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Franchises

Denny Hamlin Dishes On 23XI Racing, Jordan's NASCAR Fandom

Hamlin will continue to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing while acting as an owner for the 23XI teamGETTY IMAGES

Denny Hamlin will be one of four drivers with a shot at the NASCAR Cup Series finale Sunday, but Hamlin's "biggest move may have happened off the track," in the form of his partnership with Michael Jordan and Bubba Wallace on 23XI racing, according to a Q&A with Jason Gay of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Below are excerpts from the Q&A with Hamlin, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: You’re going to keep driving for your current FedEx/Gibbs team. How’s that supposed to work: You’re going to be co-owning one team and then you’re driving for another?
Hamlin: I don’t know exactly how it’s going to work. ... I’m going to give my best effort to make both of them work. This (team) is something that me and Michael have spitballed around for a few years. It was a perfect time for both of us. We spent two weeks kind of vetting it all out, making some quick decisions, and saying, “You know what? This is it. Let’s go for it.” ... He’s going to lean on me being the insider of racing to guide us in the direction that we need to go to win, and he’s going to be the financial support behind that.

Q: Can you describe [Michael Jordan's] NASCAR fan side?
Hamlin: He says, “I watch every Sunday and I never miss. It’s something that interests me.” So, ultimately, we start kicking around, “Well, it’d be great for me to be a Jordan brand athlete. Hey, you can do my shoes, my suit, and do an apparel thing.” He’s like, “Yeah, I’m in.” Then next thing you know, I think probably five or six years ago, I asked them to sponsor me in a truck race at Martinsville. He was in for that, no questions asked. Then I’m like, “Where could this go one day?” Obviously there’s a big financial commitment when it comes to starting a Cup team. When we threw all the numbers out there to say, OK, if we want to build a championship-caliber team, this is what we’re going to have to do, he was in.

Q: Your driver will be Bubba Wallace, who had an eventful season in 2020, one that saw him call on NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at races, which it ended up doing rather quickly. What did you think of that moment?
Hamlin: It took a lot of guts. Not everyone was going to see it the way that he saw it, but I think he saw it the right way. He was an advocate (to make the sport) more inclusive and make it to where people are comfortable when they go to a NASCAR race. I think it promoted a lot of positive change (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/6).

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