23XI Racing

23XI Racing History

23XI Racing is the newest team in the NASCAR Cup Series. It started operations in 2020 after the team was formed with a joint effort between basketball legend Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. The duo are close friends and they collaborated together to form the 23XI Racing team. The name 23XI Racing is derived from their liveries. 23 is the jersey number of Michael Jordan and 11 is the car no. which Jordan has raced throughout his career in the NASCAR Cup Series. 23XI Racing is in a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, which is also the team which Hamlin drives for.

23XI Racing started off by fielding one car in the 2021 Cup Series season. Bubba Wallace starred behind the wheel of the No.23 car, which went on to win its first race in the 2021 season at Talladega. The team gained a lot of success quickly after the introduction of their second car in the series. The no.45 car which was added in the 2022 season was initially driven by Kurt Busch. After his exit from the Cup Series, Ty Gibbs took on the wheel of the no.45 car. 23XI Racing announced in 2023 that it would no longer lease pit crews from Joe Gibbs Racing for Cup Series operations.

23XI Racing added Tyler Reddick to their roster in 2023. He immediately gave them their first playoffs entry in the sport claiming two wins throughout the season and ending up 6th on the driver standings. Reddick has won 2 races in the 2024 season and is currently leading the Regular season championship. The team has won 7 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, as of September 2024.

23XI Racing Owner

The team is jointly owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. Steve Lauletta was named as the team’s president in 2021, after their introduction to the NASCAR Cup Series.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is easily one of the most recognized players of basketball. He is considered by many as the greatest player in the history of the NBA. Jordan has guided and won 6 titles with his team Chicago Bulls. He has an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, as per reports from Forbes. Jordan is known for his endorsement deals with many brands. He is famously known for his partnership with Nike and their Jordan sub brand.

Jordan is a player with numerous achievements in basketball. He is a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jordan has claimed 32,292 points for his teams in his career. He retired from the sport in 2003, after spending four years with the Washington Wizards. He spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls and became the finals MVP every time his team won the championship.

Jordan has also represented the United States of America in the 1984 and 1992 Olympics. His team won the gold medal in Men’s Basketball on both occasions. Jordan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. He is 198 cm tall and played in the position of shooting guard/ small forward in his career. According to Forbes, he has earned nearly $2.4 billion from sponsorships with brands like Nike, Hanes and Gatorade.

Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin is the co-owner of 23XI Racing and a NASCAR Cup Series veteran driver. Hamlin is one of the most successful drivers in the Cup Series. He was included in the list of the 75 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR in 2023. Hamlin has the record for number of Cup Series without a championship in the sport. He has been racing in the Cup Series for 20 years, after his debut as a full-time driver in 2006 with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Denny Hamlin was the Rookie of the Year in 2006. He has been racing with Joe Gibbs Racing throughout his career in the Cup Series. Hamlin has won 54 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, as of September 2024. He has claimed 351 Top-10s in the 651 races he has started in the series. Hamlin has won three Daytona 500 races in his career. He has also won the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. Hamlin’s best finish in the Cup Series came in the 2010 season, when he became the runner-up of the 2010 Chase for Cup title. Hamlin is currently 8th in the driver standings of the 2024 Cup Series Regular season with 3 wins, as of September 2024.

As of September 2024, Denny Hamlin has a net worth of $65 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He had a salary of $14 million in 2018 and 2019, making him the third highest paid driver in the Cup Series. He has been engaged to Jordan Fish since 2024 and has two daughters with her.

23XI Racing Crew Chief

23XI Racing fields two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. The No.23 car is piloted by Bubba Wallace and his crew chief is Robert “Bootie” Barker. The No.45 car, which is their latest addition to the Cup Series program, is driven by Tyler Reddick. The crew chief of the No.45 team is Billy Scott.

Robert Barker

Robert Barker joined 23XI Racing in their debut year in the series. He is serving his 21st season in the Cup Series, as of the 2024 season. He has previously worked with the big names of the sport like Ashton Lewis, Bill Davis Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Jasper Motorsports and Germain Racing as a crew chief. Barker has achieved 2 victories in his career as a crew chief.

He completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University. He started off by selling tires at the South Boston Speedway eventually joining the late model program of Ashton Lewis Racing. He joined Jeff Green as a crew chief in 2006 and went on to work with drivers Michael Waltrip, Riley Herbst and Johnny Sauter.

Barker is married to Christy Barker and has two daughters with her. He currently resides in Davidson, North Carolina.

Billy Scott

Scott joined the team 23XI Racing in 2022 to work alongside Kurt Busch. He is currently serving his tenth full season in the NASCAR Cup Series as of the 2024 season. He made his debut as a mechanic and pit crew member in the NASCAR Truck Series. He has claimed four wins in the NASCAR Cup Series with different drivers as of August 31st, 2024.

Billy Scott graduated in Mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina. He spent the 2005-2006 seasons as an engineer with Howard-Boss Motorspors. He joined the NASCAR Cup Series as an engineer for Robert Yates Racing. He worked as the crew chief at Michael Waltrip Racing for six seasons. Prior to joining 23XI Racing. Billy Scott was with Stewart-Haas Racing as a crew chief.

Scott is married to Brandy Scott and has two children with her, Bailey and Braden. He resides in Statesville, North Carolina, as of September 2024.

23XI Racing Records in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Truck Series

The team 23XI Racing has started 133 races in the Cup Series, as of September 2024. They have won 7 races and claimed 4 pole positions with different drivers. There are no records under their name in the Cup Series and the team has not expanded its racing program to the lower NASCAR series.

List of 23 XI Racing Drivers

Current Drivers:

Past Drivers:

List of 23XI Racing Champions

The team has not won a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series yet.