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Denny Hamlin doubles down against ESPN, NASCAR 'narratives' about antitrust lawsuit

JHby: Jonathan Howard11/28/25Jondean25

A bit of a back and forth with Ryan McGee of ESPN has Denny Hamlin all fired up ahead of Monday’s antitrust trial. Before 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports meet NASCAR in court, Hamlin is airing it out online one more time.

Earlier today, Denny Hamlin called Ryan McGee out for a “propaganda piece.” McGee had published an article that is meant to serve as an explainer of the lawsuit ahead of the trial on Monday.

The ESPN writer and TV personality replied to Hamlin and attempted to defend himself. “Tried to hit it down the middle, thus all the ‘(Fill in the blank) believes…’ and ‘(Fill in the blank) argues…” Sorry you [disagree], but thanks for reading. See you Monday.”

Denny Hamlin did not seem to care. He fired right back with the same amount of vitriol.

“Our fans have been brainwashed with their talking points for decades,” Hamlin said of NASCAR. “Narratives pushed by media who are intimidated by them. Lies are over starting Monday morning. It’s time for the truth. It’s time for change.”

In a reply to a fan, who pointed out one part of McGee’s article in particular, we can see a little bit of what Hamlin took issue with. Under the subheading “What is the endgame for each side?” McGee writes that the team lawsuit “doesn’t list much in terms of specifics.” It also goes on to talk about charters and what the teams are seeking in damages.

Denny Hamlin is full throttle. He appears ready for this lawsuit to get to trial on Monday. From there, who knows how it will go? One thing that is clear is that Hamlin has confidence. Going into such an uncertain situation, it could end up being more bravado than genuine.

Denny Hamlin calls out NASCAR, ESPN for ‘propaganda’

The day after Thanksgiving, the feeling of love and togetherness doesn’t seem to be sticking around in the NASCAR world. After all, the future of the sport is going to be decided in a courtroom coming up in a few days.

Shortly after Ryan McGee posted his article, Denny Hamlin was in his replies. He even called out NASCAR’s managing director of race communications.

“Please give credit to [Mike Forde] for helping you write this propaganda piece that they want pushed to switch the narrative,” Hamlin replied on Twitter/X.com. “Continuous lies about our stance, NASCARs motives for its actions, and continued message from the sanctioning body that everything is fine. Our fans know better.”

If you have listened to Denny Hamlin’s podcast, you will know Forde’s name, at least. Hamlin has had his quibbles with Forde in the past. This one feels a little more…intense. This is only going to get more heated during the trial.