Michael Jordan's Talladega celebrations have Denny Hamlin claiming 23XI Racing is “very important” for NASCAR
Denny Hamlin believes Michael Jordan's celebrations getting attention beyond NASCAR is good for the sport. Jordan celebrating Tyler Reddick's win was one of the highlights from the recent NASCAR Cup race at Talladega.
This was the first time that Jordan was present for a 23XI Racing win at the racetrack and his celebrations attracted a lot of attention across media. It was regarding this that Hamlin was asked in a post-race press conference whether he believes Jordan's celebrations getting a lot of attention is a good thing for NASCAR considering his fame and his brand value.
As per Speedway Digest, Hamlin said:
"Yeah, 23XI is very important to this sport, absolutely. If we could get everyone to see that as much as we do (laughing). It is. It’s good for everything you can imagine. You’re talking sponsorship, your manufacturers, your team morale. It’s just so good, and it is in so many different ways".
"Certainly you like to have more of these opportunities happen more and more often because they’re all of equal importance, and they all make you feel just as good. You definitely want to savor them."
Michael Jordan likens Talladega race to an NBA playoff game
The former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, who's been part of many high-intensity basketball games, compared his experience of winning at Talladega to an NBA playoff game.
During a post-race interview, Jordan said:
"This, to me, is like an NBA playoff game. I am so ecstatic, obviously for the fans who support the sport itself. And we’ve been working hard, trying to get ourselves up to compete against all the top guys in this sport. But we’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are. And for us to win a big race like this, I mean, it means so much to me and for the effort that the team has done".
Jordan praised Tyler Reddick for doing 'a good job' in taking the checkered flag. He also lamented Bubba Wallace's DNF result.
However, overall, Jordan was happy with his team for doing what they did. And he was certainly happy to be in attendance to experience the moment.
It's also worth mentioning that Jordan's joy and happiness at winning the race was noticed by Reddick's crew chief Billy Scott who claimed Jordan is 'a study of the sport.' Scott revealed how Jordan watches every Truck race, every Xfinity race, and every Cup race to learn and understand the sport.
To the crew chief, this was 'impressive', and seeing the excitement on his boss' face was what he enjoyed.