Ahead of the dirt race in Bristol, the Race Team Alliance (RTA) teams decided to boycott the meeting with NASCAR. But Denny Hamlin doesn’t want you to use that word, boycott. Because they didn’t.
They simply sent a message which Hamlin explained in a recent episode of his podcast show as he also shed some light on where things stand between RTA and NASCAR.
And what it could mean for the sport if those demands aren’t met.
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NASCAR teams are planning to collectively not show up to today's Team Owner Council meeting with @NASCAR, per sources, a symbolic boycott because they feel that new revenue talks are not progressing. pic.twitter.com/XOTkN2r3hV
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) April 5, 2023
Denny Hamlin thinks chemistry between NASCAR and RTA has worsened
Boycott is the word Hamlin thinks “probably shouldn’t have been used.” He claimed every team made up their own decision to not go to the meeting with NASCAR. He revealed how his optimism from a few months ago has now faded as NASCAR and RTA are now “further apart” than they were a few months ago.
“As team owners, we feel like the time is running out. The charters are up at the end of this year, I believe, So it is not directly linked, the charter thing is not directly linked to the TV deal,” he described.
“The reason we are pushing to get this done quicker is because we don’t want to, the further NASCAR pushes us back to our timelines, of our charters, the less time we have to get a deal done.”
When asked by his co-host whether the teams not attending the meeting with NASCAR was a form of sending out a message, Hamlin exclaimed, “Oh absolutely. Yes, yes, yes.”
“Everyone had the choice to attend if they wanted to. When we left the call, we said, ‘Hey, we’re not doing it, no one else do it.’ We just said, ‘If we deem this is not going to be productive, let’s just … we have to have an actions item list of things we need to do in a certain amount of time, answers we need to have from NASCAR in a certain amount of time, and this meeting, it’s just gonna deter us from that timeline,” he explained.
WATCH THIS STORY: ‘No Clue How That Is a Penalty” – Kyle Busch Exposes NASCAR’s ’Contradictory’ Side After Being Left in Disbelief on Denny Hamlin’s Controversial Verdict
Hamlin predicts a dark future of NASCAR if they don’t listen to their charter demands
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Having revealed the real reason why the teams didn’t show up for the meeting with NASCAR, Hamlin turned his attention to one of their biggest demands which is to make the charters permanent.
“For those that don’t know, the reason permanent charters are important to me, Denny Hamlin, is I’ve spent tens of millions of dollars on charters,” he claimed. “And to tell me, I can just get it taken away?”
“Taking my charter? That’s not a good thing for anyone.”
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The 23XI Racing co-owner emphasized, “no one from the outside will ever invest in this sport” if the charter system isn’t permanent as he gave an example of a hypothetical situation of Mark Cuban contemplating on investing in NASCAR.
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“He would say, ‘So let me get this straight. I gotta spend tens of millions on a franchise that can be taken away from me at any moment? Well that’s just stupid. I’m out,'” Hamlin claimed.