What started as a laugh between friends turned into one of the most dominant teams in NASCAR.
23XI Racing is off to their best start in the team’s short history, with driver of the #45 car Tyler Reddick winning 4 races already and leading the points standings, while Bubba Wallace and the #23 team came into the latest race 3rd in the points standings before getting caught up in a wreck (well, technically he caused it) at Martinsville Speedway that dropped him 8 spots back to 11th.
The hot start comes after the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin struggled last year amidst their ongoing lawsuit against the sport’s sanctioning body and the uncertainty it threw into the 23XI’s future. But with the lawsuit settled in the offseason and the team’s long-term stability secured, it’s clear that 23XI Racing is making a push to be one of the top teams in the sport.
Ironically though, the team started as just a fake internet rumor.
Back in 2020, rumors were swirling that Jordan was interested in acquiring Richard Petty Motorsports, which is the team that Wallace was driving for at the time. But Jordan denied any interest in owning a Cup Series team:
“I love being a fan. I still understand the sport, but in terms of ownership, I think I’m just gonna sit back and watch it and support from afar.”
Things changed, though, when another fake story popped up involving Jordan and his friend Hamlin partnering to start a team.
During an interview with CBS Mornings, Hamlin says that he sent that article to Jordan so they could have a laugh about it – but instead of a laugh, it gave MJ an idea:
“I’ll never forget. I saw an article that wasn’t true. Says, ‘Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are lookin’ to purchase a NASCAR team.’ I saw the article, sent it to him. He says, ‘Not real, but if you want to make it real let me know.'”
Of course that rumor – that was fake at the time – ended up becoming a reality, and in 2021 the team made their debut with Wallace behind the wheel of the #23 car.
The team saw some early success, with Wallace winning his first career Cup Series race in 23XI’s first year in the sport, after struggling during his 3 years with Richard Petty Motorsports. And while they’ve had continued success as they expanded to add Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst to their driver lineup, it seems that this year 23XI has cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the sport, even competing with perennial powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing (with whom 23XI has a technical alliance) to be the top Toyota team in the field.
It’s no surprise that two competitive guys like Jordan and Hamlin have managed to find themselves at the top of their game as team owners. There’s no doubt that neither of the team’s owners would settle for any less, and it’s clear that the expectation is to compete for – and win – championships.
But just a few years ago, the team was nothing more than a fake rumor being spread online.
Gotta think whoever started that one feels pretty good about their work.
