Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin started 23XI Racing in 2021. Nobody expected the new team to win right away. To develop quickly, they teamed up with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Five years later, that deal has turned 23XI into a real championship threat. Now, some people think JGR is helping its biggest rival more than it helps itself.

Is Joe Gibbs Racing helping Michael Jordan’s team more than required?

“Would you pay $8 million if you were Michael Jordan to win a championship? F— yeah, right? You know what I mean? Like maybe bump that s— up to $23 million, your Airness, and see if they still want the f——g setups, you know?”

When talking about the future of Joe Gibbs Racing’s technical partnership with 23XI Racing on the Rubbin’ Is Racing podcast, Large posed that blunt question.

The two teams have worked together since 23XI entered the sport. For about $8 million a year, 23XI gets access to JGR’s engineering, race setups, and data. But Large argues the deal is completely one-sided now. According to him, Joe Gibbs Racing is not getting nearly as much benefit from the partnership as 23XI is. And hence, he argues that JGR should end the partnership. That argument gained more traction after Chicagoland.

“Are you guys with me that maybe Joe Gibbs Racing at this point right now should end that relationship? Because 23XI is making more off of it than I think Joe Gibbs Racing is with the $8 million. 23XI had three of their four drivers, including Cory Heim, in the top 10 this weekend,” he said.

He has a point. Bubba Wallace finished 6th, Corey Heim took 9th, and Riley Herbst grabbed 10th. The only exception was Tyler Reddick, whose afternoon was wrecked by mechanical problems. Even so, Reddick’s season as a whole is still among the best in the garage.

The No. 45 squad had an incredible start to 2026, winning five races and dominating the championship rankings for a large portion of the campaign. He only gave up the lead to JGR driver and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin in recent weeks at Sonoma. Combine that with Bubba Wallace’s continued improvement and Heim’s great part-time finishes, and 23XI looks like a powerhouse.

Large thinks JGR should reconsider the alliance’s economics for just this very reason. 23XI may have already achieved the purpose of technical collaborations, which is to help smaller firms become competitive.

“So that’s one of the reasons they’re eating, you know, Joe Gibbs Racing’s lunch for all intents and purposes,” Large explained.

He did not necessarily advocate for a quick termination of the collaboration. Rather, he recommended that Joe Gibbs Racing acknowledge the power that Michael Jordan had and adjust their pricing if he is prepared to make the necessary investments to pursue a Cup Series championship.

“If they don’t cut them off, if they don’t put their t–s back in the b–, then they should bump up the f—–g price because I don’t think eight million, I see the money that’s been thrown around in these lawsuits and all this stuff,” he concluded.

What do you think? Has Joe Gibbs Racing outgrown its alliance with 23XI Racing, or is the partnership still a win-win for both organizations?