The mission that Denny Hamlin sent his 23XI Racing drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick into in 2024 was to compete for the race win every weekend. After weeks of admirable efforts, Reddick finally breached the wall and won in Talladega. A second victory would send a strong message of intent to Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, the two teams that have been dominating the season thus far. And that message could be sent as early as this weekend in Kansas.
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The 1.5-mile progressively banked Kansas speedway is the third intermediate track on the 2024 schedule. What it is also, is one of the best tracks of 23XI Racing. Since the introduction of the Next Gen car, the track has been the host to four Cup Series races. A 23XI Racing driver has won three of them. Kurt Busch and Wallace completed a sweep in 2022 and Reddick won last fall.
Reddick also happens to be the only driver to have finished inside the top-5 in the first two intermediate races this year, in Las Vegas and Texas. In Kansas, he started the last four races (Next Gen era) no worse than in fifth place. Wallace, on the other hand, has a strong case to make for his chances of success as well. He has three top-10 finishes and a win in the last four races.
The dominance that 23XI Racing will be up against in Kansas
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) have always been the apex predators in the Cup Series. But what’s shocking this season is how far ahead they are of the other teams. The two outfits have a combined five poles, nine victories, 29 top-5s, and 2,185 leading laps. The top-5 drivers with the best average running positions this year all drive for these two teams.
All eight drivers showcasing strong caliber, there’s little doubt that the 2024 Championship 4 will have a strong Gibbs or Hendrick taste to it. But could a different team jump in and be a party crasher? It wouldn’t be outlandish to hope so. Prime among those capable of doing this is 23XI Racing with recent history favoring it the most.
The Denny Hamlin-Michael Jordan owned team has been one of the only two outfits to win a race this year apart from JGR and HMS. By winning a second time, 23XI could serve as a beacon of hope for the other organizations that are yet to visit the victory lane.
