By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Michael Jordan calls Denny Hamlin the “mastermind” behind their 23XI NASCAR racing team. Hamlin calls their co-ownership a “perfect partnership.”
The team has been nothing shy of perfect behind driver Tyler Reddick so far early in 2026.
Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history to win the first three races of the season Sunday. He started the first road course race of the year from pole position, then held off hard-charging Shane van Gisbergen for the victory at the Circuit of the Americas
When Reddick’s Toyota zoomed across the finish line, Jordan was celebrating with the pit crew as the basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion exchanged high-fives and hugs.
Reddick has been seeing a lot of postrace smiles from Jordan — after he won the Daytona 500 and then again in Atlanta. Reddick said Jordan reminded him last week that he “does things in threes,” referring to Jordan’s NBA championships clusters with the Chicago Bulls.
“I was really glad to live up to that standard,” Reddick said.
Jordan’s having so much fun, he now wants to go for four.
“I’m going to Phoenix,” Jordan said, noting the next race on the calendar.
And why not? The team is having a lot of fun on its march through NASCAR history.
Jordan and Hamlin took on NASCAR with a federal antitrust lawsuit. The settlement in December was considered a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured the team would remain in business for the long-term.
Jordan gives Hamlin the credit for building the race-winning team on the track, specifically noting Hamlin’s pursuit of Reddick as a driver.
“He’s the mastermind,” Jordan said. “I just put up the money. Denny’s done an incredible job building this team.”
Hamlin gave the compliment right back.
“It’s a perfect partnership,” Hamlin said. “This doesn’t work out if he doesn’t give me a lot of autonomy.”
Hamlin, who also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, said he wanted to be as hands-on as possible when building the team.
“I wanted to make sure if it failed it was because of something I did,” Hamlin said. “This team had three employees working at. We had zero. We didn’t buy a team, we just built it.”
Bringing in Reddick has proven almost priceless.
The 30-year-old driver raced to his first win with 23XI at COTA in 2023. He was second at Daytona in 2025, but a season that started with such promise ended winless.
Now he seems unbeatable.
“What a dream start for those guys,” Hamlin said.