“I just know the resources that we’ve put in at 23XI and all of our drivers should win.” Denny Hamlin said these stern words just a month ago. 23XI Racing failed to win a race in the first half of the season for the first time since 2021. The pressure was especially high for Bubba Wallace, amidst a 100-race-long winless streak, but he got it done at the Brickyard, and Denny Hamlin took a lot of pride in his team’s performance.

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, wheels the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. The veteran delivered a fantastic third-place finish despite his wreck-riddled qualifier for the Brickyard 400 that sent him to the rear of the field. However, that meant little in the face of his team’s glory, and Hamlin explained why.

Denny Hamlin reveals the grind behind the glory

Back in 2020, Denny Hamlin joined hands with NBA legend Michael Jordan to form 23XI Racing. What they embarked on was not only a NASCAR Cup Series legacy but also a rollercoaster ride of challenges. From maintaining a winning culture on the team to waging a legal battle against NASCAR, Hamlin’s team has faced a lot. But their predicament probably fell to rock bottom in recent weeks.

23XI Racing lost its charter status according to a court hearing amidst the NASCAR lawsuit. That meant an added workload to make sure both the No. 23 and No. 45 Toyotas have sponsors each race weekend, as the payouts for each race significantly reduced without charter status. Amidst all this strife, Bubba Wallace managed to take home the crown jewel, Brickyard 400, a race Denny Hamlin has never won in his career so far!

Wallace snapped his 100-race winless streak, as the last victory came at Kansas Speedway in September 2022. In doing so, he appeased his team owner, Denny Hamlin’s concerns. However, it was as much a victory for Hamlin as it was for Wallace. The 58-time Cup race winner kissed the Indianapolis bricks with Wallace for that reason. Hamlin said post-race: “I’ll take every opportunity I can. When those guys go out there and get trophies, I make sure I get my own, treat it as my own.” He explained further, “I can assure you, it’s much harder to win as a team owner than it is as a driver.”

Being a team owner involves dumping a significant amount of money, time, and resources into an entire organization. Hamlin has spoken at length in the past of the financial strain that being a team owner can have, especially having to run as an open team in recent weeks. So, for Denny, this Brickyard triumph for 23XI Racing was arguably more special than a win as a driver.

Denny Hamlin drew a contrast between his role at JGR and 23XI Racing. Hamlin explained: “Joe Gibbs, that whole team, they do all the work. All I have to do out here each weekend is drive it to the best of my ability. I gotta send them in the right direction to make the car go faster. Building a team from scratch is a huge undertaking. And so… you feel more gratification because I had my hand in every little piece of that race team. From the branding, sponsorship, to the competition, to the everything.”

Evidently, Bubba Wallace brought Denny Hamlin more joy in Indianapolis than the latter could express. However, Hamlin is also glad about how his JGR season is unfolding as a driver.

Counting more wins together

Since 2006, Denny Hamlin has stuck to one team. And even after two long decades, Hamlin is hardly at the end of his winning streak for Joe Gibbs Racing. The No. 11 driver fetched his 58th Cup Series win at Dover Motor Speedway, which also made him the season leader in terms of race wins (four). Hamlin came dangerously close to fetching his fifth win of 2025 in Indianapolis. The way he performed was jaw-dropping, as Hamlin crashed in Turn 2 during qualifying for the Brickyard 400. Hamlin started from the rear of the Cup Series starting grid in a backup car. Despite these hurdles, he rocketed through the field to clinch a solid 3rd-place finish.

With Denny Hamlin displaying his potential every weekend, his contract renewal on Friday made more sense. He signed a multi-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing and could not be happier. He said, “I would say it’s kind of a two-fold thing. Some of it is my self-motivating, right? I have goals I’d like to reach in the Cup Series and a really strong relationship with Joe, and doing it for them and their family as well, to keep going. Then, obviously, the ability to win week in, week out, that certainly is a high motivating factor in wanting to do this. I think about on a weekly basis, would I want to do this if I didn’t have the ability or couldn’t win as much? It probably would not.”

Clearly, Denny Hamlin is satisfied both as a driver and as a team owner. But the latter role probably received a magnificent boost with Bubba Wallace’s victory, and we cannot wait for 23XI Racing to win more this season. What did you think of 23XI’s maiden victory for 2025? Let us know in the comments!