Despite the antitrust lawsuit filed against NASCAR by his 23XI Racing team and Front Row Motorsports, Denny Hamlin remains optimistic about his chances of winning his first NASCAR Cup championship in 2024. Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan, is actively involved in an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its ruling family. The outcome of a hearing scheduled for November 4 will determine whether 23XI Racing can retain its franchises during the ongoing litigation. Despite these off-track challenges, Hamlin remains focused on the track. He was quick to point out that he welcomes the challenge of winning the NASCAR Cup during this difficult time, as quoted by Motorsport.com:“Yeah, to be honest, I would love to have that problem [laughs].
“I always say when you have a problem you have to cross that bridge, that’s a problem I want to solve, but I understand the responsibilities of a champion and of course I know what I’m talking about, I think I can make a good distinction between the two. “Despite the setback, Hamlin finished eighth in Las Vegas. Reflecting on the race, Hamlin commented:”It’s not a good day. Of course, that sums it up. You will have it. I did my best to get the best possible finish. I thought Chris [Gabehart, crew chief] did a great job of wrapping it up. When I lost track position early on, he did his best to regain it through strategy, then went a long way and I fell back. “It’s just part of it.”
Hamlin continued:
“We’re not performing as strongly as we did at the beginning of the year and we’re not as clean and executing as we used to be. Just clean it and go to housekeeping. win.”NASCAR recently responded to a request from 23XI Racing and FRM to continue its racebook during the ongoing 2025 legal battle and to proactively address the lawsuit itself. Here’s the answer, as previously reported in full by Newsweek Sports:
“Plaintiffs’ requests could cause substantial harm to NASCAR, require its 32 owners to prepare budgets for the upcoming season, and require NASCAR to calculate and report available prize money for each race. NASCAR cannot reissue the 2025 charter without hurting the Charter group and other stakeholders, especially since the plaintiffs have refused to sign the 2025 charter, thereby raising prices for Charter and Open teams.
