Denny Hamlin working to get Jordan Brand to produce 23XI Racing merch

The iconic Jordan Brand could soon be in the NASCAR merchandise business or perhaps more specifically, the 23XI Racing merchandise business.

23XI Racing, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, recently opened a new, 114,000-square-foot shop near Charlotte, North Carolina, called Airspeed. Hamlin told the Sports Business Journal that when fully open, he would like to have an area where fans can purchase specially made 23XI gear from Jordan Brand. The exclusive merchandise would only be available to buy in person. The Jordan Brand has sponsored first Kurt Busch and now Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota on multiple occasions.

The facility is one of NASCAR’s newest shops though its shop area isn’t as big as some other teams. Joe Gibbs Racing makes 23XI’s cars, meaning 23XI doesn’t have a fabrication team nor space in Airspeed for one.

“We could call it ‘Bob’s Garage’ but we’re doing a little more than building Bob’s garage,” Hamlin said earlier this month. “Airspeed is just a combination [of words] very similar to 23XI — 23 is him, XI [11] is me; Airspeed is air [for] him, speed [for] me. We just feel like that is a good identity for that building. We’re building fast cars. Anybody can call their building a shop, but we are pretty confident that this is ‘Airspeed’ worthy.”

Denny Hamlin could race for 23XI Racing full-time before retiring from NASCAR

In their time in the Cup Series, 23XI Racing has become a viable team worthy of competing week in and week out. Reddick finished sixth in his debut season with the team last campaign, while Wallace finished 10th. Hamlin, however, still pilots the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

In the interview with SBJ, Hamlin talked about the possibility of joining his own team one day. He wouldn’t make the move as a full-time driver unless he knew the equipment was as good or better than his Joe Gibbs Racing equipment. Apparently, he’s starting to feel that way.

“I’m slowly but surely starting to believe that 23XI is an equal to the position I’m in right now,” Hamlin said.