Denny Hamlin addresses pressure of racing amid 23XI lawsuit, relationship with NASCAR executives

Denny Hamlin spent the final month of his 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season competing for a championship while dealing with off-the-track drama.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in federal court in North Carolina on Oct. 2. The two teams accused NASCAR and its CEO Jim France of “unlawful monopolization of premier stock car racing in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams.”

Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI, will now begin the 2025 season with the lawsuit still going on, but doesn’t believe it will impact his on-track performance, he told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports in a sit-down interview ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500.

As the 2025 season is about to begin, 23XI and Front Row are still embroiled in a lawsuit against NASCAR. 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin on trying to race amid legal filings and awaiting decisions. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/zWIp6vJ6YR

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 11, 2025

“Well, I think your performance on track is so indicative of the speed of your cars, how good is your pit crew, how well do you do as a driver — not anything that happens off the racetrack. So, I don’t see it being a factor at all,” Hamlin said. “If you talk to those in our 23XI race shop, it’s business as usual. We’re digging ahead and trying to win a championship over there and I’m trying to win a championship as a driver. Really, all the off-track stuff is for the attorneys and they’re handling.”

Denny Hamlin opens up about lawsuit against NASCAR

When the two teams filed the lawsuit, the big question was whether they would be allowed to race in 2025 as chartered teams. In December, they found the answer they were hoping for, obtaining the preliminary injunction to race as chartered teams this season as the lawsuit continues.

Hamlin said it was nerve-wracking not knowing if they would be granted the injunction to run as chartered teams as opposed to open teams.

“Certainly, was for sure. I felt like we were deserving of having our charters through this system and obviously, it worked out that way,” Hamlin said.

With that settled, Hamlin, 23XI and Front Row can now focus on the upcoming 36-race season. A lot is at stake for the 44-year-old Hamlin, who is still searching for his first Cup championship. And while Hamlin hasn’t shied away from criticizing NASCAR, it hasn’t changed his relationship in his mind with the sport’s top executives.

“I hope so,” Hamlin said. “We gotta find a way to coexist and as a driver, I’ve given a lot into this sport. As an owner, I’ve given a ton into this sport. So, hopefully, everyone’s gonna be the same as they always have, even at the end of last year all the NASCAR executives I interacted with were great.”