Posted on by Dustin Albino

Amid a respectable debut season, Big Machine Racing announced Thursday it will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022 with Jade Buford as its driver — and a major new partner alongside it.

The team, owned by Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta, will work with Richard Childress Racing in an enhanced partnership with the longtime championship organization.

RCR will provide Big Machine Racing with chassis and engineering support, along with other assets. Big Machine Racing will continue to run ECR engines. And though the No. 48 team will remain a one-car operation, the team will relocate to RCR’s campus in Welcome, North Carolina, after spending the 2021 season in Mooresville, North Carolina.

“To be able to join Richard Childress and the iconic RCR means we just put a turbocharger on our Big Machine Racing program,” Borchetta said in a team release. “As a racer and fan, I’ve always looked up to Richard, all of his accomplishments and his organization. He’s a winner in the truest sense and I look forward to the day that we can share our first victory together.”

MORE: Tracking the Xfinity lineup for 2022 | Key players in 2022 Silly Season

Richard Childress, whose organization already has a technical alliance with Kaulig Racing at the Xfinity Series level, is excited to add Big Machine Racing to the program.

“Scott Borchetta and everyone at Big Machine Racing have built a great program, and we look forward to not only continuing our relationship in 2022 but to enhancing it with additional technical and engineering support,” said Childress, chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Our team partnership model is proven, and we know that this partnership will be beneficial for Big Machine Racing, RCR, ECR and Chevrolet.”

RELATED: Scott Borchetta’s lifelong passion for racing fuels new team

Not only will Buford return to the driver’s seat, but Patrick Donahue will also return to the No. 48 team atop the pit box as crew chief.

Through the opening 28 races of Big Machine Racing’s existence, the No. 48 Chevrolet sits 24th in the owner’s championship, while Buford is 23rd in the driver standings, just 38 points below 20th. The team earned its first top-10 finish in late August at Michigan International Speedway, placing ninth.

“An alliance with an organization like RCR will give us a huge advantage in improving our racing program and add another level of consistency that will help us achieve better results across the entire season,” Buford said. “With support and access to RCR’s resources, we will have a much better playbook going into every race.”

Buford, an avid road-course racer, will start from 19th position this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, where he finished eighth last year.

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

Bettors who believed in Denny Hamlin at the onset of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are looking pretty smart right now. Priced between +750 and +800 before Darlington Raceway, the first of the 10-race playoffs, Hamlin has been shortened to +350 on most oddsboards, with the Round of 12 ending Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Those odds place Hamlin, the only driver who has locked up a spot in the final eight, a notch below Kyle Larson in the championship futures market.

RELATED: BetCenter | Roval odds | Title odds

Larson, 22 points above the elimination line, figures to coast into the next round and remains the favorite to lift the Cup at Phoenix Raceway in November. In fact, most sportsbooks have tightened his odds since the playoffs began. Certainly intriguing to some bettors, though, Barstool Sportsbook has lengthened Larson from +240 pre-Darlington to +275.

Here are updated odds to win the 2021 Cup title from NASCAR’s three partner sportsbooks – BetMGM, Barstool and WynnBET – plus SuperBook USA.

Screen Shot 2021 10 06 At 5.42.58 Pm

While Chase Elliott, Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, sits in seventh place in the standings, the betting market still has plenty of respect for the No. 9 Chevrolet. Elliott, just nine points above the elimination line, is priced as the third choice, and with this weekend’s race on a road course – layouts at which he’s always the betting favorite – it’s hard to envision him not advancing. Elliott is the +200 chalk to finish first in Charlotte on Sunday.

Martin Truex Jr. is the only other driver priced in single-digit odds in the futures market. He’s also in solid shape to advance, tied for fourth and 20 points to the good, and should he make it to the final four, a bettor holding a ticket at +850 would be delighted heading into Phoenix, where Truex won in March.

