Before he became a team owner, Denny Hamlin was an impulsive man. He would make the most aggressive moves on the race track that would sometimes lead to wrecks and be unapologetic about it afterward. He still doesn’t apologize for much but the veteran race car driver has been taught a lesson of patience thanks to 23XI Racing and that patience will be tested soon.
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23XI, along with Front Row Motorsports, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. It deals with unsatisfactory terms of the new charter agreement, illegal monopolization of the sport, and anti-competitive practices. This would affect any team owner, especially one who is also a driver but Hamlin has stayed calm so far under pressure.
“But this has definitely taught me to see all sides of it first. Whatever it might be, whatever issue might arise, I feel I’m more methodical in thinking about all sides before making a decision. So, I think it’s taught me patience more than anything,” he had said in an earlier media interaction.
The motorsports veteran made it clear that he still comes into his role as the driver of the #11 car completely focused. The 43-year-old wants to be a successful owner and win multiple championships. He is yet to win the Cup Series as a driver and with a serial winner like Michael Jordan as co-owner, Hamlin knows that he has to step up to the plate in the ownership role.
Can 23XI and FRM lose their charters?
It is admirable of Hamlin to keep his calm in these trying times but the attorneys at NASCAR are not going to care for that. They recently released a legal statement making their stance against an injunction clear. 23XI and FRM want an injunction that will allow them to race full-time next season despite the lawsuit and the fact that they didn’t sign the agreement on time.
“Plaintiffs are seeking a mandatory injunction that is only warranted in the most extraordinary circumstances (which are not present here) since they are seeking to alter the status quo through an injunction requiring NASCAR to provide Charters for 2025 and beyond notwithstanding that the time to sign Charters for 2025 has expired,” the first point of the statement said.
This legal battle is seemingly one that drags on for a while. The teams might not end up getting their charters and just race part-time. Given that Hamlin wants to make 23XI Racing one of the best teams in NASCAR, a break from full-time competition is not ideal. The veteran will do everything he can to make sure that does not happen.
