{"id":896503,"date":"2026-09-15T09:44:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/896503\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T09:44:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:44:19","slug":"michael-jordan-and-denny-hamlin-built-23xi-to-challenge-nascars-old-guard-its-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/896503\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin built 23XI to challenge NASCAR\u2019s old guard. It\u2019s working"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 This past May, in a large banquet room tucked inside a Times Square hotel, high-level executives representing 23XI Racing and NASCAR sat at adjacent tables at the Sports Business Awards. Throughout the night, the two parties bantered and traded good-natured remarks.<\/p>\n

A few months before, this seating arrangement might have been awkward. These were the opposing sides of a contentious lawsuit last year that threatened to create significant upheaval within NASCAR. But now, 23XI \u2014 whose co-owners include NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR superstar Denny Hamlin \u2014 has, in many ways, become the prototype for how a team should be built in this era of NASCAR, when the rules deemphasize ingenuity and stress parity.<\/p>\n

Teams in their sixth year of operation aren\u2019t supposed to win with great regularity \u2014 especially not three of the past six crown-jewel races \u2014 or become perennial championship contenders. But emboldened by Jordan and Hamlin\u2019s vision, Jordan\u2019s status as a worldwide sports icon, and Hamlin\u2019s knowledge of the sport, 23XI has done just that. It is the team many others say they want to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they\u2019ve done deserves a lot of credit,\u201d said Brad Keselowski, co-owner and driver at RFK Racing. \u201cIf you\u2019re not learning from 23XI, shame on you. If I said in 2021 that a new team was going to break through and be successful, and I read you their stats, you probably would have chuckled a little bit. And the fact that they\u2019ve been successful, more successful than I think anyone would have predicted, is really a testament to some smart decision-making and great leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle Larson survives caution-filled day to score his first victory of 2026<\/p>\n

From the moment Hamlin convinced Jordan to form 23XI in the fall of 2020, the plan called for their team to be different from legacy teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing, the team Hamlin also drives for in NASCAR\u2019s premier Cup Series. Yes, they wanted to incorporate elements from these organizations, which collectively have won 17 of the past 20 championships. There is a reason, Hamlin acknowledges, that they are the standard-bearers.<\/p>\n

Still, 23XI\u2019s leadership sought to blend old and new. They had their own ideas of what a team should be and how it should operate. It wanted to be a destination job for the brightest minds working on the mechanical-engineering side and a place the most talented drivers dreamed of joining, with an openness to try different roles and not be tied to conventional ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a balance because you always want to think outside the box, but you also have to realize that these teams have been doing it for decades and they probably worked out all the kinks and got it to the best process that it can be,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cSo you take that information and fine-tune it, and then other things that you know are new to the sport, that\u2019s where you can really start from scratch and rethink things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Denny<\/p>\n

\n In six years, Denny Hamlin (left) and Michael Jordan have made 23XI Racing into one of NASCAR\u2019s better teams. They\u2019ve won three of the past six crown-jewel races. (Chris Graythen \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As 23XI president Steve Lauletta explained how his team strives to be different, he gestured toward the expansive building around him known as Airspeed. The team\u2019s headquarters symbolizes the financial commitment ownership has put into becoming championship-caliber. It cost $35 million to construct the 114,000-square-foot facility that opened its doors in 2024.<\/p>\n

The design is distinct, the open floor plan more like something you\u2019d see in Formula One than in other NASCAR teams\u2019 shops. It\u2019s laid out to improve workflow; car construction is more systematic, and each department is less siloed off from others.<\/p>\n

Other teams are taking note of Airspeed\u2019s functionality. Legacy Motor Club is building its own new shop, and the team \u2014 led by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson \u2014 drew inspiration from how 23XI designed Airspeed.<\/p>\n

\u201c(23XI\u2019s) been great to share, especially from a workflow standpoint,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWith the old car, I worked at a place (Hendrick) that had the old car system dialed in, but where we are today and the amount of time you can save by laying out your workflow correctly on the shop floor, there\u2019s a lot to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauletta and team have ambitions to achieve a rare feat in the sport \u2014 building a brand big enough to generate instantaneous recognition beyond the NASCAR bubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts with Michael and Denny and the fact that from the beginning they wanted to redefine what a team in this sport could look like,\u201d Lauletta said. \u201cAnd that started with the way we developed our processes and the way we built the brand. We purposely didn\u2019t call it \u2018Jordan-Hamlin Racing.\u2019 We called it 23XI because we felt like that can be a brand that can transcend the sport itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having a grand plan is one thing, but actually transforming it into a reality is the challenge.<\/p>\n

Part of it is continual on-track success. Since 2021, 23XI has won three crown-jewel races \u2014 Tyler Reddick in the 2026 Daytona 500 and Corey Heim and Bubba Wallace the past two Brickyard 400s. The only teams that have won more during this span are Hendrick and JGR, with five apiece. Reddick also won the 2024 regular-season points championship and reeled off three consecutive victories to start this season and five in the first nine races.<\/p>\n

