"I've been a competitive a****** for 20 years" - Denny Hamlin denies Michael Jordan's influence on his competitive nature

Denny Hamlin recently talked about the source of his determination. The JGR driver denied Michael Jordan's involvement in making him more competitive.

In his recent interview with the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said he has been competitive for the last 20 years and that his alliance with Jordan did not increase the motivation and aggression within him.

Hamlin said:

"I believe that I've been a competitive a****** for 20 years. I've been this way for all I can remember. I remember my grandmother used to have to just settle me down if I didn't win in putt putt (computer puzzle games), I mean, interestingly, I say putt putt because we did it with the barstool guys this weekend, I just have been this a******."

Hamlin competed for over two decades in the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series. His first races in the first two categories were in 2004, and in the Cup Series in 2005.

In the Cup Series, Hamlin has 665 races under his belt, where he has claimed 54 wins, 42 pole positions, and 348 top 10s. In Xfinity, he has raced 164 times and taken 18 wins, 21 poles, and 101 top 10s. In the Truck Series, the numbers are 16 races, two wins, one pole, and 10 top 10's.

As of 2024, Hamlin has three wins in 20 races and is placed fourth. Besides this, he also has seven top five's, eight top 10s, and four-stage wins. Hamlin led 720 laps this season and amassed 629 points.

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How did Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan tie up?

Jun 30, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) races during the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Denny Hamlin owns the NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing together with Michael Jordan. The team was named after Jordan and Hamlin's numbers of choice, which are 23 and 11. It was formed in 2020, and around this time, the duo began to work together in NASCAR.

Hamlin once opened up about how he tied up with Jordan to form the racing team. Speaking about this in the Pretty Intense podcast with Danica Patrick, he said:

"Honestly, I got down to Richard Petty Motorsports, and that was a team I was looking to buy a minority stake in. But ultimately, I found that I wasn’t gonna get the control that I needed. The autonomy to really run it the way that I thought it needed to be run. So I’m like this isn’t the right fit for me either.”

Hamlin and Jordan recently unveiled 23XI Racing's new headquarters, Airspeed. It is a state-of-the-art facility that spans over 114,000 square feet. The facility has a dedicated '23' room and an '11' room, which houses helmets, trophies, fire suits, and basketball shoes.