Will Denny Hamlin Repeat Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski’s Driver-Owner Heroics With Broken 8-Year-Record

When Denny Hamlin took his rookie strides getting used to Joe Gibbs Racing’s immaculate system in 2006, Brad Keselowski was yet to make his Cup Series debut. Fast forward to 2024, and in their respective paths as the newest generation of successful Cup Series ‘owner-drivers’, the #6 wheelman made the most recent mark by snapping a 110-race winless streak under his ‘co-owned’ organization at RFK.

As per Bob Pockrass, Keselowski’s Darlington triumph was the first time a driver has won driving his own car since Tony Stewart’s Sonoma win for SHR in 2016. With Denny’s declared desire to someday end his career in a 23XI Racing Toyota, the question arises: will a third entry alongside the #23 and #45 potentially carry Denny to legendary status, just like these top-dog team owners?

Denny Hamlin’s championship with 23XI or retirement with JGR?

It is important to note that RFK’s #6 driver/owner has the 2012 Cup Series trophy with Team Penske to show for his progress in NASCAR’s premier tier. Nevertheless, Tony Stewart takes the owner-driver crown. Stewart has won a staggering three championships, with the final win in 2011 coming alongside his own Stewart-Haas Racing team. On the other hand, Denny Hamlin leads both Stewart and Keselowski on the all-time race wins list. But a Bill France Cup is still seemingly ‘waiting in the wings’ for the #11.

However, comparing successes as ‘NextGen’ team owners, 23XI trumps Brad’s RFK efforts with 6 wins over his blue oval-backed rivals’ four. If Denny was the third driver for his race team co-owned by Michael Jordan at this moment, that tally for 23XI Racing would theoretically stand at 14. But with the ongoing charter scenario, the reality is harsher than speculation for most 23XI Racing fans. To recap, NASCAR and teams are currently facing a standoff over the expiring charter deal at the end of this year. Contrastingly, rumors have been circulating since last year concerning a potential charter sale, or two, especially from the garages of Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.

Regardless of piling on his fellow Ford Performance team’s misery on track, Keselowski has been making major waves when switching focus to his current two-car rollout, backed by Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group. And on an episode of RFK Racing’s newest podcast, Backstretch Banter, Bob Pockrass laid out the #6 driver’s impact  “pretty simple,” while drawing some conclusions for long-time rival, Denny Hamlin.

The FOX journalist explained, “He (Keselowski’s) the first driver to win in his own car since Tony Stewart at Sonoma I want to say in 2016. So for 8 years, you haven’t had a driver who owns a team and wins a race and I think people can people respect that. People know how difficult it is. You know if the guy who drives the #11 car, I don’t know, can I say his name? If Denny Hamlin were to drive for 23XI and win, I think there’s fewer boos because I just think people know and respect how much it takes to… win with your own organization.” 

‘To win with your organization’ is a joy Denny Hamlin has yet to uncover after 54 race wins in NASCAR’s premier National Touring Series with JGR. With the announcement of Corey Heim as the second part-time driver for 23XI’s #50 car in Nashville, 23XI is actively seeking a third data point. However, questions remain about, whether adding another charter will benefit Hamlin and MJ financially.

Can 23XI provide the ‘Jack Roush Factor‘ for Hamlin’s championship run?

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The inflation surrounding charter prices has deterred many for quite some time. Coupled with NASCAR’s assumable unwillingness to share a bigger portion of the new 7.7-billion-dollar deal, even Jordan’s right-hand man, Curtis Polk, has called out for a permanent charter to add to the various opinions surrounding the controversial conversation of the hour. Although 23XI may very well utilize Hamlin’s racing wits gathered through the years, one thing this relatively new race team still lacks is a guiding figure like Jack Roush at RFK or Tony Stewart at SHR.

Pockrass explains it best. “And you know, look, the R in RFK is beloved by so many people. When you talk about people whose parents watch the sport, whose grandparents watch the sport. They were watching Jack Roush, in some form of Motorsports, and then in NASCAR and so to be able for Brad to come here and put RFK into Victory lane, and to have Jack Roush there… I don’t know that you can really measure how much that means to the people who watched the sport decades ago as well as to you know, probably new fans…“

Additionally, Denny Hamlin has iterated many times about wanting to retire with the person who gave him his start while expressing confidence in 23XI Racing’s capabilities. Moreover, the 23XI co-owner is wary of the problems, but will partner Michael Jordan and him win a championship together for their co-owned race team? Only time will tell.