Denny Hamlin fires back at report critical of timing of 23XI, Front Row lawsuit against NASCAR

Today, Denny Hamlin is speaking out on social media and he has turned his attention and potential ire towards Ryan McGee. The ESPN reporter published a story today about the lawsuit that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed against NASCAR.

Denny Hamlin was not happy to see Ryan McGee air criticism against the timing of the lawsuit. With the ongoing relief efforts from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, McGee felt that 23XI and Front Row could have waited.

How long? “Wait a damn week,” the ESPN personality wrote.

To which Denny replied, “Good grief Ryan…”

Good grief Ryan..

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 3, 2024

The article, which was published today on ESPN.com, hit at the two NASCAR organizations for filing the lawsuit in the middle of such great relief efforts. Many of which include NASCAR teams and drivers. Greg Biffle has made headlines over the recent days for his efforts.

“But the timing of their move, from the tipping off of the lawsuit on Tuesday and the media teleconference on Wednesday — the very same Wednesday that has been described to you above — there is no debate to be had about that,” McGee wrote. “It was selfish, classless and thoughtless. Wait a damn week.”

Denny Hamlin is not alone in his frustration. So are many fans and readers replying to the story. While Ryan McGee has been a fixture in NASCAR for years, the pushback on this seems to be pretty harsh.

However, is there a point to be made about the timing? Or does this seem to be overblown?

Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing sues NASCAR, targets Next Gen car

So, what does this lawsuit mean exactly? While the main takeaway is on the antitrust aspect and unbinding teams from what are seen as restrictive rules and agreements, there is another part to this argument.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are targeting the Next Gen car with the lawsuit as well. It is one of the pillars of their entire monopoly argument. Due to the single-source supplier parts and the fact that NASCAR owns all of the Cup Series cars despite teams purchasing all the parts and putting them together, they believe it adds to the monopoly.

Since 2022, there have been a lot of criticisms of the Next Gen car. When it debuted, it was dangerous in certain wrecks. Specifically low-speed, rear-end collisions with the wall. It took Kurt Busch out of the car and into early retirement and also hurt Alex Bowman that season.

Then there is the lack of creativity. Teams fired entire departments after the chassis building and fabricating jobs were all taken out of the team’s hands. If you want to see the Next Gen car change or a new car emerge out of this, where teams have more control, then this lawsuit should interest you.