Michael Jordan making a bigger impact on 23XI Racing

LAS VEGAS — According to Denny Hamlin, the increased participation of Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing with Hamlin, has had a significant impact. Jordan has had more time since selling his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets on August 3rd and has been attending various races in recent weeks.

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Hamlin had previously mentioned that Jordan had become more involved in marketing matters, but Hamlin now highlights Jordan’s increased presence in team meetings.

“I think he’s brought valuable insights into our meetings regarding mindset and individual team improvement,” said Hamlin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “With his extensive experience in team sports, he has heard things in meetings that he doesn’t like and encourages us to be self-reflective and focus on improvement. That has had a great impact on our team.”

Jordan, renowned for his six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and being named the second-greatest athlete of the 20th century by The Associated Press, is now sharing his knowledge and skills with the race team.

“He has been participating in more meetings,” Hamlin continued. “Most of the time, he listens attentively, but whenever he hears something he disagrees with, he emphasizes the importance of self-reflection.”

“For each finger pointing at someone, there are three pointing back at you. So it’s crucial to always consider what we can do better, and that’s great advice to live by,” Hamlin added.

This summer, both 23XI Racing teams struggled with execution. Tyler Reddick finished no better than 27th, while Bubba Wallace finished no better than 15th in a five-race stretch during June and July. However, they both made the playoffs and reached the Round of 12. Reddick advanced to the Round of 8, but Wallace was eliminated at the Charlotte Roval last weekend.

In Sunday’s race at Las Vegas, Wallace will start in 7th place, while Reddick will start in 8th place.

Their success in the playoffs is attributed to more consistent efforts, particularly from Reddick’s team. Reddick won at Kansas, finished second at Darlington, and placed sixth at the Roval.

“As soon as the playoffs began, everyone was focused and prepared, and we have been performing well ever since,” said Reddick. “The first two races were particularly strong for us, and although Texas and Talladega didn’t go as planned, we managed the issues we had. We learned from our mistakes throughout the summer and now find ourselves in a good position.”