December 14, 2020 | By Lee Spencer

23XI rolls out founding sponsors for Bubba Wallace

23XI unveiled its 2021 sponsorship lineup for Bubba Wallace on Monday—expected to be the richest deal since Tony Stewart rolled out his deals for the inaugural season of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009.

The lineup includes DoorDash, McDonald’s, Columbia Sportswear, Dr. Pepper, and Root Insurance as its founding partners.

Co-owner Denny Hamlin is already appearing in advertising surrounding the new benefactors.

“Today is a big day for us at 23XI Racing,” Hamlin said. “To be able to announce the addition of five founding partners who are willing to join us in our first year and who share in our beliefs and values is such a great feeling. We’ve certainly had to make things happen fast to build this new team, and I’m excited to welcome each one of these partners and to get to know them better.

“I’m fortunate that during my time at Joe Gibbs Racing I’ve been able to have a great mentor and see how Coach, as an owner, is able to service each partner. That’s new for me - learning the owner side while still on the driver side, but I’m in for the long haul and will continue this far beyond my driving years. I’m passionate about this sport and I’m excited to bring new partners to the table and bring back others who have been in our sport in the past.”

To drive top of the line equipment through a technical alliance with JGR is the best opportunity Wallace has had to showcase his talent in the NASCAR Cup Series since his 2018 debut in stock car’s top tour.

“I’m pumped to get the season started,” Wallace said. “I wish Daytona was tomorrow. We’re heading in the right direction and we’ll be ready when we get to Daytona. As I’ve said before, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for me and there’s no more excuses. We want to go out and win and I know we’ll have everything we need each week to make that happen.

“To have great partners in DoorDash, McDonald’s, Columbia Sportswear, Dr. Pepper and Root Insurance come on board and show their support of me and this team is really cool. I’m excited for what we can do on the track, but at the end of the day, these partnerships and relationships are so much more than that. It’s about how we use our platforms to be better humans and help create a positive change. It’s about what we do Monday through Friday outside of the firesuit and that’s a really special thing for me. Knowing I have their support and this team behind me makes me really excited for this season to see what we can accomplish together.”

The 27-year-old Mobile, Alabama native has three top fives and nine top 10s in 112 Cup starts. DoorDash, McDonald’s and Columbia have served as liveries for Wallace during his tenure at Richard Petty Motorsports.

“As a company that values diversity, openness, and empowering local communities, we are proud to partner with 23XI Racing to build upon our shared foundation of creating a more inclusive environment for NASCAR fans,” said Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, VP, Marketing, DoorDash.

“This partnership enables us to further engage with the racing community through one of the most innovative teams in the sport, while expanding our previous partnership with Bubba Wallace, Jr. and accelerating our commitment to creating real change for the underrepresented communities and restaurants we serve.”

“Two years ago, McDonald’s partnered with one of motorsport’s rising stars, Bubba Wallace, and we couldn’t be more proud to witness him succeed on and off the track, while breaking barriers and becoming one of the sport’s truest change agents,” Joe Erlinger, President, McDonald’s USA. “As a founding partner of 23XI Racing, we’re excited to continue our partnership with Bubba as he and the team advance the sport and make it more relevant to a larger audience.”