LOGANO LURKS

There’s a lack of market confidence in Team Penske, evidently. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, third and fourth in the playoff standings, are relative long shots to win it all. Despite what we’ve written about Kes’ lame-duck status with Penske not boding well for his championship chances, he ran well at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing second to Bubba Wallace in the rain-shortened YellaWood 500.

But it’s Logano who now has our attention for a potential futures bet, with a fat +1400 offering at BetMGM.

While Logano figures to advance into the Round of 8, the challenge arises at the first two tracks of the next round – Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway – because Logano hasn’t been near the front during a lot of 550-horsepower races this season. He did, however, finish fourth at the All-Star Race in Texas (which used a different engine package), and he has been among the best at Martinsville Speedway, where the race before the championship will be run. His 6.71 average finish over the seven most recent races at the short track in Virginia is tied for second and his 110.5 average driving rating is third.

Over the four most recent races at Phoenix, Logano has steered the No. 22 Ford to finishes of second, third, first and ninth, leading 421 laps during that stretch. Should he scratch his way into the final four, he’ll be as live a dog as they come Nov. 7.

Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced the indefinite suspension of Camping World Truck Series crew chief Eddie Troconis on Wednesday. Troconis, who was on the pit box for the Young’s Motorsports No. 02 Chevrolet driven by Kris Wright for last weekend’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, was hit for a behavioral violation detailed in sections 12.8.1.c of the NASCAR Rule Book.

RELATED: Truck Series standings | Truck schedule

That part of the Rule Book states:

Member actions that could result in a loss of 25-50 driver and Team Owner Points and/or $50,000-$100,000 fine and/or one Race suspension, indefinite suspension, or termination:

  • Physical confrontation with a NASCAR Official, media members, fans, etc.
  • Member-to-Member confrontation(s) with physical violence and other violent manifestations such as significant threat(s) and/or abuse and/or endangerment.
  • Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the Race or championship.
  • Intentionally wrecking another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result.

NASCAR did not provide specifics around the violation, but did confirm that it was not a competition or on-track-related incident.

Troconis has been a crew chief for 142 races over nine seasons in the Truck Series. He has two victories, both coming with Ben Rhodes for ThorSport Racing in 2017 and 2018.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval will host two elimination races — one for the NASCAR Cup Series and one for the NASCAR Xfinity Series — this weekend as each of those playoff fields will be reduced to eight drivers. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES CLINCHING SCENARIOS

The Bank of America Roval 400 (Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the last chance for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs contenders to secure their spot in the Round of 8. Only one driver is locked into the Round of 8 – Denny Hamlin – heading into this weekend, leaving 11 drivers vying for just seven positions.

RELATED: Playoff pulse looks at Talladega results, ahead to the Roval

Already Clinched

The following driver has clinched a spot in the eight-driver field of the next round: Denny Hamlin. 

Can Clinch Via Points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the eighth winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott or Kyle Busch.

  • Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 34 points.
  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 35 points.
  • Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 35 points.
  • Martin Truex Jr.: Would clinch with 36 points.
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 41 points.
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 47 points.
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 47 points.
  • Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Alex Bowman: Could all only clinch with help.

If there is a new winner from Kevin Harvick or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance into the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the seventh winless driver in the standings.

  • Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 41 points.
  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 42 points.
  • Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 43 points.
  • Martin Truex Jr.: Would clinch with 43 points.
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 48 points.
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 53 points.
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 54 points.
  • Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Alex Bowman: Could all only clinch with help.

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on a win alone this weekend: Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Alex Bowman.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES 

Advancing to the Round of 8 after the Charlotte Roval: Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones

Eliminated from the playoffs after the Charlotte Roval: Jeb Burton, Jeremy Clements, Riley Herbst and Myatt Snider

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Longtime NASCAR national series driver Michael Annett announced Wednesday he plans to retire from full-time competition after the conclusion of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

“I’m just so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had,” the 35-year-old Annett said in a release from his management group. “Being able to drive race cars for a living is honestly a dream come true for me. It’s been a privilege to work with some great teams and alongside some of the most talented folks in the garage. None of this would have been possible without the support of my partners, and I am happy to call them lifelong friends. It’s those relationships and friendships that are the most rewarding.”

