by All Denny Hamlin needed to learn patience was to become a NASCAR team owner.
He admits that he used to be someone who made a decision and just went with it. A knee-jerk reaction type personality.
“But that definitely taught me to see all sides first,” Hamlin told ESPN. “Whatever it may be, whatever issue may arise, I feel like I’m more methodical when I think about all sides before making a decision. I think it taught me patience more than anything.”
There is no bigger problem that will solve Hamlin or test his patience than the 2025 charter agreement. The 23XI Racing team, which Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan, did not feel this was a fair deal for the teams, which is why neither Front Row Motorsports signed the agreement before the September 6th deadline and both jointly filed an antitrust lawsuit against the series last week.
The lawsuit not only concerns the financial data of the charter agreement, but also accuses NASCAR of unlawful monopolization. The lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France alleges that the sport’s leadership used anticompetitive practices to prevent fair competition. Hamlin, Jordan and 23XI say they are fighting for a fair market that benefits those who participate in the sport – drivers, teams, sponsors and fans.
It has been two years of NASCAR and the teams trying to negotiate a new deal, and the teams have been adamant that they need more financial stability to survive. As its lawsuit shows, 23XI says the new agreement does not represent a sufficient return on investment.
“In my opinion, it’s actually pretty simple,” Hamlin said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed. “When I look around, I see that the best and most powerful sports in the world understand that when teams are successful, the fans benefit and that everyone who invests in the success of the sport should share equitably in that success. With the right changes, we can definitely make this happen in racing.”
Now that the lawsuit is public, Hamlin doesn’t see it as a distraction from his goals on the right track. A day before his start last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, the first race since the lawsuit made headlines, Hamlin confidently declared that the Joe Gibbs Racing team he drives for would never say he showed up unprepared or unfocused and that the appropriate parties would take care of the lawsuit now that it is no longer something that is taking place in secret.
Considering how much goes into owning and running a race team, not to mention the dedication it takes to be a driver, there are times when Hamlin feels like the four years have passed since 23XI’s founding passed in a flash. In other cases, it feels as long as the 1,481 days that have passed since the team was founded.
Hamlin has one of the most unique positions in sports. None of the cars he runs in the Cup Series are the ones he drives, creating a balancing act between his ownership commitments and ambitions and the ambitions he has for Gibbs’ No. 11 Toyota.
“In the beginning there were concerns from outside and maybe from within about how to balance the two, but it went pretty smoothly,” Hamlin said. “I balance the time well. When I’m not driving, I take up a lot of my free time. This time I’m concentrating entirely on 23XI. But I have such a big infrastructure there that I’m not too worried about it if I stay dark for a day or two.
Both organizations meet on Mondays. Wednesdays are the busiest days for overlap, as Hamlin attends back-to-back meetings at 23XI’s shiny new facility, Airspeed, before heading straight to the Gibbs shop for simulation work.
He believes his dual role proves to be a great advantage as it allows him to drive for a top organization and then transfer the knowledge he gained there to the organization he owns and is still growing. Add to that the driving playbook Hamlin has put together over his 20-year career that he can pass on to rising 23XI talents Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace and help them avoid the mistakes he made in NASCAR .
“I want them to succeed,” Hamlin said. “I firmly believe that I have two chances to win a championship [as a driver and as an owner]and both will make me really happy this year.”
Gibbs was the mentor Hamlin needed for this chapter of his life. After watching the way “Coach” operates for nearly two decades, Hamlin tries to adopt many of Gibbs’ ways. It is difficult, he admits, to put into words everything that comes with being an owner.
“But nothing really shocked me,” Hamlin said. “When [Gibbs] said to me right at the beginning: “What are you doing?” “You have too much on your plate anyway,” he was definitely right. I wouldn’t trade anything. It was really, really fun and when you get results like we did, those rewards seem worth it all.”
Gibbs and Hamlin’s approaches differed when it came to the charter agreement, although the latter has another giant of the stick-and-ball sports world on his side: Jordan. In addition to being business partners, Hamlin and Jordan are longtime friends, and the six-time NBA champion is a lifelong racing fan who is well versed in the inner workings of the business — so he doesn’t need to do much hand-holding. Jordan, on the other hand, likes information and, like Hamlin, has an office in the racing workshop.
There is a relaxed working dynamic between the two. Jordan is the type of guy who wants to see things on paper. What are the trends? Where are they going? What are you doing? It is not uncommon for Hamlin Jordan to express that any decisions that need to be made should not be influenced by his relationships.
“If anything, he’s more paranoid about getting too deep into the team,” Hamlin said. “But we try to tell him it’s worth it, and his dedication is one of the reasons our employees like working for someone like him.”
“You’d think he’d be very controlling, but he’s not. He really trusts me a lot and any move I want to make, he lets me do it. Even if he doesn’t think it’s the right one.” He keeps saying, “I’m going with you.” It puts a lot of pressure on me because I don’t want to let him down, and that’s why I put in the work, because I know that I represent a big brand, a big athlete and someone special in the world we live in. I want to live up to the winning mentality he had his whole life.”
The seven wins 23XI has earned in four seasons are satisfying, but Hamlin wants more. And since, as he says, the team isn’t going anywhere, there’s plenty of time for it to become as dominant as NASCAR’s most famous teams.
“I’m happy because I’m so proud and so ambitious,” Hamlin said. “If that had failed it would have been pretty tough for me and I want things to be done right and I feel like if I do them right I will be successful.” “If this isn’t a successful venture It would have been hard for me and probably put a bit of a strain on my driving, to be honest, but I think it gave me more confidence in both.”
