“I’m probably the king of irrational confidence,” said Denny Hamlin after his commanding win at the Martinsville Speedway last Sunday. It was Hamlin’s first win there in a decade, his sixth at the track, and his 55th career victory, tying him with Rusty Wallace for 11th all-time. The #11 dominated, leading 274 of 400 laps, leaving his teammate Christopher Bell and 23XI’s Bubba Wallace in the dust with a 4.617-second gap. However, the veteran’s comments after the race reflect pride, not in himself, but in the team he owns.
23XI Racing is co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin and has seen a meteoric rise since their entry to the Cup Series in 2021. They made their first championship 4 appearance and won a regular season title in 2024 with Tyler Reddick. As Hamlin’s career winds down, he spoke about his ambitions with 23XI Racing and what he feels the team has achieved so far. After Bubba Wallace’s back-to-back top-5 finishes (Homestead and Martinsville) and Tyler Reddick’s superstardom from last season, Hamlin feels he is within touching distance of NASCAR’s tyrants.
Denny Hamlin and 23XI Racing are on the brink
Life’s coming at Hamlin fast. He’s juggling racing, running 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, and gearing up for another kid with his fiancée, Jordan Fish. Add in a heated lawsuit against NASCAR over the charter system, and you’d think he’d crack. But when Kevin Harvick asked how he balances it all, Hamlin got real on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “It is a lot, for sure. It’s not easy. I’m not going to say it’s easy, but all the things that are going on in my life are the things that I love. I’m not doing anything I don’t love, and that’s one thing that I can definitely say about my career at this point of it,” he shared. It’s why we can’t stop rooting for him. He’s not coasting, he’s pouring everything into this.
Hamlin’s not shy about his goals either. At 44, this Joe Gibbs Racing star and 23XI Racing co-owner is chasing something bigger than trophies. He’s aiming to carve his name alongside NASCAR giants like Rick Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, and Roger Penske. He sees them as the “big three” that’ve ruled NASCAR for decades. Now, in 23XI’s fifth year, he’s bold enough to say, “I knew it was going to take five years to get that team to where it was in the same category as a Hendrick Motorsports, a Joe Gibbs Racing, or a Penske… And now, finally, in year five, I feel like those cars are getting to where they’re in that conversation with the big three teams. That’s gratifying, but I know much work it too,” he said. That’s not just talk—it’s a promise he’s been grinding to keep.
While his confidence in 23XI Racing is sky high, off court, he is fighting to keep them in the sport and keep the sport fair. In October 2024, 23XI Racing filed a lawsuit against NASCAR, teamed up with Front Row Motorsports. They’re accusing NASCAR of “monopolistic practices” to make itself richer while squeezing teams dry. It’s a bold claim—Hamlin and Front Row say NASCAR’s charter system locks teams into unfair deals, controlling everything from revenue to competition. After a tough fight, Judge Kenneth Bell in December 2024 gave them a break with a preliminary injunction, allowing their teams to race while they proceeded to sue NASCAR in court. This was a huge step in their journey and has only fueled Denny Hamlin’s drive to succeed. But where does that everlasting drive stem from?
His work ethic fuels him. “It’s hard for me. I get bored really easily. And to be 20 years into my career and still have a passion for what I’m doing as a race car driver is still an all-time high… I work hard, and that work ethic that my father instilled in me when I was a kid, and bought me a go-kart, says, OK, well, if we’re going to go to the racetrack this weekend, you maintain it. You clean it… You have to grind,” he told Kevin Harvick. That’s the heartbeat of his journey—years of sweat, fixing wrecked cars, and pushing through losses because he loves the fight.
While Hamlin was describing his journey at 23XI racing with the utmost pride, on the track, his 23XI teammate had a rough day, and to make matters worse, he was on the receiving end of an earful from his team owner’s racing teammate.
Things got heated between Hamlin’s JGR teammate and 23XI driver
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing #54, and Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing #45, had a moment that left Gibbs fuming. In the final stage, Gibbs left some pace on the inside while making a Turn, and Reddick leaped at the opportunity to overtake him. However, the gap was too small, and Reddick ended up dooring and spinning out his fellow Toyota. This ruined what was looking like a top-10 run for Gibbs, as he was showing real speed for the first time this season. While Gibbs ended in 13th ahead of Reddick in 14th, he didn’t mince his words on the radio.
“Keep me away from that little f—– after this race, too,” said Ty Gibbs to his team over the radio. However, it seems like they didn’t listen to him, as Gibbs was seen up in Reddick’s face after the race, trying to understand what exactly happened. Things seemed to cool off after their conversation, and that’s because Reddick had a valid reason for the crash. “I tried to lift for [Ty Gibbs], but [Austin Dillon] didn’t know that I was even there,” Reddick said.
Reddick had no intentions of wrecking another Toyota and entering an awkward competition meeting on Monday. He cleared the air, and it turned out it wasn’t even his fault. Denny Hamlin also concurred with Reddick’s assessment on his Actions Detrimental podcast, saying, “I watched that one, and it looked like Tyler kind of jammed into a hole that was definitely going to close. It looked like he was playing defense to Austin Dillon, more than trying to make a move on Ty Gibbs at the time.”
Gibbs and Reddick are understood to be on good terms and will reflect on mixed results at Martinsville despite finishing within one position of each other. Reddick continued his Martinsville woes while Gibbs notched up his best finish of the season and earned his first stage points as well. Could this be a turning point in the 22-year-old’s career? Time will tell.
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