The Toyota stable will have a new, fresh face in its lineup for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
After the announcement that Tyler Reddick will leave Richard Childress Racing at the end of 2023 to drive for 23XI Racing, team co-owner Denny Hamlin was emphatic about his most recent hire.
“I watched him, I raced against him, I wanted him, and I got him,” Hamlin said. “I didn’t know anything else that goes along with that. There’s no hidden secrets here. We do not know who the sponsor will be. We do not know what car it is. All we know is we wanted him. We’ve made sure we planted our feet deep in the ground to make sure that Tyler had an opportunity with this race team, and we made it happen.”
Hamlin, along with 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta, now have some big decisions to make as they plan for 2024.
Currently, Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace are under contract through the 2023 season.
“No changes on our side for ’23 as I said,” Lauletta said. “The focus is really squarely on ’24, and how we maximize the opportunity for the organization as a whole.”
When Lauletta was asked whether any of the drivers are under contract beyond 2023, he was careful not to reveal too many details.
“We’re not going to tell you details about our agreements.”
Hamlin expanded on the situation, and whether or not 23XI is in a position to expand to a three-car team in 2024.
“With two charters, no,” Hamlin said. “We don’t forecast that being the case for us. So I think we’re pretty happy with where we’re at right now with the couple cars that we have. I don’t foresee anything changing with that for 2023.”
Though he didn’t completely rule out expansion in the future, Hamlin still believes the number of cars will remain the same.
“All scenarios are always out there, but that’s the most likely scenario.”
Busch, who turns 44 next month, is nearing the checkered flag on his 23-year career.
Hamlin reiterated that the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion will finish his career with the team.
“He will. There’s no question about that,” Hamlin said. “We’re going to have Kurt. As long as Kurt wants to be a race car driver, we want to have him. So, that’s pretty much the end of that. Once he’s done driving, he’s going to have a nice, cushy, office job at 23XI, so he’s going to be part of our future well beyond his driving days. We constantly are in dialogue with him on what his plans are. But ultimately, you never know. Things could change, and Kurt could want to race until he’s 48 years old. If he does, then we’re going to field a car for him.”