"He found a route that was way easier than mine" - Denny Hamlin candidly admits he is jealous of Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan are the masters behind the existence of the 23XI Racing team. The two launched the team in the fall of 2020 and went ahead and made their Cup Series debut at the start of the 2021 season. While Hamlin partnered with Jordan, entrepreneur Justin Marks, on the other hand, partnered with celebrated entertainer Pitbull to launch the Trackhouse Racing team.

Hamlin’s 23XI Racing and Justin’s Trackhouse Racing made their Cup Series debuts simultaneously. Hamlin’s team kicked off the season with Bubba Wallace Jr. as their first driver, while Justin’s team tried their shot with Daniel Suarez.

Both teams have been successful in their capacity, but this season Trackhouse is among the top teams with the most wins, and Denny Hamlin has openly admitted he’s jealous of his fellow team co-owners. The conversation between the two teams came after his recent announcement to sign Tyler Reddick.

Since the announcement, Hamlin has had several media interactions with different media platforms, including Twitter Racing Spaces. He brought up Marks' conversation and admitted he was jealous of him because they began this journey together yet Marks took a more leisurely route than his.

In his statement, the Joe Gibbs’ Racing driver said:

“It’s so difficult because me and Justin came into the sport at the same time, right, and like I’m so jealous of Justin because he found a route that was way easier than mine, and I wish I had that opportunity. We both went to the grocery store thinking we wanted pizza. We both wanted pizza, right, and we were shopping, and Justin found the perfect frozen pizza that he wanted. He cooked it. He’s eating it, and he’s loving it. And it tastes amazing, and he’s doing really, really well with it.”

While explaining the difference between the two teams with an analogy of making a pizza, Hamlin cited that he wants to make a pizza with his ingredients. The #11 Toyota driver also admitted that making that pizza, which in this case is the team, will take a long time, and he might screw up in the process, but in the end, it will be delicious.

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Denny Hamlin plays an essential role in the growth of 23XI Racing team

Starting a racing team and racing for another team is not easy and Denny Hamlin has been trying hard to fit in both shoes. Despite the team having a president, Hamlin still plays a crucial role in the team's growth.

The team performed excellently in the first season, scoring its first win at Talladega Speedway, and before the kickoff of the 2022 season, the team added another charter. With an additional car in their workshop, Hamlin had a tricky assignment to get a qualified driver. He delivered and brought Kurt Busch on board, who came with the team’s second victory after winning the Kansas race.

Denny Hamlin and his team recently announced Tyler Reddick as their latest signee, with his contract taking effect in 2024. Despite announcing the move to sign Reddick, Hamlin never disclosed whether they would be adding another charter or whether they would remain with the two charters.