Denny Hamlin Reveals 23XI Racing’s Plans to “Infiltrate the NASCAR Old Guards” After Daytona 500 Triumph
Denny Hamlin has explained his and Michael Jordan’s ambition to make 23XI Racing the elite team behind the big-3 in the Cup Series.
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Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)
- Tyler Reddick's victory at the 2026 Daytona 500 marked 23XI Racing's first win and secured the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
- Denny Hamlin aims to position 23XI Racing as an elite team alongside NASCAR's traditional powerhouses.
- The team provided contract extensions to crew members during the charter lawsuit, ensuring financial security amid uncertainty.
Tyler Reddick masterful run with the help of Riley Herbst in the 2026 Daytona 500 helped 23XI Racing to make history, as the secured their maiden Harley J. Earl Trophy. It gave the redemption they desperately needed from the sub-par 2025 season and the controversies over the charter lawsuit that was settled outside the court in December.
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran racer and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin is over the moon over his first Dayton 500 win as a team owner, adding to the three he previously won as a racer. He sees this as a moment of return to the top for the TRD team, as the underperformed last year with the only solid moment being Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard win.
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.
Denny Hamlin said via Actions Detrimental.
Since its inception, the primary goal of 23XI has been making sure their drivers are concisely in the top-10 alongside the bog-3 of HMS, JGR and Penske. They wanted to become the fourth elite team in the garage. At the moment with Reddick and Wallace, they seem to have got into that list. The Daytona 500 win helps to solidify the claim.
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.
Denny Hamlin added.
The veteran racer pointed out that he and the 23XI team has been working hard to infiltrate the front row dominated by the old guards. It has been challenging mission, but with the right people and investments week in-week out they are slowly getting there.
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 asserted.
Denny Hamlin explains how 23XI Racing stood with their crew amidst the lawsuit drama
One of the biggest topics of discussion during the charter lawsuit was the future of the 23XI, if the team get forced to shit down. Hamlin and Jordan, made sure they felt security during the tough times. They gave everyone in their crew a contract extension that guaranteed them 12 months of pay, if the team ceased operations.
We did our best to give everyone the security that no matter what, you’re gonna be here. Everyone who didn’t have a work contract, we gave a work contract to in the middle of last year to secure them for at least 12 months past the lawsuit. We did our best to make sure everyone was taken care of, and they stuck it out with us. But now, certainly, I’m sure a weight is lifted off them.
Denny Hamlin said.
The security the team offered was significant and the crew delivered the results for the support by fielding four solid cars at the Daytona 500. Now that the lawsuit drama is over, they will more motivated that ever to help Hamlin achieve the goal of becoming the owner of one of NASCAR’s elite teams.
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