Denny Hamlin drops 4-word shoutout for 23XI Racing’s female employees on National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Denny Hamlin, a 54-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner recently shared an Instagram story to acknowledge the contribution of the female employees who work at 23XI Racing. He is the co-owner of the team alongside Basketball legend Michael Jordan and he shared a four-word message highlighting the celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) at the team's headquarters.

NGWSD, which saw its 39th celebration on February 5, 2025, highlights the significant role women and girls play in sports. It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts for gender equality in athletic spaces. Denny Hamlin shared the following message on his Instagram Story to show his appreciation for the female workforce:

"Great women of 23XI," he wrote on his IG Story.

Screengrab of Denny Hamlin's Instagram Story giving a shoutout to 23XI Racing's female employees.

While motorsport history has mostly been male-dominated, significant efforts have been made in the past decades to increase the diversity in motor racing. Hamlin, for one, has always supported the idea of successful female drivers in NASCAR. In a 2019 interview with Forbes, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver spoke about the impact of having drivers like Danica Patrick and Hailie Deegan in the sport.

"I think our sport is much better off with a successful female driver in NASCAR. Danica Patrick, even if she was not super successful results-wise, did a lot for our sport and its visibility. That was an element that fans really did appreciate, and it brought some awareness and different eyes to our sport," Hamlin was quoted as saying by Forbes.

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Denny Hamlin enters his most uncertain season in NASCAR

Denny Hamlin is unarguably one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR with 54 Cup Series wins to his name. However, unfortunately, that also comes with the tag of being the most successful driver without a Cup Series title to his name.

But winning the championship isn't the only concern he has at the moment as he prepares for the official start of the 2025 season in the Daytona 500. He is going through a difficult transition phase with his long-time crew chief being replaced with Chris Gayle and the lack of a primary sponsorship.

Hamlin's long-time primary sponsor, Fed Ex, announced late last year that they would end their partnership with Hamlin at the end of the 2024 season. While JGR has signed a few sponsors like the National Debt Relief for a set number of races in 2025, the No. 11 team still lacks a primary sponsor for the full season, which is something Hamlin has not faced in two decades.

He recently opened up about his sponsorship situation and reminded NASCAR that sponsorship money is not flowing in the sport like it used to.

"I mean, sponsorship’s hard to come by and certainly, it’s such an important time in our sport to recognize that sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to, for sure... But, certainly having one sponsor for 20 years made things pretty easy and now it’s all kind of catching up. Is it concerning from my end? Maybe a little bit. But it’s probably more concerning from JGR’s standpoint," Hamlin said (via NASCARONFOX).

Denny Hamlin will be back to race for a fourth victory at the Daytona International Speedway on February 16 in the first points-paying race of the season.