Denny Hamlin is one of the few NASCAR drivers who is likely to be involved in a social media feud. We all witnessed the Marcus Smith from SMI vs Hamlin showdown not long ago, but it seems like Hamlin has gone active on his X account. Although NASCAR is the central figure of the talking point here, the fan’s reaction is what seems to have caught the veteran driver’s attention.

We all know that 23XI Racing is going through tough times, fighting tooth and nail for its survival in NASCAR. Although they are going to proceed with the anti-trust case, the recent rulings on their request for an injunction have gone against them. This means they could be running as an open team in 2025, and NASCAR themselves don’t mind allowing them to do so.

Now it’s not a secret that Hamlin doesn’t get along with the race fans. But the recent developments regarding 23XI Racing’s future and fans’ reactions to it seem to have hurt Hamlin’s feelings.

Denny Hamlin goes ballistic in defending his stance

Only a select few experts and the people involved with racing truly understand the gravity of the lawsuit 23XI Racing has filed against NASCAR. The teams weren’t willing to sign the charter agreement; rather, they were given a “take or leave it ultimatum”. And the fear of losing the charter saw them agree to the new charter agreement.

While the lawsuit can swing either way, 23XI Racing and FRM are the ones taking the risk. To the extent that they could be forced to shut down their racing operation if the court’s decision does not come in their favor. But, thanks to NASCAR’s intervention of removing the anticompetitive release clause, the teams can run as open teams in 2025 and continue with their lawsuit.

And this gesture was appreciated by Hamlin, who cleared the air and misunderstanding about the same on X. “For clarification sake. No agreement was reached. They just removed the provision.” But a few fans made the most of this opportunity and threw shade at the JGR veteran. “Your sense of entitlement is mind-boggling! NASCAR owes you nothing,” a fan wrote and mentioned that Hamlin is one of the easiest personalities to hate.

It’s not the first time Denny Hamlin has received such a comment on social media, but he couldn’t let this one slide. “So you think I should risk my health each week as a driver and risk my $ every week as a owner to put on a show for you and get nothing in return? GTFO,” he replied. For context, a top-tier team would require somewhere around $20–25 million to run a race team, which excludes driver’s salaries. Moreover, the current business model in NASCAR doesn’t help the owners to even break even at the end of the year.

Heck, even the winningest team, Hendrick Motorsports, hasn’t been profitable in like 10 years. So you can only imagine how the rest of the Cup garage would fare when it comes to the business side of things. Meanwhile, you have the mighty NASCAR, which recently bagged a massive $7.7 billion TV deal and is expanding well beyond its traditional border as a part of its ambitious expansion plans. So, it’s not the case that the way NASCAR is being is just perfect and that 23XI and FRM’s claims are baseless. The good thing is that neither NASCAR nor 23XI Racing will have a final say in this argument, but the court.

Here’s the latest on the 23XI Racing vs NASCAR lawsuit

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NASCAR has uplifted the clause in the open team agreement that releases them of certain legal claims. While the exception is made for the two teams, the clause is present in the 2025 charter agreement. This means that both 23XI and Front Row Motorsport will be able to compete as open teams in 2025. Had they signed the previous agreement, it would’ve left them high and dry in their lawsuit against NASCAR.

It has to be noted that the team’s initial motion to get the preliminary injunction was dismissed by the federal court. But the team’s confirmed they will be filing an appeal for the same in the US Courts of Appeals and expediting the process. They have asked the court to get the oral arguments and brief done with on the court’s hearing on December 10-13. A normal briefing schedule would push the date to March 18-21, and that won’t be ideal for the teams.

Now NASCAR hasn’t responded to the team’s request for an early hearing, which does make this situation precarious for Denny Hamlin and his partners at 23XI Racing.