When designing cool and flashy paint schemes in NASCAR, no one does it better than 23XI Racing. One could attribute it to the team’s ownership colluding the best of both worlds. With one of the best-ever athletes, Michael Jordan, and one of the best in NASCAR, Denny Hamlin, coming together, there has not been a deficiency of style in the team.

2023 has been a great year for the team. With both of its drivers making the playoffs, this season has been a big step forward for the 2-year-old organization. The team’s affinity for incredible paint schemes has also stood out among the many positives. However, team owner Denny Hamlin fell into a dilemma when asked to choose between some of 23XI’s best-looking liveries. The JGR veteran has found a clear winner between collaborations with basketball stars and international megastars.

Denny Hamlin prefers J Balvin to Luka Doncic in a mind-boggling dilemma

23XI Racing fielded both of its drivers in the Round of 12. With the first race of the round scheduled to be hosted by the Texas Motor Speedway, the team paid tribute to the Dallas Mavericks star and one of the most popular athletes in the region, Luka Doncic. Tyler Reddick donned the green, white, and black paint scheme in the No.45 Camry with the exclusive logo of Michael Jordan’s brand, adding the finishing touches.

The iconic Jumpman logo of Jordan is recognizable all over the world. It has stood for a style quotient amid many other desired qualities of Michael Jordan. In a recent post on Twitter, the official handle of 23XI Racing’s social media asked the fans to choose their favorite paint scheme among the multiple contenders from Reddick’s paint scheme wardrobe. From the looks of it, Hamlin is an owner and a fan.

Citing his favorite schemes in order, the No.11 driver wrote, “Tough call… Bristol 2, Vegas 2.” Hamlin only won one race in the playoffs despite having a great regular season and a dominant first-elimination-round performance. The race win came at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Incidentally, the No.45 paint scheme at Bristol was inspired by renowned music artist J. Balvin.

Balvin was also present by the trackside at Bristol and even interacted with Michael Jordan. Denny’s co-owner had collaborated with the musician earlier to release the J Balvin x Air Jordan 3 Medellin Sunset sneakers. Reddick’s paint scheme has a visible clue as to the inspiration behind it.

Another one of the contenders for the paint scheme of the season was the No.45 Camry’s look at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jordan is a former UNC basketball team member, which motivated North Carolina Tar Heels Athletics to participate in Reddick’s Coke 600 pursuit. The paint scheme garnered a lot of praise from the local fans, who were pleased by the presence of Tar Heels on the bonnet. Jordan, a former owner of the Charlotte Hornets, also helped his cause.

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Denny’s comments have reached the NASCAR fandom’s ears as well. Looking at Hamlin preferring the Bristol paint scheme, fans wonder if this has something to do with his appearance at a Travis Scott concert following his earlier win.

Fans question Hamlin’s intentions behind Bristol’s preference

Hamlin has an eye for fashion. With his partner at the pinnacle of the sneaker business in the fashion industry, Denny Hamlin donned a pair of yellow and black Air Force 1s despite his countless collections. Not just that, he took it to the next level by wearing the firesuit to a Travis Scott concert. Surely a stand-out choice for a concert!

Some NASCAR fans have voiced a different opinion. Some have preferred the UNC Tarheel Blue to everything else, while some have tried to guess the reason behind Denny’s answer. One of the fans commented, “As UNC fan, it has to be Charlotte 1 for me”

“Well we def know which firesuit was your fav,” commented another fan subtly hinting at the obvious choice for him considering he chose the Bristol firesuit among umpteen options.

Some more comments voiced their opinions along the same lines. One of them read, “That’s because you called dibs on the fire suit!” while another Twitter user wrote, “You have both of those firesuits now, don’t you?”

The 23XI Racing official handle also joined the conversation, commenting, “The Bristol II scheme brought the best concert attire.”

Choosing between these options, where one is equally good as the other, is a tough task. While there might have been a clear winner for Hamlin, which one do you think stole the show in 2023? Let us know in the comments below.

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