Denny Hamlin knows what it feels like to be under pressure as a driver in top-tier NASCAR. He has been in that position for the majority of his career driving for one of the biggest teams in the sport. However, feeling pressure as a team owner is a completely different ball game as per the driver of the #11 car.
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Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan who also went through a range of emotions after the final regular-season race at Darlington on Sunday. One of the team’s drivers failed to make the playoffs while the other was crowned the regular season champion.
Jordan has not been nervous too many times as a player so for him to feel all those emotions in a sport that he did not take part in as an athlete proves how invested he is in stock car racing. Hamlin relates to Jordan in the same way when it comes to ownership of his team.
Finally won a championship*
*As an owner pic.twitter.com/JSzWozCnIt
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) September 2, 2024
The veteran driver believes that coping with tense situations as an owner is much harder than coping with them as a driver. While the driver has a certain level of control over the situation at hand, there’s nothing an owner can do while the cars are on the track, much like a fan.
“When I’m out of races and I’m watching races conclude and I’m watching the #23 and the #45, you do get way more nervous because you can’t control it. I’m not in the car, I can’t make this move or that move…I’m just looking at it from a fan’s perspective. So yeah, certainly you feel a lot more vulnerable when you’re just an owner,” he said on his podcast.
The team’s two owners lived through all the emotions on Sunday. The disappointment of Bubba Wallace not making the playoffs and the jubilation of Tyler Reddick winning the regular season championship. Jordan was seen expressing his dismay when the #23 wrecked, ruining his chances of making it to the round of 16.
NBA legend hails Reddick’s effort at Darlington
Despite the letdown for Wallace and the #23 team, the Jordan was extremely proud of Reddick. The #45 driver was battling a severe illness as he drove around one of NASCAR’s toughest tracks.
Ultimately, the 23XI driver clinched the regular season championship by one point over Kyle Larson. This gives him 15 additional playoff points and a massive advantage heading into the round of 16. Jordan has full faith in the 28-year-old to be able to fight for the championship later this year.
“I know what it feels like to be sick and trying to perform, and just to do what he did, I mean, I wasn’t going around 200 miles an hour in a car, but I’m proud of his effort, and we needed it. We won by one point. I mean, he gutted it out. So hopefully he feels better tomorrow, and we feel better next week,” he told NASCAR after the Southern 500.
Everyone at 23XI will have their hopes on Reddick now and he too will be hoping to deliver. His championship challenge went on until the round of 8 last season. However, it seems like this time around, nothing but the title would suffice for the 28-year-old.
