Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin could very well be building the foundation of a dynasty in the NASCAR Cup Series with 23XI Racing. The team has locked in Bubba Wallace as the driver of their No. 23 machine for 2021, and on Monday they announced five sponsors that will be featured on their race car this season.
“Today is a big day for us at 23XI Racing,” team co-owner Denny Hamlin said in a team release. “To be able to announce the addition of five founding partners who are willing to join us in our first year and who share in our beliefs and values is such a great feeling. We’ve certainly had to make things happen fast to build this new team, and I’m excited to welcome each one of these partners and to get to know them better. I’m fortunate that during my time at Joe Gibbs Racing I’ve been able to have a great mentor and see how Coach, as an owner, is able to service each partner. That’s new for me – learning the owner side while still on the driver side, but I’m in for the long haul and will continue this far beyond my driving years. I’m passionate about this sport and I’m excited to bring new partners to the table and bring back others who have been in our sport in the past.”
And now introducing the newest members of the 23XI Racing family, @DoorDash, @McDonalds, @Columbia1938, @drpepper and @root_insurance. pic.twitter.com/c4UHWFTrVJ
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) December 14, 2020
DoorDash, McDonalds, Columbia, Dr. Pepper and Root Insurance will all be a part of the picture for the team this season.
Following the announcement, Denny Hamlin confirmed with Racer’s Kelly Crandall that sponsorship for the No. 23 car for the 2021 season has been totally sold.
Denny Hamlin confirms that with the five partners announced this morning for Bubba Wallace, season sponsorship is full for the No. 23 Toyota. Now they are looking at 2022 and 2023 not only in adding more cars to the team but extending partnerships | #NASCAR
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) December 14, 2020
What this essentially means is that although the cool No. 23 car that was unveiled as the showcar for the team, it will more than likely never hit the race track as the sponsorship slate has been filled out for the organization, and that is a good thing.
DoorDash, McDonalds and Columbia each sponsored Wallace a season ago at Richard Petty Motorsports, while Dr. Pepper and Root Insurance are new partners for 2021.
Wallace scored career-highs in top-fives (one), top-10s (five), points ranking (22nd), Average Finish (21.1) and lead lap finishes (18) in 2020. He also became a prominent voice on social injustice in the United States as he sported a Black Lives Matter paint scheme at Martinsville in 2020.
The 27-year old driver is chomping at the bit to get the 2021 season started.
“I’m pumped to get the season started. I wish Daytona was tomorrow,” Wallace said. “We’re heading in the right direction and we’ll be ready when we get to Daytona. As I’ve said before, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for me and there’s no more excuses. We want to go out and win and I know we’ll have everything we need each week to make that happen. To have great partners in DoorDash, McDonald’s, Columbia Sportswear, Dr Pepper and Root Insurance come on board and show their support of me and this team is really cool. I’m excited for what we can do on the track, but at the end of the day, these partnerships and relationships are so much more than that. It’s about how we use our platforms to be better humans and help create a positive change. It’s about what we do Monday through Friday outside of the firesuit and that’s a really special thing for me. Knowing I have their support and this team behind me makes me really excited for this season to see what we can accomplish together.”
23XI Racing will lean heavily on an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, which should help their Toyota team get off the ground running out of the gates for the 2021 season.
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