“Legit Competitor”- Denny Hamlin Sets Strong Expectations From Bubba Wallace in 2021 NASCAR Season

When Michael Jordan announced his entry into NASCAR team ownership, he also made it quite clear to his co-owner Denny Hamlin and the new team’s driver Bubba Wallace that he wants to see the car run up front more often than not.

That mindset seems to have rubbed off on Wallace as well, who has already set a ‘multiple wins’ goal in 2021.

Hamlin has also expressed on more than one occasion that he wants to build Wallace into a winning driver. However, setting up a new team comes with building a foundation from scratch, and Hamlin is setting his expectations from Wallace in tune with that.

The main goal is to reach the expectations set by Jordan and seeing the team as a genuine contender to win races every week.

However, to begin with, Hamlin wants to see Wallace improve as a driver week in and week out in the team’s first season in NASCAR.

Denny Hamlin explains specific expectations from Bubba Wallace

“I don’t know how we’re going to start, how it’s going to be in the middle,” Hamlin said during a recent interview. “What I want to see is a steady progression from Week 1 to Week 36 and know that when we get to the end, we are building something here that is a competitor – a legit competitor – and not just battling within the Top 15,” he added.

Most new teams and one-car operations as well are usually mid-field teams, who are often seen in the Top-15, 20, or 25. While 23XI Racing could start off that way, Hamlin expects Wallace to make it up the ranks soon and on a consistent basis.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing star then declared that he wants to see his no. 23 car driver Wallace run in the Top-10 50% of the time.

“That doesn’t mean finishing there necessarily. But putting your car in those positions where you are giving yourself solid opportunities to, ‘Hey you can win this race. With the right strategy call, with the right restart, you can win this race’,” Hamlin clarified on the same.

Want to build a castle at 23XI Racing, says Hamlin

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More than anything, he wants Wallace to believe that he can win a race halfway through it. All of this is a process in Hamlin’s main aim of building ‘a castle’.

“We want to build a castle and honestly, we are in the foundation stages,” Hamlin expressed.

Wallace now has all the support and equipment he needs to be a ‘legit competitor’. He realizes that, which prompted him to set his ‘no excuses’ motto for this season. It is now time for the 27-year-old to show his full range of skills as a NASCAR driver.

READ MORE- “Two Wins This Year”- Bubba Wallace Reveals Specific Goals For NASCAR Debut With 23XI Racing