MORE: Key players in Silly Season | Michael Annett’s career stats 

Annett is currently 17th in Xfinity Series points, two seasons removed from his only win at the national series level when he won the 2019 season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The current driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet began his full-time career in 2009 in the Xfinity Series. His best points finish came in that series in 2012, wrapping up the season fifth in the standings.

Annett has compiled more than 430 starts across NASCAR’s top three series, including a three-year stint racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2014-16.

The veteran has battled a stress fracture in his right femur much of this season and was forced to miss several races while recovering. The Iowa native had surgery in July to repair the injury, but he re-injured the leg while working out in September and hasn’t suited up since a 22nd-place finish at Richmond Raceway last month.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott each have two wins apiece on road courses this season and are viewed by the oddsmakers at BetMGM as the favorites for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Odds for Sunday’s Charlotte Roval race | NASCAR BetCenter

Adding intrigue to this matchup is the fact that neither driver is locked into the Round of 8 — Larson is plus-22 to the elimination line and second in the standings, while Elliott is plus-9 and seventh in the standings. Elliott is also the reigning Cup champion and a back-to-back winner at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval while Larson remains the championship favorite.

Elliott and Larson have finished 1-2 in three of the season’s six road-course races to date. Those races were Circuit of The Americas (Elliott won), Sonoma and Watkins Glen (both won by Larson). Larson also finished one spot better than Elliott at the Indianapolis Road Course; third for Larson to fourth for Elliott.

How does each driver stack up for a head-to-head matchup around Sunday’s race? We’re breaking down the key stats between teammates ahead of the elimination race.

Kyle Larson Category Chase Elliott
2 2021 Road Course Wins 2
8.8 2021 Road Course Average Finish 5.2
116 2021 Road Course Laps Led 100
3 2021 Road Course Better Finishes (H2H in 6 races) 3
0 Charlotte Roval Wins 2
19.0 Charlotte Roval Average Finish 2.7
2 Career Road Course Wins In Cup 7
In the last five road-course races, Larson has two wins and four top-three finishes. Notable Stat To Keep In Mind In the last 10 road-course races, Elliott has six wins and nine top-five finishes.

The 2021 stats are super close and give a slight edge to Larson, while the Charlotte Roval numbers favor Elliott in a big way. The duo will line up near each other with Elliott starting eighth and Larson starting 10th in the field for the 109-lap race. Quite a competitive matchup that should be super interesting to watch on Sunday afternoon amidst all the elimination drama.

Check back on Friday as The Action Network’s PJ Walsh (@PJWalsh24) breaks down the same matchup and provides his betting insight for who and how to bet this matchup.

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin earned the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), an elimination race in the Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.

RELATED: Charlotte Roval weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

Hamlin, locked into the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will start on pole for the fifth time in 2021 in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Austin Cindric will start on pole in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at the Charlotte Roval (3 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), an elimination race in the Xfinity Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.

As NASCAR adapted to COVID-19 protocols last season, practice and qualifying were eliminated at a majority of national-series events to limit at-track time, exposure and to cut race weekend costs. To determine starting lineups, competition officials used grouped draws, added inversions for weekend doubleheaders, and eventually adopted a performance-metrics formula. That metrics format remains in place this season, drawing on performance from both individual races and season-long results.

NASCAR’s metrics formula for 2021 weighs:

  • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
  • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
  • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
  • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

See the full lineup for Sunday’s Cup Series race below.

