In a legal conflict with NASCAR, Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing and driver for the JGR team, has launched a sharp criticism following the anti-trust lawsuit filed by his team and Front Row Motorsports. The lawsuit accuses NASCAR of imposing unfair terms in their charter agreement, a move that Hamlin claims strips teams of their rights. Speaking openly about these concerns, Hamlin stated: “They took away all of our rights. All of our rights.”
The focal point of this legal battle lies in the two teams believing that NASCAR holds a monopoly, and that the charter agreement isn’t fair on the teams involved. Hamlin revealed that their lawyers were only given a brief 24-hour window to review the document before a signature was mandated.
“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“When essentially you know you get this document, that, by the way, your lawyer just had the first opportunity to talk 24 hours before that, and then all of a sudden you must sign this and we’re done.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 05, 2024 in Talladega, Alabama. Hamlin comments on the current legal battle between 23XI and NASCAR,
Sean Gardner/Getty Images
“When NASCAR put that clause in the very, you know, I’m not speaking out of turn here because I know these things are now public
“They put in there, ‘If you sign this you cannot sue us…for anti-trust.'”
The legal challenge is spearheaded by known anti-trust attorney Jeffrey Kessler, representing 23XI Racing and FRM. These teams argue that the charter agreement unduly restricted their business operations. Should the court rule in their favor, the decision could instigate major changes in NASCAR’s operations, potentially recalibrating business practices within the series.
Bubba Wallace, a driver under 23XI, has also broken his silence surrounding the legal battle.
“Me being an advocate for change and standing up for change, that’s what I look. It’s a crazy time to be in NASCAR, but I stand behind my team 100 percent, and we’ll see where it takes us,” he said.
Tyler Reddick also commented on the story unfurling:
“I mean they let us know what’s going on and yeah, basically along the same lines as what you guys have heard from Curtis and the lawyers.
“So, yeah all good here.
“No, I haven’t felt uncomfortable yet. I’ll let you know if that changes.”
Adding another string to his bow, Hamlin also accused NASCAR of inconsistent enforcement of rules, citing the controversial Talladega race incident. The race saw a significant collision involving 28 of the 40 cars, raising questions over NASCAR’s handling of the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP), which Hamlin argues was changed arbitrarily.
“The problem is you can’t change it[DVP] now because other people’s seasons have been decided by this rule… You can’t change it in the middle of your playoffs.”
