Denny Hamlin Promises Revelations in Lawsuit Against NASCAR
The owner of the NASCAR racing team, Denny Hamlin, remains firm in the face of recent legal setbacks. The trial scheduled for December, as part of the 23XI Racing federal antitrust lawsuit against the auto racing series, promises to reveal important details. A federal judge rejected the request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with their licenses while they fight NASCAR in court. This means their six cars will compete as open entries this weekend in Dover, next week in Indianapolis, and possibly for longer. The teams claim that this situation could put them at risk of shutting down their operations.U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell denied the teams’ request for a temporary restraining order, arguing that they will be able to compete in the coming weeks and will not lose their drivers or sponsors before his decision on a preliminary injunction. Bell left open the possibility of reconsidering his decision if circumstances change in the next two weeks. After this weekend, the affected cars might need to qualify by speed if 41 participants register, a possibility now that places have opened. The trial is scheduled for December 1st, but the two teams are fighting to be recognized with a license for the current season, which has 16 races left. A charter guarantees one of the 40 spots on the grid each week, as well as a base amount of money that is paid weekly. 23XI, co-owned by Michael Jordan, and FRM filed their federal lawsuit against NASCAR last year after being the only two organizations out of 15 that rejected NASCAR’s charter extension offer. Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner who races for Joe Gibbs Racing, co-owns 23XI with Jordan and said they were prepared to send Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Riley Herbst to the track each week as open teams. They sought the restraining order on Monday, alleging that through discovery they learned that NASCAR planned to immediately begin the process of selling the six licenses, which would put “the plaintiffs in irreparable danger of not recovering their licenses and closing their businesses.” Hamlin stated that none of the setbacks have made him doubt the decision to file the lawsuit. Reddick, who has a clause that allows him to become a free agent if the team loses its license, declined to comment on Saturday on all questions related to his future and the lawsuit. Hamlin also declined to comment on Reddick’s future with 23XI Racing. Reddick, one of the four remaining drivers in NASCAR’s $1 million season challenge, was last year’s regular season champion and competed for the Cup Series championship in the season finale. But none of the six drivers affected by the court ruling are assured for this year’s playoffs. Securing a spot on the grid won’t be a problem this weekend in Dover, as fewer than the maximum 40 cars have entered. But if 41 cars show up anywhere this season, someone slow will be sent home, meaning revenue and the opportunity to earn points in the standings. “Nothing changes on my end, obviously, and nothing changes inside the shop,” said Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith. “Normally there aren’t even enough cars to worry about qualifying.” Smith, 24th in the standings and someone who would likely need a win to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs, said he supported Jenkins in his controversial legal battle that has affected the auto racing series for months.“If you want answers, if you want to understand why all this is happening, come on December 1st, you will get the answers you are looking for. Everything will be exposed”.
Denny Hamlin
