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| Owner(s) | Michael Jordan Denny Hamlin Curtis Polk |
|---|---|
| Principal | Steve Lauletta(President)[1] |
| Base | Huntersville, North Carolina[2] |
| Series | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Race drivers | 23.Bubba Wallace 35.Riley Herbst 45.Tyler Reddick 67.Corey Heim (part-time) |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Opened | 2020 |
| Website | 23xiracing.com |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2021 Daytona 500 (Daytona) |
| Latest race | 2025NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (Phoenix) |
| Races competed | 180 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 9 |
| Pole positions | 8 |
23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven) is an American professionalauto racing organization that competes in theNASCAR Cup Series. It is owned and operated byHall of Fame basketball playerMichael Jordan, along with currentJoe Gibbs Racing driver and three-timeDaytona 500 winnerDenny Hamlin. The team name represents a combination of the number 23 Michael Jordan wore during most of hisNBA career and the number 11 which Denny Hamlin has driven his entire Cup series career.[3] The organization fields three full-time entries. They are the No. 23Toyota Camry forBubba Wallace, No. 35 Camry forRiley Herbst, and No. 45 Camry forTyler Reddick. Additionally, the team fields the No. 67 Camry part-time forCorey Heim. They have a technical alliance withJoe Gibbs Racing.[4]
During the summer of 2020, rumors swirled that Michael Jordan intended on purchasing an ownership stake inRichard Petty Motorsports, who fielded the only black driver in theNASCAR Cup Series,Bubba Wallace. Such claims were repeatedly denied by Jordan's management team.[5][6]
On September 8, 2021, veteran motorsports executive Steve Lauletta was named team president after serving as the interim president since the team's foundation.[1]
On July 12, 2022, 23XI Racing announced that two-timeNASCAR Xfinity Series championTyler Reddick signed with the team for the 2024 season.[7] On July 23, 2022, Hamlin announced that starting in 2023, 23XI would have its own pit crews instead of leasing them from Joe Gibbs Racing.[8]
In May, 2024, 23XI opened its doors to their brand-new race shop and team headquarters, named "Airspeed", in Huntersville, North Carolina.[9]
On October 2, 2024, it was announced that 23XI Racing, along withFront Row Motorsports, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the terms of the updated charter agreement, as well as anti-competitive practices committed by theFrance family.[10][11] On December 18, both teams were granted a motion of preliminary injunction, allowing them to race as chartered entries in 2025 while continuing their legal battle with NASCAR. The injunction also allowed the transfer of the twoStewart–Haas Racing charters to both teams.[12] On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the preliminary injunction ruling.[13] On August 25, NASCAR filed a legal notice of its agreement to issue one of the charters to aredacted entity.[14]
On September 21, 2020, Jordan andDenny Hamlin announced the formation of a Cup team to begin competition in 2021 with Jordan as majority owner, Hamlin as minority owner, and Wallace, who eleven days prior had announced his departure from Richard Petty Motorsports, as their first official driver.[15][16] The team bought a guaranteed starting spot in every 2021 race by purchasing a charter fromGermain Racing.[17] The team's name, car number and manufacturer were not revealed at the time of the announcement.[18] Hamlin later said that the two had discussed owning a team but that it never came to fruition.[19] On October 22, the team announced its name, 23XI Racing, and would use the number 23 (Jordan's number during his basketball career).[20][21] On October 30, the team revealed that they will runToyotas with a technical alliance withJoe Gibbs Racing (whose No. 11 car is driven by Hamlin) and operate out of a shop owned (and formerly used) byGermain Racing.[4] On December 14, 23XI Racing announced thatDoorDash,McDonald's,Columbia Sportswear,Dr Pepper, andRoot, Inc. will be the sponsors of the No. 23 team in 2021. It was also announced that several crew members of the former Germain operation would join the team as a pit crew.[22] On February 3, it was announced that former Germain driverTy Dillon (who attempted to make the Daytona 500 with fellow Toyota teamGaunt Brothers Racing) would run the car in the2021 Busch Clash, as Wallace was not eligible to run the clash.[23]
Wallace finished second in his Duel and finished seventeenth at the2021 Daytona 500 after being involved in a last-lap crash. At the Daytona road course he had troubles all day and finished 26th. Wallace struggled out the gate until Phoenix, which was his first strong run of the season. Wallace was running top-fifteen for most of the day before working his way into the top-ten. Following a caution and most of the field pitting, while Wallace stayed out, he restarted first. This move did not work out well for Wallace. Due to him being on old tires and the rest of the field being on new tires, Wallace was quickly cycled out of the first position, dropped back, and wound up making contact withCole Custer. He ended up finishing 16th.[24] At the2021 GEICO 500 at Talladega, Wallace had a strong car the entire day. Wallace was running top-ten for a good portion of the day and ended up winning stage 2. This was Wallace's first career stage win. After an overtime restart, Wallace was cycled to the back of the pack and wound up finishing nineteenth. At Dover, Wallace finished eleventh. At Pocono, Wallace finished the first race in fourteenth, but finished the second race fifth, scoring the team's best finish and their first top-five. He finished third at the2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, but he was officially scored with a second place finish afterChris Buescher was disqualified post-inspection.[25] On September 16,Bootie Barker was named crew chief for the remainder of the season after Wheeler was promoted to Director of Competition.[26] Wallace scored his first career win at the rain-shortened2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega, becoming only the second Black driver afterWendell Scott to win a Cup race.[27] Wallace finished the season 21st in points.
