NASCAR Garage Responds to Lawsuit: “It’s Another Edition of the Soap Opera”

TALLADEGA, Ala. – As Denny Hamlin processed the response to his racing team's filing of an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR this week, his fiancée Jordan Fish sent him a clip from the movie “Moneyball.”

“The first guy that goes through the wall — he always gets bloody,” the actor who plays Boston Red Sox owner John Henry says within the film. “This not only threatens business operations, but in their eyes also the game. What it really threatens is their livelihoods, it threatens their jobs. It threatens the way they do things.”

Hamlin found that clip relatable after 23XI Racing, the team he co-owns with Michael Jordan, joined with Front Row Motorsports on Wednesday to accuse NASCAR of being a monopoly in federal court. The response has been positive, Hamlin said, from individuals who wish to see the establishment challenged – and it has lifted a weight off his mind as he tries to claw his way into the third round of the playoffs.

“It's not like we woke up one day and said, 'This is going to happen,'” said Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing before qualifying eighth for Sunday's NASCAR playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway qualified. “This has been on the agenda for some time. It's given me relief to focus more on driving the No. 11 car and everything I have to do there, since (the lawsuit) is over and there are now other people commenting on it from a legal perspective. “

While it may have been a long time coming for Hamlin, others in the NASCAR pits were still processing the new news and what the result could mean for the future of NASCAR and its racing teams.

“It’s obviously the biggest story in the sport,” said driver/owner Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing. “It's another installment of the soap opera 'As The World Turns: NASCAR.' We’ll all find out (how it ends) together.”

Keselowski said he “wouldn’t expect” his team to hitch the lawsuit, a sentiment shared by six-time champion owner Richard Childress. RFK and Richard Childress Racing each signed the 2025 charter agreement last month, which incorporates a provision prohibiting teams from taking antitrust motion against NASCAR. (23XI and Front Row refused to sign it.)

However, Childress said the teams were being pressured into signing the brand new agreements, an allegation made within the lawsuit.

“We had no choice in signing them,” Childress said. “It just said, 'Sign it or you'll lose your certificates.' I couldn't take that risk, period. And I know a lot of the owners I spoke to felt the same way.”

So does he think NASCAR is a monopoly?

“I'll put it this way: If you want to race, you race in their park, if you want to race NASCAR,” Childress said.

NASCAR again declined to comment Saturday and has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit. According to a court filing, 23XI and Front Row will seek a preliminary injunction next week, after which NASCAR must respond in its own motion within two weeks.

Meanwhile, drivers said they were following the story closely in the media, with several confirming that it was the most significant story to emerge in NASCAR in years.

“This is huge for our sport no matter what,” said Team Penske driver Joey Logano. “It’s obviously big because we’ve never seen it before.”

But many said they weren't sure what the outcome would be and therefore didn't have a clear opinion on it.

“I would like to see our sport become more successful,” said William Byron, driver for Hendrick Motorsports. “When I look at other professional sports and see where we could be, I’m excited about that. Hopefully that comes to fruition.”

23XI co-owner Curtis Polk caught the attention of some drivers this week after he said their salaries are a fraction of what other athletes make when compared to the total revenues of various sports leagues. Driver salaries, which are not publicly disclosed, have fallen dramatically since their peak in the mid-2000s, NASCAR officials have repeatedly said.

“We are probably one of the few sports, if not the only sport, where athlete salaries have declined over the last few decades,” Hendrick driver Kyle Larson said. “Of course we would rather see an upward trend than the reverse trend. But teams will likely need to make a lot more money to pay the people who work for their organizations.”

23XI drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick expressed their full support for their team owners' actions, as did Front Row driver Michael McDowell.

“I am an advocate for change and I stand for change,” said Wallace, the only Black driver in the Cup Series. “It’s a crazy time to be in NASCAR, but I’m behind my team 100 percent and we’ll see where it takes us.”

McDowell, who won the pole position for Sunday's race, said he was confident there was no leaner, more efficient organization than Front Row – and yet team owner Bob Jenkins still had to pour “tens of millions and tens of millions” of dollars into the team to be even remotely competitive.

“If he has to spend his own money, there’s a problem,” McDowell said.

Hamlin was asked if he felt NASCAR valued 23XI's financial commitment to the sport. He pursed his lips and paused for ten seconds before finally answering.

“Probably not,” he said.