Why Michael Jordan Playfully Kissed Denny Hamlin During NASCAR Celebration, Explained
Michael Jordan keeps making headlines at NASCAR races, and his latest viral moment has social media buzzing all over again.
A video from Kansas Speedway on April 19 shows Jordan wrapping his hand around co-owner Denny Hamlin’s neck and kissing his head — and the backstory involves a healthy dose of trash talk between two competitive friends.
What Happened Between Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin?
After the final lap at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, April 19, Jordan was celebrating another Tyler Reddick victory when cameras caught him approaching Hamlin.
Jordan wrapped his hand around Hamlin’s neck and gave him a kiss on the side of his head before walking away. The video made its way onto X, where fans quickly weighed in.
“Who grabs another man’s neck and kisses them. So WEIRD,” one X user wrote.
Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s Competitive Rivalry
The moment makes far more sense with context. Hamlin and Jordan jointly own 23XI Racing, a team launched ahead of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Three full-time Cup drivers compete for the organization: Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst.
Hamlin, despite being a co-owner, continues to drive for rival team Joe Gibbs Racing. He plans to race full-time against his own cars through the conclusion of the following season.
That setup creates a genuine competitive streak between the two on race days.
At Kansas Speedway, Hamlin — who drives No. 11 — led for 131 laps, more than any other driver. With two laps to go, he was positioned to win. A late caution triggered an overtime restart that disrupted his lead.
Hamlin crossed the finish line in fourth place. Reddick overtook Kyle Larson on the final lap to claim victory. The win would have been Hamlin’s fifth career triumph at Kansas. Instead, Reddick earned his fifth win of the 2026 season.
Jordan told FOX Sports after the race: “Look, I’m racing against Denny. So in essence, I really wanted to beat him because I know we’re going to talk a lot of trash a little bit later.”
Denny Hamlin Reacts to the Viral Post-Race Moment
Hamlin responded on the April 20 episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast.
“I mean, I don’t expect him to understand where I’m at in that moment, right,” Hamlin said. “Every other Reddick win, I’ve been split, happy, sad, happy, sad and it just kind of depends on how my day went.”
“This one, I was full a hundred percent in my way on this one, you know what I mean. Like the emotions were all on Team 11 on that one for sure,” he added.
Hamlin revealed he talked trash to Jordan before the race, telling him “that if something weird doesn’t happen, Kansas is a guaranteed win.”
“He’s very happy because of how much [expletive] I talk to him, actually. I know it’s hard to believe, but I talk a lot of trash to him,” Hamlin continued. “He probably wants to beat me as much as anyone. … When it’s head-to-head, he wants to see the 23XI drivers beat me because I talk that trash.”
Michael Jordan Also Went Viral Two Months Ago
The Kansas video came two months after Jordan sparked controversy at Reddick’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. During the celebration, Jordan was seen standing behind Reddick’s 6-year-old son Beau.
A video that went viral on X showed Jordan appearing to grab at or tap the child’s lower back and brushing his leg.
Another video added context. Prior to the interaction, Reddick had poured an ice-cold drink over his son as they celebrated. Some internet users speculated that Jordan was helping Beau get ice or liquid off his shirt.
Jordan’s NASCAR celebrations have become a guaranteed source of social media debate — and based on what he and Hamlin have both said, the trash talk and the viral moments are far from over.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 10:58 AM.