Wallace began the2022 season by finishing in second place at the2022 Daytona 500.[28] On March 29, 2022, Barker was suspended for four races due to a tire and wheel loss during the2022 Texas Grand Prix atCOTA.Dave Rogers was announced as Wallace's crew chief for Richmond, Martinsville, Bristol, and Talladega.[29] Later in the regular season, Wallace showed strong form, posting four consecutive top-10s atNew Hampshire,Pocono,Indianapolis road course, andMichigan.[30]
After failing to make the driver playoffs at Daytona, it was announced thatTy Gibbs would switch to the No. 23 to allow Wallace to compete in the owners championship with the No. 45. At theTexas playoff race, Gibbs veered intoTy Dillon on pit road, nearly sending Dillon towards a NASCAR official and a group of pit crew members; he was subsequently finedUS$75,000 and the No. 23 was docked 25 owner points.[31] At Phoenix,Daniel Hemric substituted for Gibbs after the death of his father,Coy Gibbs.[32] Hemric finished seventeenth.[33]
Wallace started the2023 season with a twentieth place finish at the2023 Daytona 500. He improved his finishes enough to make the playoffs for the first time in his career.[34] Wallace was eliminated from the Round of 12 at the conclusion of theCharlotte Roval race.[35]
During the2024 season, Wallace was finedUS$50,000 for intentionally door-slammingAlex Bowman during the cool-down lap after theChicago street race.[36] Following theMartinsville playoff race, the No. 23 was docked fifty owner and driver points and Wallace and the team were each finedUS$100,000 for race manipulation, when Wallace faked a tire failure and slowed down to allow fellow Toyota driverChristopher Bell to pass him in an attempt to make the Championship 4. In addition, Barker was suspended for thePhoenix finale.[37]
Wallace started the2025 season with a 29th place DNF at the2025 Daytona 500. He won atIndianapolis to break a 100-race winless streak and make the playoffs.[38]
On November 20, 2024, 23XI announced thatRiley Herbst would drive the No. 35 for the2025 season.[39] The No. 35 was chosen by 23XI as an homage to Jordan'sMinor League Baseball career.[40] Shortly after theCharlotte Roval race, the No. 35 car was disqualified for failing post-race height inspection.[41]
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Riley Herbst | 35 | Toyota | DAY 17 | ATL 17 | COA 17 | PHO 37 | LVS 19 | HOM 33 | MAR 31 | DAR 34 | BRI 28 | TAL 22 | TEX 14 | KAN 27 | CLT 28 | NSH 24 | MCH 25 | MXC 29 | POC 37 | ATL 28 | CSC 17 | SON 25 | DOV 24 | IND 26 | IOW 30 | GLN 24 | RCH 31 | DAY 40 | DAR 28 | GTW 31 | BRI 18 | NHA 22 | KAN 22 | ROV 37 | LVS 17 | TAL 32 | MAR 36 | PHO 23 | 35th | 399 |
On August 27, 2021, 23XI Racing announced thatKurt Busch will pilot the No. 45 Toyota Camry in 2022 (With the number 45 being a reference to a jersey number Jordan wore during his baseball career and for 23 games during the1994–95 NBA season.)[42][43] His long time sponsorMonster Energy would follow him over. Following the end of the 2021 season, 23XI purchased the formerStarCom Racing's charter forUS$13.5 million, making it the most expensive charter purchase since the implementation of the system in 2016.[44]
