In NASCAR, 'the big three' have always been Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske due to their achievements in the sport. However, things have begun to change after 23XI joined the grid.

Back in 2020, NBA legend Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin came together to launch 23XI. Their goal was not to directly challenge the teams but to learn from them as they went. But six years later, the tables seem to have turned, as the team now leads the drivers' championship with Tyler Reddick.

The team, along with their co-owner Michael Jordan, was recently nominated for the Sport Business Award by Sports Business Journal. During his media availability, Denny Hamlin was questioned about his unconventional methods of hiring people for the team, rejecting the Big 3 conventions.

“What’s different about us is that I think that we—lots of times—hire from out of the sport," he said. "So, people that are coming into the sport for the first time say, ‘In Germany, we don’t do that.’ Like when we race over here, we try things this way; we do things this way." 

He further pointed out how the methods deemed unconventional for 23XI are the same ones used by the big three teams for decades.

“And so it just opens up a lot of different questions for us when we are able to hire outside of NASCAR itself and attract those people to give us new ideas," Hamlin said. "And sometimes the answer is what the legacy teams have been doing for such a long time.” 

As Hamlin pointed out, hiring people from different nationalities can present various ideas. At the same time, it takes a lot of effort to make sure everyone in the team gels well. But the co-owner seems to have figured it out. 

Over the years, the team has had its own ups and downs. Right from winning a championship in their second year in the sport to courtroom drama. Still, they seem to have a clear handle on things. 

Denny Hamlin and 23XI are just getting started

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver and Jordan had no prior experience in putting together a motorsports team. They built 23XI from scratch with the intention of doing things differently.

During the same interview, he was questioned about how he felt about being nominated for the award.

“I just think that it’s a testament to the people that we put in place, and again, it’s the puzzle that I’ve always talked about, right?” Hamlin said. “It’s more of a testament to the people that we have. Me and Michael (Jordan, co-owner, 23XI Racing) get the credit for it, but truthfully, a lot of people have put a lot of effort into it.”

The organization’s long-term objective was expansion and competing for championships within five years. That timeline was surpassed when Reddick won the regular-season crown and advanced to the Championship 4 during the fourth season.

This just feels like the start of something big for Hamlin and 23XI. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar