NASCAR cannot be happy about being served papers by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The governing body of NASCAR is now going against the two teams that refused to sign the charter agreement. With Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin running the show, things are going to get interesting in the upcoming months. Will 23XI Racing and FRM keep their charters in 2025, or will the lawsuit be their own downfall?

A lot is going on with Denny Hamlin right now. Not only is he facing elimination in the top 8 of the playoffs, but he also has to show up for the lawsuit when things move to court. That’s when Hamlin will be coming across the France family and Steve Phelps, two parties that won’t be happy to see the No. 11 JGR driver. However, Denny Hamlin does not plan on taking the playoffs lightly. He wants to win the title after his 19 years of missing out on the chance, and that’s when he would actually be happy to see Phelps, as he revealed recently.

Denny Hamlin wants the 2024 title trophy

How big of a triumph would it be if Denny Hamlin managed to win both this year’s title and the lawsuit? It definitely would make headlines all over. However, that isn’t the only way that Hamlin can make it into the limelight. Before heading into the Las Vegas race, Bob Pockrass shared Denny Hamlin’s pre-race presser in which the driver revealed what was on his mind heading into the race. The post is captioned “Denny Hamlin on the hopes of hoisting the NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy while being in a legal dispute as a car owner with NASCAR.”

Denny Hamlin spoke about winning this year’s title while saying, “You know, it’s a problem I would love to have is to, you know, lift up that, you know, have Steve Phelps handing me that championship trophy in Phoenix. That would just be awesome, right? And, you know, we’ve spoken personally about and you know that, and he said he’d be glad to do it. And so, you know, certainly, if I win the championship as a driver, I’m the driver of the 11, right? And I represent that team.”

Despite the lawsuit, Steve Phelps and Hamlin have been in touch with each other, and while they have a legal battle at hand, they aren’t ones to forget the years they have worked with each other in NASCAR. With the lawsuit, Hamlin separated his duty as a Joe Gibbs Racing driver from his 23XI Racing responsibilities, saying, “There is another person that is the owner of the 23XI cars. And so again, it’s I can find a way to separate those two.”

Denny Hamlin is okay with Michael Jordan handling the lawsuit situation, especially as he is in for the last 4 races where he can win the championship. However, getting into the top 8 was not easy, but now that the No. 11 team has crossed the barrier, Hamlin said, “I’m heavily, heavily motivated, certainly not only with all those outside factors going on but just generally, the exhale that we had after we got through the last round.” 

However, it’s not all smooth sailing for Denny Hamlin as he sits in the elimination zone, and the upcoming races will decide if he makes it into the top 4 or not. But speaking of uncertainty, with the lawsuit, there have been questions about 23XI Racing buying one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters, and as of now, Hamlin doesn’t have the answer.

Uncertainty about bagging the Stewart-Haas Racing charter

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Denny Hamlin’s been keeping busy lately, and it’s not just about racing. While he’s deep in the NASCAR Playoffs, battling for a shot at the championship, there’s also a legal storm brewing around his team, 23XI Racing. 23XI and Front Row Motorsports are pushing for an injunction to keep operating as chartered teams while they make their antitrust claims. They want to fast-track some discovery too, which NASCAR is clearly not thrilled about. So now, it’s a waiting game to see how a judge will rule on this matter.

But here’s where it gets interesting: Hamlin isn’t letting this legal drama distract him from the track. According to Bob Pockrass, Hamlin hasn’t had any talks with NASCAR regarding next year’s charter transfers, even though 23XI is set to buy one from Stewart-Haas Racing. Everything hinges on getting that approval, but for now, the timeline is a bit murky.

Despite the chaos off the track, Hamlin focuses on the races ahead. He’s got his eyes set on Las Vegas this weekend, which marks an excellent opportunity for him to bag a win. Intermediate tracks are typically where Toyota excels, so it’ll be interesting to see if that trend holds up. Hamlin needs to show that he can juggle the legal battle and still contend for the title, aiming for a spot in the Championship 4.

Do you think that Denny Hamlin will pull it off? Share your thoughts in the comments below.