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23Xl Racing is one of those NASCAR Cup Series teams that has continued to excite its fans, despite being fairly new to the Cup Series circuit, the team co-owned by the NBA legend Michael Jordan and Cup Series veteran Denny Hamlin has managed to amass quite a large fanbase.

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Constantly improving and revitalizing its strategies for each race, the team has seen amazing results with its young driver Tyler Reddick showcasing some brilliant racing feats in recent weeks. However, not everyone on the team is having a great time, as Reddick’s teammate Bubba Wallace has not been in the best of forms.

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Given his mediocre performance at Bristol Motor Speedway and the troubled situations that he brewed himself, the team is making a strategic revamp, bringing in a popular name from the iRacing league.

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The team is planning to step up things by bringing in Keegan Leahy, its iRacing driver as the performance consultant. In fact, Reddick even gave a shout-out to the sim driver after his victory at Circuit of The Americas.

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Keegan Leahy, the performance consultant, is looking to bring fresh ideas to the table

Having immense knowledge about cars and their dynamics, the Canadian is well suited for his new role as the performance consultant. Besides being an active professional sim racer, Leahy also holds a degree in Physics and Atmospheric Science from Dalhousie University. Now with his full-time role as a performance consultant, Leahy is planning to move from Canada to North Carolina.

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The 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing champion certainly possesses a lot of expertise, and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin believes Leahy’s unique skill set will play a significant role in the coming races.

READ MORE: Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski & Denny Hamlin Insiders Predict an End After “No Announcement” From NASCAR

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According to Racer magazine, the Canadian reacted to his new role, saying, “It’s a really interesting job, something I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of and try to find my niche.”

I got to try a whole lot of different stuff this week and figure out what I’m good at or what I like and enjoy, and what the team needs me to do. So honestly, I can’t tell you exactly what I’m doing because I don’t know yet, either,” he added further.

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Also, the fact that the #45 driver Tyler Reddick associated his victory at COTA with the one-on-one session with Leahy and praised the sim racer post the race speaks volumes. Even though Reddick tasted success at COTA, his performance in Richmond was far from ideal. Additionally, with Wallace not being able to race to the best of his abilities, Leahy’s promotion will certainly have a major impact.

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With the team in distress, Keegan Leahy’s arrival will certainly help Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick

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With his co-owner in the race and his team gearing up for a promising race, Michael Jordan had to be a part of the race in Richmond! Unfortunately for the basketball legend, things did not work out for his team.

The race at Richmond wasn’t the best for the team as Reddick and Wallace could only manage 16th- and 22nd-spot finishes. Michael Jordan watched in exasperation as even the pit crew had a tough time along with the drivers.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace’s Netflix sensation nominated for sporting productions’ greatest honor after leaving a lasting impact on NASCAR fans. 

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Now, with Keegan Leahy’s arrival, 23Xl Racing is certainly looking to up its game. Let’s see if his inputs prove beneficial for the team in the next race at Martinsville Speedway.

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Written by

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Kishore R

1,147 Articles

Kishore is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. He actively covers live events and does detailed race analyses, helping fans understand the very nitty gritties of the sport. Using the right mix of storytelling and game expertise, Kishore can take his readers on a journey to see how a particular race was for some of their most loved drivers, like Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. As an engineering undergrad, who has always had an affinity for powerful cars, it was easy for Kishore to resonate with the technical side of NASCAR and become a journalist for the sport.

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Nischal Kandpal

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