Michael Jordan, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin are the three characters NASCAR fans think of first when the subject is 23XI Racing. Jordan is the money behind the Cup Series team, Wallace is the highly visible driver, and Hamlin is the face of the organization when big announcements like the signing of Tyler Reddick happen.
Behind the scenes, however, Steve Lauletta is making the big decisions and charting the future of 23XI.
When he’s not doing that, it looks like Lauletta is daydreaming about plotting the disappearance of the people who run the tracks.
Steve Lauletta is an experienced Marketing and Racing Director
Once Michael Jordan bought the land from Denny Hamlin to create a new NASCAR Cup Series team for the 2021 season, the main recruit was Steve Lauletta, named interim president of 23XI Racing.
Lauletta, a Notre Dame graduate, worked in sports marketing at Miller Brewing, a big player in racing sponsors, and spent 10 years at Chip Ganassi Racing. Along the way, he started his own marketing consulting firm.
The interim label lost its title near the end of the first season, and it’s been executing some major moves since. With Bubba Wallace in place as the team’s first driver in 2021, Lauletta rolled out the second 23XI car last season with Kurt Busch and worked with Hamlin to field Tyler Reddick as the new driver of the #45 Toyota. .
Why is Bubba Wallace’s boss talking about killing runway executives?
Fifteen of Bubba Wallace’s sponsorships in points races last season at 23XI Racing came from companies that were in the driver’s portfolio during his final season at Richard Petty Motorsports. Root Insurance and Leidos, Dr Pepper and Money Lion were also part of the 2022 lineup. They filled a good balance of food and beverage, clothing and finance backers – all coveted by teams and leagues of all sports.
It’s one more reason Steve Lauletta was a savvy rookie at 23XI Racing, but he’s not the only one lining up the money that keeps NASCAR teams going. Every organization speaks to potential sponsors every week, and it’s a safe bet that Lauletta’s counterparts have the same complaint he expressed on the Dale Jr. Download Podcast.
“We’ve been fortunate to bring some new brands to the sport for 23XI, and as soon as we announce a brand, I’ll say every circuit is calling them for sure,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with the leads, and I’m just saying this: why are your people calling the sponsor that I have a relationship with? They should call me because I have the relationship.
“’So I can do one of two things. I can either help you or I can kill you. Why don’t you want me to help you? Because I want them to be part of all the other stuff, but I don’t want you around the backdoors and alleyways and all the other stuff. Let’s work together on this.
“They don’t know what to ask”
Steve Lauletta’s frustration with people from other areas of NASCAR who speak to 23XI Racing sponsors is that they may not understand the needs of the potential partner because the agency handling the account is unfamiliar with NASCAR.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I just put the only solution in front of them?” Lauletta asked on the podcast. “It’s easier for me to do this because I know where to go (better) than someone sitting in New York thinking, ‘What am I doing?’
“Not only do they not want to talk to multiple people, but they don’t know what to ask. They have no idea. They’ve never been to a race before potentially, so they wouldn’t experience a sequel to Daytona versus where I sit in Sonoma. It’s up to us again as a group to be smarter and help these big brands and the smartest marketers on the planet understand why they should be involved in NASCAR.
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