Busch began his2022 season with a nineteenth place finish at the2022 Daytona 500. Despite a promising start with top-five finishes atPhoenix andAtlanta, he suffered from poor finishes atCOTA,Richmond,Bristol dirt,Dover, andDarlington. However, he rebounded with a win atKansas.[45] At thePocono race, Busch was not medically cleared after a crash during qualifying, and subsequently missed the last five races of the regular season.[46][47][48][49] Xfinity Series driverTy Gibbs substituted Busch for the next six races. He finished sixteenth at Pocono and seventeenth atIndianapolis.[50] A 10th-place finish atMichigan earned Gibbs his first top-10 finish.[51] The following week atRichmond, Gibbs finished 36th, last due to an engine failure.[52] Gibbs finished 26th atWatkins Glen. On August 25, Busch announced he withdrew his request for a playoff waiver.[53]
Six days later, it was announced thatBubba Wallace would swap rides with Gibbs as the No. 45 entry was still eligible for the owner's championship.[54][55] Wallace finished ninth atDarlington to open the playoffs. He scored his second career win atKansas.[56] On October 16, Busch announced he would step away from full-time competition in 2023, with the possibility of running the season on a part-time basis.[57] AtLas Vegas,Kyle Larson charged aggressively pastKevin Harvick and Wallace, causing Wallace to scrape the outside wall. Wallace retaliated with a right rear hook on Larson, wrecking both cars down the frontstretch and severely damagingChristopher Bell's car in the process. During the caution, Wallace engaged in a shoving match with Larson.[58] Wallace was suspended for one race for the incident;John Hunter Nemechek was assigned to drive the No. 45 atHomestead.[59]
On October 15, 2022, 23XI Racing announced that it bought out the remainder ofTyler Reddick's contract fromRichard Childress Racing to replace Kurt Busch in the No. 45 for the2023 season. Reddick originally signed with 23XI for 2024, but Busch's concussion and subsequent retirement from full-time competition led to this move.[60]
Reddick started the 2023 season with a 39th place DNF at the2023 Daytona 500. A month later, he scored his first win of the season atCOTA in triple overtime.[61] On May 16, NASCAR docked the No. 45 team ten owner and driver points for unapproved ballasts during inspection prior to qualifying atDarlington.[62] During the playoffs, Reddick won atKansas to advance to the Round of 12.[63]
Reddick started the2024 season with a 29th place DNF at the2024 Daytona 500. He scored his first win of the season atTalladega by overtakingBrad Keselowski on the final stretch after Keselowski spunMichael McDowell and triggered a multi-car crash.[64] He scored his second win of the season atMichigan.[65] Following theSouthern 500, Reddick clinched the regular season championship, beatingKyle Larson by just one point.[66] During the playoffs, he locked himself into the Championship 4 by winning atHomestead.[67]
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kurt Busch | 45 | Toyota | DAY 19 | CAL 8 | LVS 13 | PHO 5 | ATL 3 | COA 32 | RCH 35 | MAR 6 | BRI 32 | TAL 16 | DOV 31 | DAR 28 | KAN 1* | CLT 31 | GTW 3 | SON 18 | NSH 2 | ROA 23 | ATL 22 | NHA 10 | 10th | 2231 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ty Gibbs | POC 16 | IND 17 | MCH 10 | RCH 36 | GLN 26 | DAY 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bubba Wallace | DAR 9 | KAN 1 | BRI 29 | TEX 25 | TAL 16 | CLT 7 | LVS 36 | MAR 8 | PHO 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Hunter Nemechek | HOM 27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Tyler Reddick | DAY 39 | CAL 34 | LVS 15 | PHO 3 | ATL 5 | COA 1 | RCH 16 | BRD 2 | MAR 22 | TAL 16 | DOV 7 | KAN 9 | DAR 22 | CLT 5 | GTW 35 | SON 33 | NSH 30 | CSC 28 | ATL 27 | NHA 6 | POC 2 | RCH 16 | MCH 30 | IRC 4 | GLN 8 | DAY 25 | DAR 2 | KAN 1 | BRI 15 | TEX 25 | TAL 16 | ROV 6 | LVS 7 | HOM 3 | MAR 26 | PHO 22 | 6th | 2344 | ||
