Great things can happen in three years, but only if you have the dynamic and strong individuals needed for it. Three-time Daytona winner Denny Hamlin and NBA stalwart Michael Jordan seeded the idea of a racing team in 2020. 23XI took root and was soon watered into a blooming enterprise flaunting 5 race wins in just 100 starts. 

And the smooth work culture within the 23XI office space was the cherry on top. Yet, it is to be mentioned how a strong leader directed all of it with a steady hand. Reddick recently hailed Denny Hamlin’s efforts in backing 23XI’s ventures like a strong pillar.

Denny Hamlin is acknowledged for his unparalleled efforts at 23XI

Investing $150 million in a new NASCAR Cup Series team is no joke. But Michael Jordan knew the team was in safe hands. Denny Hamlin may be known as the villain of NASCAR, but to his team workers, he is a charismatic individual with great guidance to offer. 

23XI No. 45 driver Tyler Reddick could not emphasize this enough in a recent conversation with Kevin Harvick. He did not shy away from lauding Hamlin’s leadership qualities on the Fox show, saying, “Yeah, he’s always sitting in the meetings, always giving his feedback on me or Bubba’s day. Or just kinda like how he thinks the race played out or just shedding the light in his opinion on who made the right calls or what strategy played out. When you’ve done as long as he has, and you know this, you just, I think you’ll look at it a little differently than maybe myself or Bubba would.”

Hamlin had also advised Reddick about his close shave in Las Vegas. “Maybe necessarily not so much after Phoenix, but like Vegas, and how I was racing Kyle and all that stuff, there’s a lot of tips he gave me there. I didn’t know if he was gonna give me grief about when we got together in turns 1 and 2, but we definitely didn’t get better as the race went on, and I think it’s some of the damage we got from that spin, kinda set back a little bit.”

Denny Hamlin and Jordan take pride in leading an amazing workplace. The 23XI team secured a spot on Sports Business Journal’s prestigious “Best Places to Work in Sports 2023” list. The camaraderie and collaborative spirit contributed to this achievement. The team recently unveiled its snazzy $16 million office space, Airspeed, to carry forward the positive stuff.

Denny Hamlin has been at the helm of the 23XI team ever since it saw the light of day in 2020.

Hamlin was prepared to be the leader from the get-go

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Good organizations thrive on great leaders. That is the mark Denny Hamlin intended to make on the 23XI team when it was in its nascent stages in 2020. Initially working out of the former Germain Racing workshop in Mooresville, the team has come a long way. Currently, the team boasts 29 top-5 finishes and 47 top-10 finishes, and Hamlin’s leadership is no less responsible.

Hamlin took inspiration from Joe Gibbs, as he said, “I’m going to be hands-on, I’ve seen the success my boss has had and how hard he works at it to be successful.” He added, “I want to be the guy that’s at the shop – just like Joe is – at 8 in the morning, calling sponsors, calling manufacturers, walking down and talking to employees and trying to figure out how we can make our race cars go faster.”

NASCAR’s villain may be a torchbearer to the motorsport’s most dynamic team ever. Denny Hamlin is truly an asset to the sport, and the drivers of his team acknowledge that time and again.

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