“He’s a Clown”: Michael Jordan Takes a Dig at Partner Denny Hamlin’s Antics Amidst Confessing Love for King Petty

Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin are mentality monsters. From Hamlin saying, “I beat your favorite driver,” to Jordan’s “I’ll take the last shot,” they ooze confidence and charisma. When they teamed up in 2020 to start 23XI Racing, nobody knew they would become the force of nature they are today. A regular season championship and a championship 4 appearance in just 4 full seasons of racing! Ahead of the Goodyear 400 in 2025, Michael Jordan was pit-side at Darlington and opened up about his love for the sport and 23XI Racing while taking subtle jabs at his recently victorious co-owner.

Jordan opens up about Hamlin after Martinsville win

The nostalgic atmosphere of Darlington’s throwback weekend brought out Michael Jordan’s deep connection to NASCAR’s storied past. As the NBA legend surveyed the historic track from the #23 pit box, he reminisced about his earliest racing memories with Fox Sports’ Jamie Little. “I grew up in NASCAR, and my favorite design is obviously the 43. You know, I love the STP,” Michael Jordan shared, his eyes lighting up while discussing Richard “The King” Petty’s iconic car. Between the vintage paint schemes and the celebration of racing history, the six-time NBA champion appeared perfectly at home in the garage area, absorbing the sport’s heritage while watching the modern stars prepare for battle on the “Track Too Tough To Tame.”

Jordan’s presence at Darlington wasn’t merely as a celebrity spectator but as a deeply invested team owner with 23XI Racing, and when asked particularly about his #23 Bubba Wallace’s strong start to the season, Michael Jordan beamed with owner’s pride. “I’m so happy. The only thing that you can ever ask for as an owner and probably as a team is to just have a chance… It’s up to the drivers… Our pit crew is on fire, so it’s putting the race back in their hands,” he said. After a slow start to the season, Wallace picked up the pace with two consecutive third-place finishes and also boasts the fourth-fastest pit crew so far this season, with an average stop time of 10.338 seconds, an entire 0.917 seconds faster than the next 23XI car on the grid. Yet, as the conversation shifted to his business partner’s recent victory at Martinsville Speedway, the basketball Hall of Famer’s demeanor changed to one of knowing amusement.

“He is a clown. But that’s him. That’s Denny,” Jordan declared with his trademark competitive grin when Little mentioned Hamlin’s first win of the 2025 season. The comment came in response to Hamlin’s animated post-race celebration at Martinsville just one week earlier, where the driver climbed atop his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and unfurled an “11 Against the World” flag—a fan gift that transformed cheers into boos from many spectators. Michael Jordan’s playful dig at his business partner instantly became the soundbite of the weekend. However, he couldn’t help but praise Hamlin’s competitive spirit.

Jordan quickly contextualized his assessment with genuine admiration. “He’s a very confident driver. He is a very confident person. His competitive juice is no different than mine. I mean, I love that he’s gotten back to winning,” Jordan continued, his respect for the three-time Daytona 500 champion evident in both tone and substance. Hamlin was coming off a 32-race winless streak and Jordan knows what that meant to him. Winning is characterized differently in a team sport like basketball, where Jordan never lost more than three games in a row between 1990 and 1998, so he knows the mentality required to keep winning, and he believes Hamlin has that. The basketball icon’s understanding of Hamlin’s theatrical persona revealed a deeper appreciation for the psychological aspects of championship-level competition, being a 6x NBA Champion himself.

Jordan’s analysis extended beyond mere personality assessment to Hamlin’s career accomplishments and future aspirations. “I want him to win a championship so badly because I think he’s earned that because of what he has done for the sport for so long. And he’s gonna grind it out,” Jordan emphasized. This sentiment echoes what many NASCAR observers have noted about Hamlin’s career trajectory—despite amassing over 50 Cup Series wins through 2025, a championship has remained elusive for one of the most consistent drivers of his generation. He currently holds the record for the most wins by a driver without the championship, an unwanted record that Jordan wants him to break. However, Jordan also noted that his theatrics at Martinsville are why Hamlin succeeds.

Michael Jordan drew a direct parallel between his own competitive psychology and Hamlin’s approach to public perception. “That’s just the way Denny is. And you know, if you boo him that makes him better. You know, you boo me that makes me better. I mean, that’s just the nature of a good competitor,” Jordan explained. When Hamlin unfurled that flag, the reception was not all kind, but Hamlin was used to it. He has long been the villain of NASCAR, and it’s this sort of energy he thrives on. And the phenomenon of using negative energy as motivation isn’t new to either man.

Throughout his storied NBA career, Jordan was notorious for finding—or even manufacturing—slights to fuel his competitive drive. From his famous “Flu Game” in the 1997 NBA Finals to making Bryon Russell eat his words during the 1998 Finals, Jordan transformed opposition into inspiration. Similarly, Hamlin has embraced his role as a NASCAR villain in recent years, particularly as he’s become more outspoken on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast and more demonstrative in his victory celebrations.

Their drive to compete is what united them. These two high-performing athletes have been at the top of their sport, however, only one of them has something to show for it, and it’s six of those things for Jordan! However, Hamlin is as determined as ever in 2025. And as for 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick might be off to a slow start, but his caliber is known to all as the defending regular-season champion. Bubba Wallace is a driver reborn under Charles Denike, and it looks like this might be the year he finally breaks that 2-year winless drought. The cards are falling in place for MJ, and we know no one loves a game of cards more than him.