Denny Hamlin gives surprising answer to question about potential NASCAR vs. 23XI lawsuit settlement

Denny Hamlin said this past Saturday at Pocono Raceway that he is open to a settlement before 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR is scheduled to go to trial Dec. 1. Hamlin stated he’s “always hoped cooler heads would prevail.”

Denny Hamlin confirmed that he is open to a settlement before the 23XI/FRM antitrust against NASCAR goes to trial and maintained he's always hoped cooler heads would prevail, but said "it's not on our end" that needs to cool their heads.

Hamlin says 23XI/FRM has yet to make a… pic.twitter.com/N6fIw4ea9m

— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) June 22, 2025

“I have stated publicly that I’ve always hoped cooler heads would prevail. But it’s not on our end that needs to, you know, the cooler heads. We’ve said that,” Hamlin said, via Steven Taranto of CBS Sports. “I think the difference is they’re saying different things on their side. So, we’re prepared to go all the way.”

Hamlin added that 23XI and Front Row have not made a formal settlement offer to NASCAR: “No, we don’t have mediation, I believe, until August or so. We did not want to entertain any of that until we went through full fact discovery.”

23XI, Front Row and NASCAR were most recently in court last Tuesday. Judge Ken Bell of North Carolina’s Western District urged both sides to settle before the case goes to trial.

“It’s hard to picture a winner if this goes to the mat — or to the flag — in this case,” Bell said. “It scares me to death to think about what all this is costing.”

23XI, Front Row lawsuit against NASCAR takes another turn

23XI and Front Row filed their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its CEO Jim France Oct. 2, 2024. The lawsuit stemmed from 23XI and Front Row opting not to sign NASCAR’s final charter proposal last September at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Teams negotiated an extension of the original 2016 charter agreement for two years ahead of its Dec. 31 expiration.

23XI and Front Row were the two holdouts among the 15 Cup Series teams. The final offer included a nearly 50 percent increase that teams earned from NASCAR’s record $1.1 billion per year television deal that went into effect in 2025 and also runs through 2031.

On June 5, the Court of Appeals vacated the preliminary injunction that granted charter status to 23XI and Front Row. There was a 14-day window for the teams to ask the case to be heard by the entire panel of judges at the Court of Appeals. The teams filed that petition this past Friday.