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Denny Hamlin Channels Michael Jordan in His Outfit Choice for Travis Scott Concert
The Cup Series veteran did right by the NBA GOAT and his partner at 23XI Racing with his Air Jordan threads for the rapper’s Charlotte show.
Denny Hamlin is not only a force to be reckoned with as he chases his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, but he's proven willing and able to stir the pot on occasion, and have some fun along the way.
Case in point, check out Hamlin’s costume prep for Wednesday's Travis Scott concert in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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After donning a myriad of options, including an eyebrow-raising fishing outfit, complete with an ill-fitting bucket hat and anglers vest, Hamlin landed on a black racing suit — but this was no ordinary racing suit. In a nod to Chicago Bulls’ six-time champion Michael Jordan — the NBA GOAT and Hamlin's 23XI Racing partner — Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 11 rocked a flashy race suit to the Spectrum Center that featured multiple iterations of the iconic Air Jordan Jumpman logo on the legs, shoulders and chest.
As the undisputed sneakerhead of NASCAR, Hamlin complemented his hybrid NBA-NASCAR-themed getup with some blinged-out ice around his neck and a slick pair of black and yellow Air Force 1’s — one of his nearly 500 pairs of fresh kicks that are showcased on the wall behind him in the video he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“Travis concert tonight,” Hamlin wrote. “Choose the fit." He added in the comments, "Made everyone I went with wear one of the options.”
While some poor soul in Hamlin’s group may have been forced to rock Hamlin’s goofy fishing outfit, the driver’s choice of the black and yellow Jumpman-inspired racing suit earned him instant approval from several fans.
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“Hell yeah Denny is ballin this year,” posted one fan. Another wrote, “Clearly the cleanest fit of the whole bunch,” while someone else declared, “This is why Denny is the undisputed GOAT.”
While Hamlin still has several championships to capture to even come close to being considered the GOAT — including his first, which many believe could be right around the corner — there’s no denying his strong connection to the Jordan brand.
Though he’s a co-owner of 23XI Racing with Jordan, Hamlin’s still employed by JGR, so the swag that he reps on race days is nothing like that of Tyler Reddick or his teammate Bubba Wallace, who both compete under the 23XI Racing banner. That means all those slick suits Reddick sports are off limits for Hamlin, something that he's had his eye on for a while.
In the wake of winning the Bristol playoff race, his 51st career victory and an event for which Jordan was in attendance, all Hamlin wanted to talk about was the Jumpman gear and paint schemes that Reddick is constantly showered with.
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“I was being a fanboy in the middle of practice,” Hamlin revealed after cruising to his Bristol victory in the final race of the Round of 16, according to Sportskeeda. “Taking pictures of Tyler Reddick’s suit. Make sure I get that suit after this weekend. Really cool the crossover stuff they’re doing.”
“I’m jealous at times of the paint schemes, jealous of the M.J. stuff that Tyler gets to run,” added Hamlin. “We’re still partners. Michael views us as winning, just like he does our race team. He says every weekend he has three chances to win, so this one he won.”
Branded by many as the best driver yet to win a title, Hamlin has flipped the script this year. Winning has been part of Hamlin’s recipe in his resurgence this season, scoring victories at the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway and the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway to compliment his postseason win at Bristol where he passed NASCAR legend Junior Johnson for victories. He currently sits in third on the leaderboard with 13 top-five finishes and 4,032 points, which is just four points behind Martin Truex Jr. in second and nine points behind William Byron in first.
The Tampa native is among the elite Cup Series drivers to garner a spot in the Round of 8, which kicks off this weekend with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
