“It puts a lot of pressure on me”: Denny Hamlin touches on ‘too paranoid’ aspect of Michael Jordan’s role in 23XI Racing

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with NBA Hall of Famer and legend Michael Jordan. Amid the charter controversy, 23XI Racing joined hands with Front Row Motorsports and filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and Jim France. Recently, Hamlin expressed his feelings about being a team owner with Michael Jordan amidst their lawsuit.

Hamlin pilots the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, competing full-time in the Cup Series. In his NASCAR career, he has secured 74 race wins, of which 54 have been in the Cup Series. However, the Virginia native is yet to be the proud winner of the Cup Series title, despite his consistent success.

Being in partnership with a sports icon like Michael Jordan, during such delicate times for 23XI, has been a little overwhelming for Hamlin. Giving a little insight into Jordan's thoughts regarding the antitrust lawsuit, he said:

"If anything, he's more paranoid about getting too in-depth with the team," Hamlin said. "But we try to tell him, it's well worth it, and his involvement is a big part of why our employees love working for someone like him." Hamlin said, via ESPN.

Moreover, while Hamlin does feel the pressure of making a lot of tough decisions, he expresses his appreciation for Jordan's 'I ride with you' attitude.

"You'd think he'd be very controlling, but he's not. He really, really trusts me, and every move I want to make, he lets me do it. Even if he doesn't think that it's the right move. He says all the time, 'I ride 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 that I do because I know I'm representing a huge brand, a huge athlete and someone special in the world we live in. I want to live up to the winning mentality that he's had his whole life." he added

While the charter controversy continues, Denny Hamlin has to divert his focus on the 2024 playoffs, where he is competing for his first title. He is currently 30 points above the Round of 8 cut-off line, only four ahead of HMS driver Alex Bowman.

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Denny Hamlin calls for solidarity amid 23XI Racing's lawsuit against NASCAR

Several drivers on the grid have shared their opinion on the 23XI/FRM lawsuit against NASCAR, however, Denny Hamlin believes that they should take a stand with 23XI and Front Row, as the lawsuit has the potential to change the landscape for everybody.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said:

"All those guys spoke about it a little bit when asked, and why the drivers should care is because when the teams are healthy, we are going to pay more for their services. That's just normal protocol. And you've seen that over time that driver salaries have gone down,"

"Everyone in our sport has gone down except for one party. And that's the party that's on the other end of this lawsuit. Everyone should care," he added.

However, no other team besides 23XI and Front Row has taken a stand against NASCAR.