Denny Hamlin was dejected after falling short of a win in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas.
The driver of the No. 11 led a race-high 131 laps and was in command with two laps remaining. However, a caution followed by an overtime restart shuffled Hamlin back to a third-place finish.
Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick passed Kyle Larson on the final lap to win the AdventHealth 400. Reddick drives for 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan.
After the race, Hamlin did not seem in the mood to celebrate his driver’s victory. Jordan, however, had reason to celebrate and shared an awkward post-race moment with his co-owner.
Hamlin reacts to viral post-race encounter with Michael Jordan
The moment between Hamlin and Jordan sparked a lot of attention on social media.
Hamlin was feeling the disappointment of missing out on his fifth Kansas win, while Jordan was eager to celebrate Reddick’s triumph. Jordan approached Hamlin with all smiles, giving him an embrace and patting him on the head.
On the most recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin addressed the moment.
“I don’t expect him to understand where I’m at in that moment. Every other Reddick win, I’ve been split. Happy, sad, happy, sad, you know? Just depends on how my day went. That one, I was full 100 percent my way on this one. The emotions were all team 11 on that one,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin told Jordan during race weekend that he knew he would win at Kansas as long as nothing “weird” happened. The six-time NBA champion acknowledged Hamlin’s confidence.
During a Saturday hang-out with fellow Cup drivers Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, Hamlin recalls Jordan expressing his concern. Hamlin, in turn, felt Reddick was going to be tough to handle at Kansas.
Michael said, ‘Yeah, I’m worried about the 11. Denny says he’s going to win and I’m worried about the 11.’ I was like, ‘Eh, I thought the 45 was quite a bit better than us in practice, but we’re good at making overnight adjustments,’” Hamlin said.
Hamlin on competitive edge with Jordan: ‘I talk a lot of trash’
Hamlin and Jordan might be co-owners of 23XI Racing, but they are competitors on race day.
When the 23XI cars are out of contention, Hamlin said that is when “MJ” is rooting for him. However, if it comes down to Hamlin and one of the 23XI drivers, Jordan is in the corner of his team.
They might be business partners, but Hamlin said there is a lot of trash talk between him and the basketball great. Most of the time, Hamlin said he is the one who starts the banter.
“He’s very happy because of how much [expletive] I talk to him, actually. I know it’s hard to believe, but I talk a lot of trash to him. … He probably wants to beat me as much as anyone. … When it’s head-to-head, he wants to see the 23XI drivers beat me because I talk that trash,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin and Jordan started 23XI Racing ahead of the 2026 season. The team fields three full-time Cup drivers with Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Riley Herbst as the drivers.
Denny Hamlin Reacts to Viral Post-Race Moment With Michael Jordan