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Denny Hamlin responds, points out threat after Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Joe Gibbs named in NASCAR filing vs. Michael Jordan, 23XI

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra20 hours agoSamraSource
Denny Hamlin
(Mike Dinovo)

A seismic shift happened on Friday in the motorsports world. A court filing from NASCAR and Jim France regarding the ongoing antitrust lawsuit with Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing and Front Row took a new turn.

The sanctioning body submitted a request for summary judgment regarding the Sherman Act violations that the teams have accused NASCAR of. The filing included statements from multiple Cup Series team owners, including Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, Joe Gibbs, Brad Keselowski and more.

Those statements, voluntarily provided statements as part of the filing, were all centered around the charter system. Evidently, it’s the desire of the owners to see it continue, and their wish for the charters to become permanent.

It’s certainly pained Hamlin and his team in an unflattering light. He responded in kind on social media, pointing out a threat in the lawsuit after the team owners made their intentions known. Check it out below.

Hamlin is currently one of the championship favorites with Joe Gibbs Racing, which makes this story have even more layers to it. Regardless, it’s interesting that NASCAR made this filing on Friday. Clearly, they would like to see the court throw this case out when it comes to Hamlin and his team, essentially, with summary judgment.

While that is a possibility, it doesn’t seem likely with the way this case has played out to this point. All in all, this lawsuit continues to take twists and turns. This filing is the latest. Permanent charters are something to note.

During past filings, NASCAR has stated it’d rather not mess with charters. So, maybe the lawsuit is making them change their minds? This could really be a major blow to 23XI and Front Row if the court follows through. 

The court will ultimately make the decision. During the proceedings, Judge Bell has warned both sides. The judge believes that a trial would radically change the sport. That the trial wouldn’t satisfy either side. Still, we appear to be headed for that trial in less than two months now. 

How will the teams respond to this newest filing from NASCAR? Is this enough to bring the two sides together to reach a settlement? It feels like NASCAR has made a big move with the team owner statements as well. That could cause an awkward garage area, especially for 23XI Racing and Hamlin moving forward.

— On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.