NASCAR veteran convinced of Michael Jordan’s role in Denny Hamlin “looking good” at awards ceremony

NASCAR wrapped up their 2024 season and held the award ceremony on Sunday (Nov. 24), and among other drivers, Denny Hamlin caught NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace's attention. Wallace recently talked about this on his short podcast series "Coffee with Kenny" and shared it on his X account, giving Hamlin a special tag.

The former NASCAR Cup Series driver gave Hamlin and his wife Jordan Fish the 'most bougie couple' of the ceremony. He said that he asked a lot of drivers what they were wearing, and most of them wore Stich by Mitch. But Hamlin's attire caught Wallace's eye, and jokingly, the NASCAR veteran gave Michael Jordan credit for influencing Hamlin's style.

Jordan and Hamlin both co-own the 23XI Racing and have been business partners since 2021. The duo often spend time together, and Wallace highlighted that the former NBA legend's style has influenced the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's clothing style. Reflecting on their friendship beyond business, the former Cup Series driver said:

"You know Denny, he's always looking good. And I'm convinced that Michael Jordan got him looking good with all the tennis shoes and everything." [03:40]

Apart from Denny Hamlin and Jordan Fish, the NASCAR veteran gave the former Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney and his fiancé Gianna Tulio the 'most bougie couple' award. Moving from fashion to racing, Hamlin was "shocked" after JGR's new decision.

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JGR's decision for the 2025 season caught Denny Hamlin off guard and "shocked" him

On Friday, Joe Gibbs Racing announced a new crew chief for Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota Camry for the upcoming 2025 season. The team has decided to appoint Chris Gayle as Hamlin's new crew chief, replacing Chris Gabehart. JGR has promoted #11 Toyota's former crew chief to competition director.

The team owner, Joe Gibbs, decided after all four drivers failed to land a spot in the Championship Four race despite being in the playoff race and stated that these changes would prove beneficial for the team in the 2025 season. The Virginia native was caught off-guard by this decision and said:

"I mean, I, I certainly was shocked by it. That's all," Hamlin told Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. "There's they've gotta, they gotta do what's best for the company. And I think that they're looking for an improvement on performance on the 54 and they're looking for an overall performance for all the teams. Because, you know, we certainly hadn't won the amount of races as an organization as what we should have." [00:17]

The team finished fifth in the team standings after Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Jr. failed to clinch a title in the final race of the season at Phoenix Raceway held on November 10, 2024.