“You Keep Winning, We Keep Improving”: Michael Jordan Left in Awe of His State of Art $16 Million Brainchild

Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s newest creation, ‘AirSpeed’, has officially opened its doors. Technically, it’s a race shop, but given the Silicon Valley feel this new facility provides, it feels much more than a shop. Hamlin reiterated, “This is not a race shop. It’s a place that we work, yes, we put cars on the track, but it’s so much more than that.”

The fans and the company employees were able to catch a glimpse of the team’s new HQ. But, co-owner and NBA legend, Michael Jordan was yet to soak up the feeling of stepping into their new home. And upon making his first visit to AirSpeed, MJ was left stunned by how good the new race shop turned out to be.

Here’s how Michael Jordan reacted to his team’s new race shop

When the organization started its project back in 2020, they found their racing home in Mooresville, in the Old Germain building. It was an optimal set-up but far from catering to all the needs of a rapidly growing NASCAR team. So the co-owners set out yet another ambitious project, which can now be termed as Google of race shops. That’s how innovative and out-of-the-box the new 23XI Racing home is.

Taking account of the new facility in person and especially the innovative working bay, which is designed by Hamlin himself, Michael Jordan stated, “I came to see exactly where you work at now.” The working bay area was designed by Hamlin himself. He did take inspiration from the Formula 1 team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas work area. MJ was also particularly impressed to see how the shop had a fully functional gym. “These guys, really, they’re getting the feel of being an athlete.”

Moreover, he took a tour of the #11 conference room, which had Hamlin’s trophy and fire suit on display. But what took him by surprise was the #23 conference room. The number 23 was covered up with MJ’s very own Jordan sneakers. He even claimed the 23 conference rooms to be far better and cool looking than the 11. “Yeah, this is far better.” The video concluded with him interacting with the team employees assuring them all the tools to make their work worthwhile at the new shop. “Just let Wheels know what you need. We’ll keep doing it. You keep winning, we keep improving.”

However, this is not the only expansion 23XI Racing might make this year. They are also rumored to be adding a third charter to their NASCAR operation. Picking one of the three available Stewart Haas Racing charters for themselves.

Denny Hamlin shares his take on potentially adding a third charter to 23XI Racing

Currently, 23XI Racing fields two full-time cars, No. 23 with Bubba Wallace and No. 45 with Tyler Reddick. They do often roll out their #50 ride on a limited schedule. Kamui Kobayashi has been featured in the #50 Camry, and upcoming star Corey Heim will take the command of the car at Nashville this season. But with multiple charters on the market, will 23XI make a move and expand their NASCAR lineup? Well, the answer to that is yes and no.

Multiple reports have linked the team to being one of the frontrunners to buy the SHR charters. However, Hamlin, in the latest episode of the Action Detrimental podcast, explained his team’s stance on the situation. “We don’t right now; on January 1, 2025, we don’t even have a charter. So, you can’t buy or sell something that doesn’t exist.” Pointing out the deadlock situation between teams and NASCAR over signing a new charter agreement.

However, he did hint at potential expansion if the move makes sense financially. “I mean, I didn’t build that facility to stay a two-car team, but it always has to make financial sense. I’m not going to put myself in the situation to where I’m having to shell out millions of dollars every year just to keep this thing going. I will not do that personally.”

It’s tricky to predict 23XI Racing’s course of action in terms of grabbing a third charter from SHR. Especially, when the charter agreement is in a stalemate situation. But you never know what might happen in NASCAR’s silly season, so do keep an eye out for them. They might be cooking something behind the doors.