“How do you win a championship when you are suing NASCAR?” was how Bob Pockrass started the pre-race conference with Denny Hamlin.

By now, it is common knowledge that two teams have waged war against the governing body of NASCAR. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports started the rebellion by first skipping the deadline on signing the charter agreement, but their next step blew things out of the water.

The two teams teamed up to launch an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, and Michael Jordan is the man leading the situation. According to the teams, NASCAR’s system constitutes anti-competitive practices and unlawful monopolization, and that is what they are trying to abolish. Judging by the way things are going, there have been questions about 23XI Racing walking away from the sport, and Denny Hamlin came forth to debunk the rumor.

Michael Jordan’s reason to stay invested in NASCAR

“Everyone knows that I have always been a fierce competitor,” Jordan said after the lawsuit news broke, “and that will to win is what drives me and the entire 23XI team each and every week out on the track. I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.” Clearly, MJ is here to stay. If as stated in the lawsuit, 19 team owners who signed the 2016 charter, just eight remain in the sport, newer teams would have concerns. Not just this, the France family has “profited handsomely,” especially from the broadcast deals totaling $23.1 billion over the past 24 years.

So, after a series of questions about the upcoming race at Talladega and the lawsuit, when one reporter wanted to understand what the teams expect as an outcome of the lawsuit, MJ’s partner, Denny Hamlin was quick to reply and talked about what he meant when he said a “fair outcome for all teams.”

During the pre-race presser, Steven Toronto from CBS Sports asked Hamlin, “How do you think you avoid a situation where, in the outcome of this, no one wins and everyone loses?” Denny Hamlin responded to the question, saying, “Yeah, I’m not really sure and really can’t speak to that part of it. But I think that it’s been stated in statements by Michael Jordan that he loves NASCAR.” Besides the love that the two co-owners of the team share for the sport, they also have constructed a new headquarters, Airspeed, along with investing in the infrastructure for the team. The HQ’s cost is . Earlier this year, Hamlin himself described the cost as “a lot” and “much, much, much more” than the other team’s “out-of-this-world expensive” shop, which was built in 2010.

Further explaining the kind of investment they have made, Hamlin said, “We obviously invested heavily in NASCAR; I reinvested what I got out of this sport as a driver back into it as an owner. So, certainly, we love the sport and would just love to see change as well.” All in all, Hamlin and Jordan just want NASCAR to give teams more liberty, as they have accused the governing body of “bullying.” teams into signing the deal so it can work in their favor.

From what Denny Hamlin explained, it’s clear that Michael Jordan is in it for the long game, and backing out was never an option for him. The team still wants to participate in the upcoming season, and the outcome they expect is just some fair negotiating ground when it comes to the charter deal. However, with the next race at Talladega, what is more concerning for Denny is his own run, and it seems he might just have a solid plan.

Denny Hamlin’s strategy for Talladega

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At the same conference, Chris Knight from catchfence.com asked Hamlin about his strategy for the race. The follow-up question was if his strategy would change depending on where he qualifies. In response to Knight’s question, Hamlin explained, “I don’t think so. From the 11 team’s approach, certainly, we feel we’re in a spot where we’re going to do like most teams and go out there and race up front and live with the result. If we have a bad result and get crashed, it’s just part of Super Speedway racing.”

Hamlin spoke about Atlanta and how he was involved in the last lap wreck that dropped him to P24. Keeping in mind that he had a wreck on the last laps, he spoke about the benefits of Talladega, as it is a more handleable track, according to the No. 11 driver.

Revealing his plans for the upcoming race, he explained, “Here at Talladega, handling is not going to be as big of an issue, so I think my strategy is going to be to put the gas down. Again, there are going to be situations where fuel mileage is going to be a thing and whatnot. But yeah, I think my strategy, whether I qualify last or first, will be the same.”

Hamlin will be going all in at Talladega, as he needs to find some points to make it to the next round of the playoffs. As of now, he stands 5th in the standings, and that is huge because of his result at Bristol. Although Hamlin did not win the race that he had dominated in the last few years, a P4 finish helped him stay in the safe zone. Even at Kansas, Hamlin came in 8th, which is what helped him climb to 5th in the standings.

There is a lot on Hamlin’s plate, and with that said, what do you think will be the outcome of the lawsuit against NASCAR? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.