There are three teams who have reigned atop NASCAR for much of the 21st century: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. Denny Hamlin made it clear Monday that 23XI Racing is looking to blast through the glass ceiling and establish themselves as one of the top dogs in the Cup Series.

23XI captured the 2024 regular season championship through Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 team. Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team earned the organization its first Crown Jewel last season with their win in the Brickyard 400. Reddick on Sunday secured Crown Jewel No. 2 for 23XI, taking the checkered flag in the Daytona 500. 23XI is starting to make ground on the big three and that’s the expectation moving forward, Hamlin said on “Actions Detrimental.”

“We, as a team, last year, did not win the amount of races we want or expect. … We expect lots of wins every year. We know that we give our team the resources to do that and last year was an underperforming year,” Hamlin said. “It’s hard to say that when you got two drivers right there at the top 10 in a field where the big three takes up 12 cars or 11 cars. We felt like we were the next team, like, we’re the next elite team; we’re done with that.

“We’re trying to infiltrate the old guard that has taken over the sport from the past few decades from their commitment, their winning pedigree, they got the best people, great drivers — it’s hard, really hard to overtake those guys, but we want to be one of the teams that can challenge that week in and week out.”

Denny Hamlin is chasing greatness with 23XI

23XI gained ground on the big three in 2024 before taking a step back in 2025. Perhaps the lawsuit against NASCAR played a role, a potential distraction throughout a season which saw Reddick go winless.

Sunday, 23XI took a step back forward. Reddick snapped a 38-race winless streak and looks primed to compete for a championship this season. Wallace, meanwhile, led the most laps in the Daytona 500 and scored a top 10 finish. The idea that 23XI should be content running behind the big three and being OK with that? Hamlin is having none of it.

“We don’t want to go to the racetrack thinking, ‘Well, our expectations should be 10th to 12th because surely all the Gibbs, Hendrick and Penske cars are gonna be one through 10 on speed,’” Hamlin said. “F*ck that, like, we build fast cars, and I think that shows up.”