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Sep 27, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) races for position along side driver Bubba Wallace (43) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | Reuters
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Sep 27, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) races for position along side driver Bubba Wallace (43) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | Reuters
There is still a lot of excitement around the news of a NASCAR Cup Series team owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin with Bubba Wallace as the driver. However, the excitement will soon need to be converted into systematic planning and execution for the road ahead.
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A very important step is onboarding a manufacturer partner. In all probability, Toyota might join the new team as they are in search of a new team to collaborate with since Leavine Family Racing (LFR) has left NASCAR. LFR was an affiliate of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Hamlin’s current team.
It is expected that Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota will together provide new cars for the new team. Leading NASCAR pundit David Smith explains why the collaboration is not just good but crucial for the new team.
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Aug 16, 2020; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (43) wrecks his car in turn one during the Go Bowling 235 Road Course at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports | Credit: Reuters
How will this help Bubba Wallace and the team?
“The next step is selecting a manufacturer partner and potentially finding a technical alliance. It makes far too much sense for this to be a Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing affiliate. It’s not official yet. But it is vital because coming in 2022 is a brand new race car,” Smith said on the ‘Positive Regression’ podcast.
Bubba Wallace is already exceeding expectations with the current equipment he has. With the involvement of JGR along with Toyota, he will have a strong engine in the ‘Next Gen’ era.
Smith also raised a very interesting point. With the Next Gen car coming in 2022, all the cars and inventory built next year will eventually not matter once 2021 ends. That is where the alliance will come into the picture for the long-term. It also helps them for the next season.
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Sep 27, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) leads driver Joey Logano (22) and driver Kyle Busch (18) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | Reuters
Focus on the bigger picture
“This Michael Jordan team, the last thing it needs is to put a heavy focus on inventory that is just scrap towards the end of next year,” Smith said. “An alliance with a pre-existing team that is making its own cars is crucial for both next season and to help this new team forge some sustainability going into 2022,” he added.
Jordan himself said that the next step is to form technical alliances. He said they are already in talks with JGR to get data from them.
As per the current scenario and Hamlin’s long-term involvement, it seems like a matter of time before Joe Gibbs Racing comes on board as a partner.
Read more – Kurt Busch Believes Bubba Wallace Will Not Win a NASCAR race in 2021 With His New Team
