NASCAR Fans Left Puzzled as Denny Hamlin’s Biggest Fan Becomes Michael Jordan’s 3rd Cup Driver

A fan driving one of the team’s cars? It could be a win-win for Michael Jordan and Co. as it prepares to roll out its No. 50 Cup Series car again this season for the summer event. The No. 50 car is the team’s third entry, which they have on a part-time schedule. The Japanese driver, Kumai Kobayashi, is the only one who has been behind the wheel of the car, but it looks like there could be a change in personnel for the summer event. The co-owner of the 23XI team, Denny Hamlin, took to the team’s official account and teased the fans by not revealing the name of the driver.

Hamlin, in an interactive session with one of the team members at 23XI, said, “So do we have a driver for the #50 car yet?” In response, he was handed a golden ticket card that had the driver’s name. Surprised to see the name of the driver, Hamlin further inquired, “Oh, does he know? Can I give this to him?”

Team Michael Jordan is all set to team up with one of the top drivers

In response, the team member explained how the mystery driver was a Denny Hamlin fan when he was a little kid. Signing the ticket, Hamlin concluded by saying, “Oh, no way. Well, he will be psyched. I’ll sign this ticket then. To…” And the video abruptly ended, leaving the fans speculating on the driver’s identity.

Given that Kobayashi also drove the No. 50 Toyota Camry at COTA for Team Michael Jordan this season, it does not make sense to get him back for another event. However, the fans seemed to have cracked the code in identifying the hidden driver in the comments section.

Fans react to 23XI’s new driver for their No. 50 race car

The biggest clue was in the video itself when they mentioned the driver being a fan of Denny Hamlin when he was a kid. It could be Corey Heim, as that was the name that most of the fans agreed upon to be the mystery driver to take on the role of the new 23XI Racing driver. Moreover, the Tricon Garage driver, in his early racing days, did admit that Denny Hamlin was his idol.

Trying to decode the puzzle, a fan replied, “ITS HEIM TIME!!” If Corey Heim joins Michael Jordan’s garage, it is going to be a great fight, as he currently sits on top with 344 points in the Truck Series standings.

Another one added an expected collaboration elaborating Michael Jordan’s capabilities to get the best driver from the lower-tier driver for 23XI in the Cup series, saying, “i’ve got a feeling it’s got something to do with corey heim and tricon garage”

Kurt Busch wasn’t able to end his racing career on a high note after suffering a concussion during the 2022 season at Pocono. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to get him back in a race car, an optimistic fan chimed in by replying, “Sure would be nice if it was Kurt! He can’t go out the way he did he needs to come back and run some races before it’s really over 😢”

A frustrated fan highlighted the double dilemma as he had to solve the mystery for the driver and also for the unnamed summer event. “But for which races? You said in the summer but not the races😭😅”

It is important to note that Corey Heim is signed as a reserve driver for both Legacy Motor Club and 23XI in 2024. Moreover, he also made his Cup debut this season at Dover and Kansas, replacing injured Erik Jones in the No. 43 LMC car. On the back of his involvement with the team, a fan made an informed guess, stating, “I’m guessing it will be Corey Heim in the 50 because he was hired as a backup earlier this season if I’m not mistaken. Would not be surprised if not him though.”

For the time being, it does look like Corey Heim is indeed the prime candidate to take on the role of new driver for the No. 50 car. However, all the guesswork and reading between the lines could also amount to nothing if 23XI does pick a surprise candidate. Which they have done in the past.