"We’re just going to keep pushing" - 23XI Racing Insider remains modest regarding Denny Hamlin's five-year plan
Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan co-owned 23XI Racing recently achieved a major milestone ahead of schedule. With Tyler Reddick's Homestead win, the team will now be in contention for a Cup championship, only a handful of years after coming into existence.
When the team was formally put together by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan at the start of 2021, they had a five-year plan in which they imagined their team becoming a championship-contending team.
And now that the goal has been achieved a year in advance of the plan, the team's Competition Director Dave Roger opened up on the journey so far for the 23XI team. Rogers said,
"There’s a lot of people that set goals out. I want to do this. They don’t give you what you need to complete those goals. Hats off to Michael and Denny and our ownership group for putting the tools in place to let us do this.We have a strong alliance with JGR. We have the best OEM with Toyota. We have a lot of great partners that help us."
He credited the team members at the team's new facility, "Airspeed," for doing "a really good job," and added that in order to be successful, the team needed a combination of resources and know-how regarding the use of those resources
Rogers further shared his thoughts on the five-year plan of Denny Hamlin as he said:
"I know Denny Hamlin had a five-year plan. Doesn’t always work like that, right? Even though we’re in the Final 4 at Phoenix this year, who knows what next year is going to bring. This is the best stockcar racers in the world, best teams in the world. It’s very competitive Everyone at Airspeed and 23XI are extremely hungry. We’re just going to keep pushing and see where we can go."
"I have a ton of ton of respect and excitement for 23XI" Denny Hamlin-owned team's NASCAR rival
Even though 23XI Racing came into existence less than five years ago, the team has not only expanded its presence in the garage but also earned a lot of credibility and success. The team began as a one-car organization but soon added another car, and is strongly rumored to be expanding to a three-car organization in the near future.
Since the 2021 Daytona 500, the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin has won 8 races and 6 pole positions. Because of its growth and success, 23XI has earned the respect of its rivals. One such rival is Justin Marks of Trackhouse Racing, who said earlier this year,
"I have a ton of respect and excitement for 23XI — I think both of our teams approach the sport, our place in it, and how we want to operate, in a very similar way. It’s important in a time where live sports are so aggressively competing for market share, that there are teams like us and 23XI that are deeply engaging with culture in a way that transcends NASCAR."
2024 has certainly been the best season for 23XI Racing so far. The team has won three races, all coming via Tyler Reddick, and also won the NASCAR Regular Season Championship title. The team is also vying for the Cup Series Championship, with less than 2 weeks to go for the finale in Phoenix.