would increase exponentially.

Speaking on his chances of staying at JGR, the 42-year-old says, “I think if it was up to Gibbs and myself, I’d love to stay there and retire there. That’s the number one thing, but there’s not a scenario that I ever put out of the window.”

He is in his 18th full time season with the #11 and has kept delivering wins year after year for Joe Gibbs. Fans might have taken his wins with a pinch of salt, but he has outshone some really able drivers in his career. 23XI also has a partnership with JGR under a technical alliance.

Throwing a curveball for the fans, he then surprisingly adds, “I don’t think there’s any secret that we would love to make 23XI a championship-contending team and grow it over time. I don’t know when that time is, but I wouldn’t put anything out of the picture. But as long as Joe keeps taking care of me the way he does, I don’t foresee any changes.”

Well, seeing Denny in a different team outfit can sure make one feel weird.

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What lies ahead for 23XI Racing?

The 23XI Racing team has more to look forward to this season with a much-awaited debut for 2021 24 hours of Le Mans victor Kamui Kobayashi. Kobayashi will feature in the #67 Toyota at the Brickyard Verizon 200. But the sun hasn’t shined uniformly on all their drivers. Bubba Wallace showed some improvement in results to finish 11th at Pocono, which left the fans questioning the standards of the car. But since May, when he accumulated four top-5 finishes, he has been lackluster, to say the least.

The brakes have been a key area for the team where they have failed to find a lasting solution so far. Incidents of issues with brake failure and brake dial misfunctions have been a common pattern this season for the team. The pit crew for the #23 Camry has also proved to be inefficient and were responsible for Bubba losing important places. Inexperience has been a major root of the side’s problems.

Tyler Reddick has an accurate idea about their strengths and weaknesses in the season. Having one of the fastest cars in the division, he has plenty of tools at his disposal. As informed by Racer, Reddick was more worried about their inability to convert their plans.

“That’s pretty much it. We’ve got plenty of speed, it’s just we got to have clean races. It’s really difficult in this day and age of this Cup (Series) racing to have mistakes, rebound from it and still win.”

“We haven’t had many of those this year, and that’s basically what we have to do.” Looks like Reddick is more ready than ever for the playoffs.

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