Start pos.
 Driver Car # Team
1 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
3 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
4 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
6 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
7 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
8 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
10 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
11 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
12 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
13 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
14 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
15 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
16 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
17 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
18 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
19 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
20 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports
21 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
22 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
23 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
24 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
25 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
26 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
27 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
28 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
29 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
30 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
31 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
32 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing
33 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
34 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
35 Scott Heckert 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 Joey Hand 52 Rick Ware Racing
37 Josh Bilicki 15 Rick Ware Racing
38 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports
39 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management

Practice and qualifying are tentatively scheduled for eight Cup Series races this year. Just one race remains with Busch Pole Qualifying on the schedule — the season-ending championship race Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials fined the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team Tuesday for a lug-nut infraction after last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

RELATED: Xfinity Series standings

The violation of Section 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book was discovered in a post-race check, where the No. 19 Toyota — driven by Brandon Jones to a second-place finish in the Sparks 300 — was found with one unsecured lug nut. That infraction resulted in a $5,000 fine for Jeff Meendering, the team’s crew chief.

No other penalties were announced from the tripleheader weekend at the 2.66-mile Talladega track, which also hosted the Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series.

No further penalties were assessed to the No. 11 Kaulig Racing team for a rules violation found in pre-race inspection before the Xfinity Series event. Driver Justin Haley was forced to start at the rear of the field and serve a pit-road pass-through penalty after the green flag because of improperly applied decals on the No. 11 Chevrolet.

“Just in talking with (series director) Wayne Auton, it looks like multiple layers of the wrap that the teams put on the cars, anything you can do at the superspeedways may seem as minute to our fans, but there’s some performance there,” said Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s vice president of officiating and technical inspection, in a Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “The inspectors caught that and they corrected it and put them to the rear of the field. No additional penalties will come out of that one.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Before drivers hit the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for a pair of NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series playoff races, they’ll be lacing up for a different kind of competition — on the diamond.

Corey LaJoie’s Inaugural Charity Kickball Klassic, featuring a star-studded cast of drivers and celebrities, makes its debut Wednesday at Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis (N.C.) Cannon Ballers. The Spire Motorsports driver-led charity event will see proceeds donated to the Kannapolis YMCA and LaJoie’s organization of choice, Samaritan’s Feet.

Two seasons ago, LaJoie put Samaritan’s Feet on his car at Watkins Glen International and donated a month’s salary to the organization. The group helps provide shoes and socks to those in need across the globe.

MORE: LaJoie waives month of salary for Samaritan’s Feet

“I’ve had this idea of a kickball tournament for years now. … I played with (Hendrick Motorsports crew chief) Cliff Daniels’ team in Huntersville (N.C.) for a couple years and just how much fun it is, but it is somewhat competitive. Everybody does a golf tournament but I wanted to do something a little bit different,” LaJoie said. ” … to be able to get a bunch of teams to raise that much more money for the Kannapolis YMCA as well as Samaritan’s Feet, which has pretty much been my charity that I use my platform to promote because if I were to build one it would be exactly what they do; to provide shoes to children and people worldwide. It’s going to raise over six figures, I don’t really know what the final number’s going to be. It was looking somewhere around $150,000.”

Each team will have a celebrity captain from a list of NASCAR drivers, professional athletes, or entertainment celebrities in attendance. Special guests include drivers Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, NBA player Marvin Williams, professional softball player Lauren Haeger and many others.

NASCAR will live stream the celebrity game at 6 p.m. ET on NASCAR’s Facebook and YouTube pages. The tournament is sponsored by Built Bar, which was recently named the Official Protein Bar of NASCAR.

“I just hit the ground and tried to sell the teams and round up some guys to play and it turned into a much bigger event than I anticipated and it’s going to be really fun to see everybody out there hanging out and to see NASCAR Productions and NASCAR Digital to show up and stream it on Facebook and their YouTube page,” he said.

“It really is a group effort and it’s really cool to see everybody come together and help me pull off this thing.”

The tournament starts at noon with 16 teams vying for the title. The top four teams after an afternoon of pool play will advance to the semifinals and the winners to the title game. Three kickball fields will be set up in the outfield at Atrium Health Ballpark and five will be located in the Kannapolis horseshoe.

