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Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing is in its infancy and won’t put a car on the track until February. Darrell Wallace Jr., known in racing circles as Bubba, will be its lone driver in the team’s inaugural season as it gets its feet wet in the top level of stock car racing. Fully funded, the Wallace car won’t have many open sponsorship spaces.
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So wouldn’t it be fun to look past 2021 and see what 23XI will look like in its sophomore campaign?
Jordan’s minority partner is Denny Hamlin, but he is a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. No matter how small, being an owner for one team while competing with another isn’t exactly kosher unless ‘The Coach’ signs off on it. Gibbs probably thinks a startup, regardless of funding, won’t be an immediate threat to JGR.
Also Read: All about Michael Jordan's Kids
Another thing we know is Hamlin is a free agent after this season. It seems incomprehensible that the driving for one team and owning another will be tenable for him after Phoenix on Nov. 7th, even if he wins the championship.
Gibbs and Hamlin have, more than likely, talked about their future, together or apart. Had 23XI Racing not been formed, there would have been a contract extension already on the table. You don’t let a guy with 44 career victories, seven in the last year alone, get away.
Still a lot of racing in his future
Now 40-years old, Hamlin is not showing any signs of slowing down. His move to 23XI Racing is all but etched in stone and would probably have been made easier with FedEx tagging along to sponsor him. Joined at the hip, Hamlin and FedEx have been together since 2005. It would be a big blow to JGR but a big win for 23XI.
Now, if you have a two-car stable, why not three? How to get there could be a bit more challenging, but it is doable. The major stumbling block could be getting the driver to switch to Toyota, the car brand 23XI Racing will use. As this individual has been behind the wheel of a Chevrolet and a Dodge, moving on from Ford depends on his loyalty to the Blue Oval.
Brad Keselowski is another ‘brand name’ that is a free agent after 2021. It would be a significant coup for Jordan’s 23XI Racing if they can land another future Hall of Fame candidate, who will be three years younger than Hamlin when he turns 37 on Feb. 12. The kicker could be him bringing along Molson Coors Brewing Company, who owns Miller.
A match made in racing heaven?
It is worth considering that Hamlin and Keselowski's pairing brings instant credibility to a second-year team, not that Michael Jordon needs to show his chops in the business world. 23XI Racing is leading off with a one-car entry in 2021, and even with an alliance with JGR and Toyota, there is no guarantee of success.
There is so much technical information JGR would be willing to share. There is more gained if they can keep technological advancements in-house and a three-car team helps that initiative.
Drivers like Hamlin and Keselowski don’t hit free agency at the same time. They are proven winners and that will rub off on Bubba Wallace. The Mobile, AL, native is just 27 years old and has never had the kind of backing he will enjoy with 23XI Racing, sponsors notwithstanding.
He is 112 races into his Cup Series career and has yet to collect his first checkered flag. There is no doubt Jordan and Hamlin think his best days are ahead of him; that is why they inked him to a long-term deal.
If it happens, 23XI Racing will join the big boys
Just for grins and giggles, should 23XI pull off the coup of the year, it creates a potential super team like JGR, Stewart-Haas, Chip Ganassi, Hendrick, Childress, and Penske.
Even better, if Hamlin and Keselowski cannot get their long-time sponsors to follow them, the Jordan Brand is multi-faceted, and many companies would be clamoring to jump on board. There is a certain irony to that because some teams struggle to find anyone who can help them pay the bills.
While this is all speculative, of course, Michael Jordan isn’t getting into NASCAR just to be an owner of color. He hates to lose, which he will have to get used to no matter how successful the team could be.
An example would be Hamlin’s seven wins in 36 races. That’s less than twenty-percent. As a player, Jordan’s teams won at a clip of nearly 70-percent. When you’re used to hanging Ws on opponents, NASCAR can appear very cruel.
So if anyone thinks Michael Jordan and 23XI Racing will stay a single-car organization, think again. Hamlin is a virtual lock to be in his car in 2022. How far he wants to go after that will be debated until we know more.
But it's nice to think about what might be. Right?
