Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing has gotten off to a dominant start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series, and it turns out we have a fake story to thank for this team even existing. Hamlin shared during an appearance on CBS Mornings how he and Jordan decided they were going to co-found a racing team.
“I saw an article that wasn’t true,” Hamlin said. “Says Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are looking to purchase a NASCAR team… I saw the article, sent it to him. He says, ‘Not real, but if you want to make it real, let me know.'”
Whoever wrote that fake article quite literally ended up manifesting this into existence. Hamlin and Jordan had been friends for about 10 years at that point, and decided they’d team up.
“So, I said, ‘I think owning a NASCAR team is the right move for me,'” Hamlin stated. “I just need the right partner. And of course, I say, ‘Well, here’s this opportunity.’ He says, ‘I’m in.'”
Jordan and Hamlin co-founded 23XI Racing in 2020, and the team would start competing in the Cup Series in 2021. They have only been around for a little while, but have made a splash.
23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR regular season championship in 2024. Reddick would find himself in the Championship Four as well, but wasn’t able to come away with the title.
Reddick then brushed aside a disappointing 2025 season by winning four of the first seven races in 2026 and is the current points leader. He started the campaign with three straight victories, a feat that had never been accomplished before. 23XI Racing is very much on the rise, and it will be fascinating to see how the rest of this season unfolds.
To go with making a splash on the race track, 23XI Racing made one off it too. The team and Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in 2024 over the terms of the updated charter agreement. They refused to sign the charter agreement offered by NASCAR, terming it a last-minute, take-it-or-leave-it offer. The France Family and NASCAR were also called “monopolistic bullies” in the lawsuit.
This case was settled in December 2025, with 23XI and Front Row Motorsports receiving their six charters back and compensation for income lost from the previous races that were unchartered. It was a big win for the teams, and Jordan revealed he was even willing to be kicked out of NASCAR to win the lawsuit. It was a bold move that has paid off spectacularly well.
