NASCAR Airspeed: Everything About Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s New 23XI HQ

There is a brand new attraction in town with the wraps being lifted off 23XI Racing’s new headquarters, Airspeed. Construction of the 114,000 square foot facility has been completed after eight months and the team will now use the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend to show off the exemplary work that has been done by team co-owner Denny Hamlin and his men.

The importance that Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan have given to the building is evident from the fact that they do not mind that the expenses have gone well over the planned budget. Industry experts put the costs at low to mid eight figures. Though he did not reveal the exact number, Hamlin did confirm that he spent double of what he’d anticipated when the project began.

So what was all the money put into? Inspiration for Airspeed came from race shops across the world in Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR. The flow from station to station has been designed keeping the Next Gen car’s assembly process in mind. The main floor is where the team’s cars are placed along with touch displays that explain the car to visitors. There is also an LED display to inform on races.

The second floor is where the crew chiefs and the suits work. One side of it is predominantly a Chicago red – where the competition team works. The other side is a Carolina blue – where the business team goes about its tasks. The meeting rooms are all named after race tracks in which 23XI racing has won races at. And obviously, the largest of them is called Talladega. 

Denny Hamlin’s contribution to the design and construction of Airspeed

Throughout the building, there are subtle nods to the careers and legacy of Hamlin and Jordan. The infamous Jordan elephant print has made its way into many surfaces including those in the bathroom. There is a dedicated 23 room and a 11 room, in which there are trophies, fire suits, helmets, and basketball shoes. As the man who was in the helm of all these plans, Hamlin couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

He quips to SiriusXM, “It’s very gratifying and I can almost take a breath now. We have been talking every offseason, right? ‘What’s the update? What’re you doing now? Oh, I am picking out the countertop!’ I am done. I am done with this place and all the little touches. Now, I can take a breath.” The driver, right from the beginning, was the mastermind behind Airspeed’s form and function.

There are other details in the building which we will never know were intentional or not. For example, all the windows are angled at 23 degrees and there is a V-shaped boardroom table with 11 degrees of separation. The exterior can be lit with different colors matching the occasion and there’s a fully functional kitchen and cafe. For Hamlin, the amenities in the building are a way to attract potential employees.

He tells Racer Magazine, “This is a way that I recruit. This is a way that when I’m trying to get an engineer or someone else is trying to get an engineer — this is my recruiting facility. It’s no different from taking kids to college.” None in the 23XI Racing roster would call the new building a race shop. Hamlin is determined on it being “Airspeed” and nothing else, for it is like no other racing facility.