All that is missing is one notable thing, something the team knows it must achieve if it wants to truly join Hendrick, JGR and Penske as NASCAR\u2019s elite organizations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to be the face of a sport, you probably should have a championship or two,\u201d Lauletta said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reddick has come close, finishing fourth in 2024 and sixth in 2023. He enters this weekend\u2019s playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway \u2014 the third of 10 races in NASCAR\u2019s Chase \u2014 in fifth place, 42 points behind the leader, Hamlin.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

\n Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick embrace after a Reddick win in Austin, Texas, this season. Reddick is 23XI\u2019s best hope for a title in this Chase. (James Gilbert \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Winning only elevates a brand so far. To have crossover appeal beyond the NASCAR realm requires outside-the-box thinking in how you market yourself to the masses.<\/p>\n

Months in advance of NASCAR\u2019s inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado in the San Diego area in June, 23XI organized promotional activities in the area, including hosting a Daytona 500 watch party on Coronado Island. Fans then watched 23XI\u2019s own Reddick win NASCAR\u2019s biggest race.<\/p>\n

NASCAR\u2019s marketing, both by the league and its teams, is not always the most forward-thinking. As the sport pushes to expand into new markets, such as San Diego, 23XI believes it can be the team NASCAR uses to attract a greater spotlight \u2014 a cause undoubtedly aided by having one of the world\u2019s most famous people as one of its co-owners. Jordan\u2019s fame brings a level of attention that even previous teams who had celebrities in their ownership groups couldn\u2019t come close to matching.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity is there, but it takes work; it takes effort,\u201d Lauletta said. \u201c\u2026 I want us to show up at places like the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game and music festivals, and have people go, \u2018Oh, yeah, of course they\u2019re here. That\u2019s the brand for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin\u2019s race team. They\u2019re cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

A year ago, as 23XI and another team, Front Row Motorsports, battled through their lawsuit against NASCAR, alleging monopolistic practices, all of this was in jeopardy. Jordan and Hamlin had refused to sign NASCAR\u2019s latest charter agreement, putting their future into question. If NASCAR prevailed, 23XI would have lost its charters and perhaps, ultimately, its entire business.<\/p>\n

Instead, the two teams gained nearly every major concession they sought in court. Their charters were restored, and Jordan and Hamlin secured a victory for all teams in the sport.<\/p>\n

If NASCAR is bitter, if any animosity lingers, there hasn\u2019t been anything said publicly to indicate it. When Reddick won the Daytona 500 in February, NASCAR CEO Steve O\u2019Donnell and chief operating officer Ben Kennedy were among the first to congratulate Jordan, the trio embracing in a hall outside Jordan\u2019s suite.<\/p>\n

NASCAR\u2019s senior leadership recognizes the benefit of a Jordan-supported team being in the sport, along with 23XI\u2019s efforts to market both itself and the league. Jordan and Hamlin have made it a point not to pound their chests regarding what most view as a decisive legal victory. NASCAR has since even tabbed Hamlin to play a key role in deciding a handful of major rule changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really been good,\u201d Hamlin said of his relationship with NASCAR. \u201cI\u2019ve had quite a bit of dialogue with (O\u2019Donnell). \u2026 It\u2019s been a really good working relationship, and they\u2019ve delivered on everything they promised us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Steve<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIf you want to be the face of a sport, you probably should have a championship or two,\u201d 23XI president Steve Lauletta said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have that.\u201d (Helen McGinnis \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The cumulative effect of what 23XI has done on the track and how it reshaped the league off the track over the past year is why the team found itself in New York at the Sports Business Awards. 23XI was nominated for sports team of the year, and Jordan was nominated for executive of the year. Among the other teams nominated included the WNBA\u2019s Golden State Valkyries, the first women\u2019s professional sports franchise to have a valuation over $1 billion; the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB; and the 2024-25 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n

Neither 23XI nor Jordan won this night, but just being there offered additional proof that 23XI was moving toward its goal of being more than just another NASCAR team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been our goal to win on and off the track,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cFrom the very beginning, we said we wanted to be game changers in the sport, do things a little differently. We\u2019ve tried to create a culture that has been very, very low turnover. \u2026 It\u2019s great to see it being recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being nominated is an honor, but winning, be it awards or races, matters. Especially for a team co-owned by the uber-competitive Jordan. And if 23XI can combine winning with pop-culture relevance, it would accomplish something truly unique for a NASCAR team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want everybody to know who we are,\u201d Lauletta said. \u201cI want to walk down the street in Seattle, Washington, and have somebody pass me wearing a 23XI hat, and they\u2019re wearing it because they know what we stand for. They see what we do, whether it\u2019s on the track, off the track. That\u2019s what we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 This past May, in a large banquet room tucked inside a Times Square hotel, high-level…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,12716,634,82],"class_list":["post-896503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-motorsports","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}