On Tuesday (19th April), Logitech G announced an official partnership with NASCAR driver and team owner Denny Hamlin. A sponsor of the team Hamlin owns, 23XI Racing, as the sponsor of Mitchell deJong’s No. 23 Toyota in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, Logitech G will extend their partnership with Hamlin in his real-world endeavors.
Hamlin will carry the Logitech G logo on his driver’s suit throughout the remainder of the 2022 season. “I love working with brands that are on the forefront of technology and innovation,” said Hamlin. “This is such a natural fit for me, as I’ve used their wheels and accessories for years in my own gaming rigs.
“Being a professional driver and a sim racer, I see the value in how important sim racing is to the growth of our sport. Logitech G is an integral part of that as it sits squarely at the intersection of technology and racing.”
23XI Racing’s first real-world driver, Bubba Wallace, has already been partnered with the company since 2021. His driver suit will also feature the Logitech G emblem this season.
A SIM RACER SINCE THE START
Throughout his career, Hamlin has been a solid advocate between the connection of real-world racing and sim racing. When he was a NASCAR Cup Series rookie back in 2006, he credited his early expertise of Pocono Raceway to practicing many laps on the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season platform as he swept both races at the track that year.
When the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series launched in March of 2020 in response to the pandemic, Hamlin was the series’ first winner, winning at a virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway following a duel with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also won the last race of the season at a virtually reconstructed version of North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Before he became an owner of his Cup Series team with NBA icon Michael Jordan, Hamlin stepped into team ownership virtually with the creation of DHR Esports, which was sponsored by the Jordan brand.
Hamlin selected Casey Kirwan and Keegan Leahy to pilot the virtual No. 23 and No. 32 that season. That led to four wins by the team, including the season opening battle at Daytona which was won by Leahy. In 2021, the team became aligned with his real-world efforts in 23XI Racing and brought in deJong to replace Kirwan, who had moved to XSET.
LOGITECH G HAS BEEN STEPPING UP
In the virtual top level series, deJong has been sporting the Logitech G colors through the first five races of the season, and per the announcement, will have a total of 10 races this season with the full virtual Logitech G wrap. In essence, Logitech G has already been a staple commodity in the eNASCAR sphere, sponsoring both Nick Ottinger and Logan Clampitt for William Byron eSports the last two seasons.
Both deJong and Clampitt carried the colors into the 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Championship 4, which was ultimately won by Hamlin’s other driver, Leahy, but it was the Logitech G drivers who finished second and third. The season prior, Ottinger took the championship in a Logitech G branded Chevrolet.
This season, all 40 of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series cars have carried the Logitech G logo in the contingency sponsorship area, alongside ASUS and PlaySeat.
CONTINUING TO EXPAND INTO REAL-WORLD EFFORTS
The brand continues to venture out in to the real-world. Logitech G has infiltrated the American-based NASCAR scene the same way that Fanatec has been able to branch out internationally, such as their efforts with the World Rally Championship.
Granted, Fanatec has also been providing equipment into a bunch of real-world racing ventures, providing steering wheel technology with brands such as Bentley and BMW, but who knows what Logitech G has in store as they continue to build their presence in the NASCAR garage.
You’ll also find Logitech G as one of the brands promoted at the eNASCAR Arcade at select race tracks throughout the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Back during the Daytona 500 weekend, fans who signed up for eNASCAR alerts at the eNASCAR Arcade received a bundle of free items, which included a t-shirt, hand sanitizer, lip balm and a Logitech G bracelet.
Logitech was one of the first big brands on the sim racing sphere with the G25. The current top-of-the-line peripheral that they sell is the G923 TRUEFORCE wheel and pedal set. All in all, it’s a great sight to see a technology company that has stakes in sim racing branch out into real-world racing, connecting the two closer even more.
Be sure to look out for Logitech G drivers Hamlin and Wallace as they take on Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, a track both have found success at in the past. Stay tuned as well for the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, which will take on Dover Motor Speedway on 26th April, a venue last won by Logitech G driver Nick Ottinger back in 2020.
