Denny Hamlin Indirectly Declares 23XI Racing Is Going to Win the NASCAR Lawsuit
Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on the latest drama over 23XI Racing's lawsuit.
Denny Hamlin (via IMAGO)
The NASCAR community is split over the charter lawsuit that was filed by Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing last year. After multiple injunctions, appeals, and failed attempts to settle outside the court, the antitrust lawsuit is set to go to trial. Despite significant setbacks from the court, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin seems too confident that they will win.
Last week, during the latest proceedings over the injunction, the court witnessed a lot of drama. Chats from both 23XI owners and NASCAR officials were aired on court, with debates turning ugly. But none of this has affected the No. 11 TRD team, as Denny Hamlin showed his class by winning the pole for the Playoffs opener at Darlington.
The veteran racer used the opportunity to take digs at NASCAR, when the media pressed him about the recent court drama. He highlighted how NASCAR was only able to produce casual conversations via text to back their arguments, while they had solid documents that validated their claims.
Yeah, I mean, from our side, what was shared was just talk and banter amongst ourselves and has nothing to do with the actual case itself, and we provided important documents to the case.
Denny Hamlin told The Athletic (On3.com).
He was then asked about how he dealt with the pressure and delivering on the track. Hamlin responded to it by pointing out that everyone is going through a tough period alongside him. He then shared his confidence that everything will be alright from the 2026 season, which can only be possible if they don’t win the lawsuit and lose the charters.
I don’t know, it’s, you know, everyone has to deal with it. The team deals with it. We have our own stuff that we’re having to deal with while going through this, but one thing’s for sure, 2026 will be better.
Denny Hamlin asserted.
Denny Hamlin said.
Denny Hamlin explains how he is going to race his 23XI drivers in the playoffs
It’s not just Denny Hamlin who is going through the pressure in the playoffs; it’s his 23XI Racing drivers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Both of them are in the playoffs fighting for wins as well as the coveted championship alongside the remaining 14 drivers in the R-16.

So, how is Denny Hamlin approaching the difficult situation? He does it by finding the right balance, by giving the drivers space during the playoffs and only focusing on the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing crew, as they are continuing their search for a maiden Cup title for the veteran racer.
I feel like there is a good balance that I try to have. I try to give them, while I am able to have access to everything, I give them a little bit of space during the playoffs. I don’t think it’s necessarily fair if I go and see their strategy meeting and then go sit in mine.
Denny Hamlin said.
Furthermore, he admitted that he keeps some of his secrets to himself during the post-season battle, as at the end of the day, he is a competitor determined to win the race for the title. So, Denny Hamlin has limited or no role in how the No:23 and No:45 teams operate.
I do give them their competition space when it comes to the playoffs, because ultimately, while I’m still driving, nothing would anger me more than to give them a secret of mine and then it knocks me out of the playoffs. I let them do it themselves for these ten (races).
Denny Hamlin added.
The comments from Denny Hamlin show both strong confidence he has in himself as well as in his drivers. It would be interesting to see how everyone is going to play out for the trip in the coming ten races of the season.
Also Read: Joey Logano “Shames” NASCAR Drivers for Criticizing the Playoff Format