With the right mindset, Bubba Wallace found treasure. For the past few seasons, the 23XI Racing driver has been known for his moody complaints and heated rivalries. All the time, fans doubted his racing prowess. But he proved them all wrong with his revamped optimism in 2025. That approach led him to fend off Kyle Larson’s fierce charges on Sunday and clinch the prestigious Brickyard 400 victory. However, this was also the result of Denny Hamlin’s efforts.

The 23XI Racing co-owner finished in third place in Indianapolis, but diverted all his attention to his team’s glory. From showing the thumbs-up to Wallace on the cool-down lap to kissing the bricks with him, Denny Hamlin participated in the celebration. That is because it was an impact of his vision.

Denny Hamlin set the tone a long time ago

For a team like 23XI Racing, which is battling countless storms at present, a resilient team vision is essential. Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s Cup Series team is embroiled in a NASCAR lawsuit and lost its charter security barely a week ago. With the dread of losing sponsors and even their own drivers amidst a financial mess, 23XI thrives on strong team ideals. Those were set a long time ago by Denny Hamlin. Back in 2020, when 23XI entered into a fresh alliance with Toyota and started off with Bubba Wallace as its lone driver, the team was in its skeletal phase. But it acquired its blood and bones via Hamlin’s vision – to be a consistent race-winning and championship-contending team by 2025.

Standing in 2025, that vision is taking wings. Bubba Wallace brought home the Brickyard 400 trophy and propelled 23XI into the 2025 playoffs. Now, the team has a legitimate chance of getting two cars into the championship run. That is why 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta hailed Denny Hamlin‘s goals set in 2020, as that ultimately saw reality. He said in a recent Sirius XM NASCAR interview: “We talk about the 5-year plan that Denny set out. And we’re here 5 years in 23XI. It’s just a great feeling to get that life on the bubble…Knowing that we’re in the playoffs, we could focus forward.”

Besides working on the 5-year goal, 23XI Racing’s 2024 off-season changes also paid off. Denny Hamlin roped in Charles Denike, a Craftsman Truck Series crew chief and a military veteran, to be Bubba Wallace’s new crew chief. Denike taking Bootie Barker’s shoes in the No. 23 team was ultimately the right call, as Lauletta said: “I think they’ve been running really well all year. So nobody was ever losing faith that this was what the end result was going to be, that they were gonna make it to victory lane. I think Dave Rogers, our competition lead, worked super hard – the transition from Bootie, finding Charles Denike in the Truck Series, and getting him and Bubba together. So it shows that, that was the right move.”

What is more, Bubba Wallace’s victory fell into place with a happening weekend for 23XI.

Amplifying its brand presence 

Given the NASCAR lawsuit, 23XI Racing needs every possible help. Running open cars every weekend has cut down its access to the financial purses of a chartered car. Hence, Denny Hamlin’s team held its first Intersect event on July 25th. Presented by Xfinity, the event was a brand platform where racing connected with car culture, fashion, and music. Being the brainchild of the team’s vice president, Jamie Ruiz, it was the result of 6 months’ worth of planning. It featured Fever player Makayla Timpson and 23XI’s major partners like Xfinity, McDonald’s, Monster Energy, Logitech, and the Air Force. All three 23XI drivers showed off their athletic prowess in a game of knockout.

This event was a huge success, as over 1,900 people registered and automatically got tickets for the Brickyard 400. All those fans received a double treat, as Bubba Wallace won that race. Jamie Ruiz reflected on the jam-packed weekend recently: “As we continue to talk about ‘How do we evolve the brand and constantly show up in new ways,’ it started with Bubba’s idea of Bubba’s Block Party with a NASCAR-owned initiative of how are we reaching new fans, in the community, doing things that are organic. We wanted to move that over to a 23XI-led innovation. That way, we could integrate all of our partners, all of our drivers. And it wasn’t going to be limited to just Bubba.”

Clearly, the 23XI Racing ruled over the Indianapolis weekend. Let us wait and see where Denny Hamlin’s vision propels the team next.