Long time Rick Hendrick’s HMS member joins Billionaire Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team as pit crew coach 

Jon Carvin, a longtime member of Rick Hendrick’s Hendrick Motorsports, has joined $3.6B worth Michael Jordan’s (according to Celebrity Net Worth) 23XI Racing team as a pit crew coach. This move, first reported by Bozi Tatarevic, a writer for Road and Track, was shared on X.

23XI Racing has taken a different route in assembling its pit crew, stepping away from relying on Joe Gibbs Racing. Instead, they’re building their own in-house crew. Reporting this change for the 2025 season, Tatarevic wrote on X,

"Looks like @23XIRacing has hired @JonCarvin as a pit crew coach based on the Martinsville roster. Carvin was previously head pit crew coach at @TeamHendrick where he spent almost a decade after coming to NASCAR from coaching football."

Last year, 23XI Racing’s pit crew struggled with consistency. Hamlin made it clear that this year, experience matters more than ever. The team brought in veteran members from top-tier organizations like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Richard Childress Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing to strengthen the roster.

Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick’s pit crews now feature fresh lineups. Wallace’s crew includes Austin Dickey, Adam Hartman, Brad Donaghy, Jordan Paige, and Josh Pech. Reddick’s crew, on the other hand, features Houston Stamper, Brian Bottlemy, Wade Moore, Nathan Ricketts, and Brian Dheel. Most of these members weren’t with 23XI Racing last year.

The team is also testing a newer, faster pit stop style. In this setup, the right-side front changer moves to the rear left tire, while the rear changer shifts to the left front. This approach trims seconds off stops — but any misstep could cost valuable track position.

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Rick Hendrick interest in racing, and going beyond NASCAR

In 2017, Linda Hendrick, wife of Rick Hendrick talked about their life together on the Hendrick Motorsports website. She recalled that early in their relationship, she didn’t even know her husband loved racing.

“Obviously, it didn’t take long to find out his passion for cars, and how much he loved the speed and competition,” she wrote. “He would race anything that you gave him. But it began as a hobby.”

Rick Hendrick started as a drag racer before competing in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series. He later got into entrepreneurship and founded Hendrick Motorsports and co-owned JR Motorsports. He also owns the Hendrick Automotive Group, one of the largest private car dealership chains in the U.S.

At 75, Hendrick often attends races and events with Linda, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2017, where she talked about their journey.

“To think that we could even afford to be in the business of racing was the furthest thing from our minds,” she said.

Recently, Rick Hendrick also partnered with McLaren Racing, supporting driver Kyle Larson’s effort to complete “The Double” — racing the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. In a press conference alongside McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Hendrick described the collaboration as “amazing.”

“I never thought I’d have an entry in the Indy 500 in my life,” Hendrick admitted. “It’s been amazing to see a car be able to qualify in the top five; (I was) nervous as I’ve ever been watching qualifying.” (Indycar news conference)

He added that watching Larson push the car to its limits at 241 mph was nerve-wracking. In his own words,

“I knew Kyle was going to push it, so I just wanted to get it over with.” (Indycar news conference)

This partnership with McLaren further expands Hendrick’s works outside of NASCAR. With Jon Carvin joining Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, bringing a decade of Rick Hendrick’s expertise with him, the team seems to be ready for serious competition. Next up for the team is the race at Martinesville, the Cook Out 400.