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Denny Hamlin was at the dentist getting his teeth cleaned Tuesday. It wasn’t nearly as painful as listening to the struggles of his new 23XI Racing team.
“It might have been the most painful hour possibly in my life,” said Hamlin, who listened to his No. 23 team’s weekly debrief while he was at the dentist. “It was a learning process.”
Also Read: Michael Jordan "hooked" on NASCAR
Hamlin is the co-owner of 23XI along with NBA legend Michael Jordan. The team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut this season with driver Bubba Wallace.
Though the team’s No. 23 was fast in the Daytona 500, Wallace was involved in a late crash and finished 17th. He struggled on the Daytona Road Course last week, finishing 26th and is 13th in points after two races.
Also Read: Bubba Wallace could surprise in 2021
Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, leads the Cup standings after starting the season with two top-five finishes for Joe Gibbs Racing. He said he expected his other team, 23XI, to get off to a slow start.
“The 23 team is still just a learning in progress,” he said. “I think they know what their weaknesses are. They’ve got to go work on it, but they are going to get better.”
23XI has a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Denny Hamlin tries to help the team he co-owns as much as he can.
“I think that Bubba recognizes he’s got a very fast car,” Denny Hamlin said. “All of the JGR cars were up front this past weekend. He knows he’s got a lot of work to do on himself on the road courses. I think that he’s very much looking forward to going to Homestead this weekend to see how he stacks up on the mile-and-a-halves.”
Denny Hamlin wants to expand 23XI Racing
Denny Hamlin says he and Michael Jordan would like to expand to a two-car team as soon as possible. Having a multi-car team would give the Toyota organization more resources and information to work with.
“I think that the quicker that we expand, the more resources we will have as a race team to get better, the better people we can hire,” Denny Hamlin said. “Everything gets better the more information that you can throw into the pot.”
The team won’t expand, however, until it has the sponsorship to back a second team. Wallace’s No. 23 car is fully funded this season.
“When it makes sense for us is when it makes financial sense for us,” Hamlin said. “It’s about getting a sponsor, a driver and a crew chief first. Those three things all have to line up, and then you have to try to find a charter. There’s a lot of obstacles that are in the way of it happening, but certainly, we feel like we are active in the space. We are trying to be the team that Toyota feels like they have a place for their young guys to go or maybe we go after an established veteran who’s got a great resume.”