Once a tournament champion is crowned, the celebrities will face off in a “just-for-fun” kickball contest of their own and will hold an autograph session for fans. There will also be a Family Fun Zone sponsored by GoPro Motorplex featuring bouncy houses and other kid-friendly activities, in addition to a post-tournament concert with opening act The Dryes and headliners Pryor & Lee. General admission tickets are $10, with children 3 and under free.

Full schedule of events

12 p.m.   Tournament begins
6 p.m.   Celebrity game (streamed live)
7:15 p.m.   Autograph session
8 p.m.  Post-tournament concert

BUY TICKETS: Corey LaJoie’s Kickball Klassic

Posted on by Terrin Waack

TALLADEGA, Ala. — As Bubba Wallace made his way down pit road toward the indoor Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin approached the crowd surrounding his driver and took in the scene with a soft smile. People were congratulating Wallace left and right on his first career win, as others snapped pictures and recorded reactions. Once Wallace was free, even if for just a second, Hamlin made his move, embracing Wallace in a long, firm hug.

In that moment, Wallace thanked Hamlin – for believing in him, for giving him a chance – and expressed how much both meant. Hamlin kept it short and sweet – “I’m proud of you” – before letting go and walking off.

“It’s like watching your kid succeed at whatever they’re doing, whether it be baseball, musical theater, whatever, right?” Hamlin said. “I have no relation to anyone on this team, but they are family. We spend a lot of time together, we work hard together. I know the people within the shop work very, very hard. They had to work their tails off to get this team off the ground just 10, 12 months ago.”

RELATED: Wallace wins Talladega | Bubba soaks in the moment | Commemorate Bubba’s win

Twelve months and 12 days to be exact, as of Monday’s breakthrough victory. Sept. 21 was the one-year anniversary of 23XI Racing’s formation announcement. Hamlin began the team in 2020 with NBA legend Michael Jordan, who shared his victory excitement on Twitter.

The No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota was fielded with help from Joe Gibbs Racing, with the two organizations sharing a technical alliance. Hamlin still competes for JGR full time in its No. 11 Toyota, currently in the championship hunt.

Wallace has piloted the No. 23 to the one win, three top fives and three top 10s through 31 races. He’s averaging an 18.8 finish.

“I knew it was going to be a process, but I maybe underestimated the process in which it takes to ultimately be a top-tier team and the time it takes to get all the recruits that you need,” Hamlin said. “We’re looking at talent and seeing, OK, when is their contract up? OK, let’s kind of bookmark that and go after them during that time.

“It truly is a five-year period of, like, runway getting where you want to be.”

Changes and progress are already being made.

Wallace was 23XI Racing’s first and only driver in 2021. In August, the team announced it’ll add Kurt Busch to its 2022 lineup in the No. 45 Toyota, as the Next Gen car makes its competitive debut. His crew chief has been picked but not revealed.

Speaking of crew chiefs, Wallace’s recently swapped out. Mike Wheeler was atop the No. 23 pit box for the first 29 races of 2021. His role as director of competition at 23XI Racing then upgraded to a full-time position. Robert “Bootie” Barker was picked to take over as the signal caller for the rest of the season.

Monday’s win marked not only a first for 23XI Racing in 31 starts, Wallace in 143 starts but also Barker in 484 starts.

“I know a lot of history was made today I believe, which is really cool,” Wallace said. “But it’s about my guys, about our team, what we’ve done. Appreciate Michael Jordan, appreciate Denny for believing in me, giving me an opportunity.”

Said Barker: “It takes a lot of things to win a race. It’s a million ways to lose one and one way to win one. So, I mean, I did what I had to do to get this far, so I appreciate with Denny giving me a shot.”

Sometimes that’s all it takes to create success. In its first season of existence, 23XI Racing became a race-winning team. Hamlin admits, he never imaged that.

The 40-year-old himself is a 46-time winner at NASCAR’s top level, as a driver. Now, he’s also a winning team owner.

“It’s big in so many ways,” Hamlin said. “I can’t even express it. Certainly way more emotional than what it is when I win.”