| 2024 | DAY 29 | ATL 30 | LVS 2 | PHO 10 | BRI 30 | COA 5 | RCH 10 | MAR 7 | TEX 4 | TAL 1 | DOV 11 | KAN 20 | DAR 32* | CLT 4 | GTW 4 | SON 8* | IOW 22 | NHA 6 | NSH 3 | CSC 2 | POC 6 | IND 2* | RCH 3 | MCH 1 | DAY 28 | DAR 10 | ATL 6 | GLN 27 | BRI 20 | KAN 25 | TAL 20 | ROV 11 | LVS 35 | HOM 1* | MAR 34 | PHO 6 | 4th | 5031 | |||
| 2025 | DAY 2 | ATL 19 | COA 3 | PHO 20 | LVS 24 | HOM 8 | MAR 14 | DAR 4 | BRI 18 | TAL 14 | TEX 21 | KAN 17 | CLT 26 | NSH 9 | MCH 13 | MXC 20 | POC 32 | ATL 4 | CSC 3 | SON 6 | DOV 12 | IND 29 | IOW 19 | GLN 9 | RCH 34 | DAY 21 | DAR 2 | GTW 16 | BRI 15 | NHA 21 | KAN 7 | ROV 10 | LVS 5 | TAL 7 | MAR 11 | PHO 23 | 9th | 2309 | |||
On March 13, 2024, it was announced that Kobayashi would once again compete in a race for the team, this time atCOTA.[68] The car number would race as the No. 50 instead of the No. 67 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of sponsorMobil 1. The team planned to run the No. 50 for two more races during the season with different drivers.[69]
On May 10, 2024, 23XI Racing announced that Corey Heim would drive the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry at Nashville Superspeedway.[70] Heim finished 29th after crashing out in one of five overtimes.
On August 2, 2024, the team announced thatJuan Pablo Montoya would make his NASCAR Cup Series return for 23XI at Watkins Glen on September 15.[71] This would be the 3rd and final start for the No. 50 Mobil 1 entry in 2024. Montoya finished 32nd in his return to stock car racing.
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kamui Kobayashi | 50 | Toyota | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | BRI | COA 29 | RCH | MAR | TEX | TAL | DOV | KAN | DAR | CLT | GTW | SON | IOW | NHA | 45th | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Corey Heim | NSH 29 | CSC | POC | IND | RCH | MCH | DAY | DAR | ATL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Juan Pablo Montoya | GLN 32 | BRI | KAN | TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On January 17, 2023, 23XI announced thatTravis Pastrana would attempt to enter the No. 67 Toyota Camry for the2023 Daytona 500 with sponsorship coming fromBlack Rifle Coffee Company.[72] On February 14, Pastrana made the entry field by scoring the second fastest lap among the non-chartered teams.[73] He suffered an accident in the qualifying duel and started in the back for the race.[74] Pastrana ended up finishing eleventh in the race.[75] On June 7, it was announced thatKamui Kobayashi would make his Cup debut in the No. 67 at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, he would end up finishing 33rd in the race after getting caught up in several wrecks.[76]
On February 23, 2025, 23XI announced thatCorey Heim signed a developmental deal that includes Cup races in the No. 67, and Xfinity races in theSam Hunt Racing No. 24 car.[77]
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Travis Pastrana | 67 | Toyota | DAY 11 | CAL | LVS | PHO | ATL | COA | RCH | BRD | MAR | TAL | DOV | KAN | DAR | CLT | GTW | SON | NSH | CSC | ATL | NHA | POC | RCH | MCH | 41st | 30 | |||||||||||||
| Kamui Kobayashi | IRC 33 | GLN | DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Corey Heim | DAY | ATL | COA | PHO | LVS | HOM | MAR | DAR | BRI | TAL | TEX | KAN 13 | CLT | NSH 37 | MCH | MXC | POC | ATL | CSC DNQ | SON | DOV | IND | IOW | GLN | RCH 29 | DAY | DAR | GTW | BRI 6 | NHA | KAN | ROV | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | 40th | 64 | ||
