Tyler Reddick did something at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday that no NASCAR driver had managed to do since the inception of the Cup Series in 1949. Driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE, he won three consecutive races to start the 2026 season. Deserving major appreciation in this moment was the partnership between Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, owners of 23XI Racing.
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As the owners of this incredible organization, they have thrown ego out the window right from the get-go and built a group that can challenge the longstanding sharks in the sport. In Victory Lane on Sunday, Jordan refused to take credit for the win and pointed the light towards his partner. Hamlin, did the same, and pointed it right back.
Responding to Jordan’s claim that he was just the money guy and that Hamlin was the one put things together, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “It’s just a perfect partnership. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s because this doesn’t work unless he gives me the autonomy to do it.”
When Hamlin wanted to build a race team some years back, no existing team owner would give him the control he wanted.
But Jordan came forward and did so. He continued to explain, “He was just so appreciative of the fact that he says, ‘Okay, here’s my percent, here’s your percent, but you’re going to have to build it. You’re going to have to do the work. You’re the boots on the ground.’ And so that was what I wanted, right? You know, where I get the gratification is from building something from scratch.”
23XI Racing was just a team of three members when it began. “We had zero,” Hamlin reminisced.
VIDEO: Duramax GP race winning owner Denny Hamlin and Crew Chief Billy Scott post-race press conference from COTA
#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/41sNTvHVqf
— Speedway Digest (@speedwaydigest) March 2, 2026
“We didn’t buy a team, didn’t do anything, just built it. And this is what we’re doing. It’s pretty amazing.”
Jordan says 23XI Racing is all about winning
The last time a team won the first three races of a NASCAR Cup Series season was Petty Enterprises in 1963, which explains why Jordan and Hamlin were jubilant about their latest win. For two icons who are accustomed to success, this one carried extra significance. Jordan was quick to credit Hamlin, calling him the mastermind who set everything in motion from Day 1.
He said, “I think a lot of credit goes to him because he’s the mastermind behind finding Tyler. … I think Denny’s done an unbelievable job in terms of helping build this team. And I think this team has done a good job of taking on leadership and just winning. That’s what it’s about. Winning.”
They now have the chance to set the bar even higher by winning the season’s fourth race, which will go down at the Phoenix Raceway this coming weekend. Crazy could soon get crazier.
