TALLADEGA, Ala. — Denny Hamlin was digesting his reaction to the race team's antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR this week when his fiancée, Jordan Fish, showed him a clip from the movie “Moneyball.” Sent to.
The actor who plays Boston Red Sox owner John Henry says in the film, “The first guy to go through a wall always ends up covered in blood.'' “It's not just threatening the way they do business, it's threatening the game in their minds. What's really being threatened is their livelihood, it's threatening their jobs. It threatens their ways.”
Hamlin found the clip relatable after Team 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan, joined forces with Front Row Motorsports on Wednesday to accuse NASCAR of being a monopoly in federal court. Hamlin said the positive response from those willing to challenge the status quo has eased the burden on his mind as he tries to advance the race to the third round of the playoffs.
“It's not like I woke up one day and thought, 'This is going to happen,'” Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, said before qualifying eighth for Sunday's NASCAR playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. No,” he said. “This has been on the plan for a while. Now that (the lawsuit) is over and there are other people speaking out on this issue from a legality standpoint, we have to (drive) the No. 11 car and what we have to do there. I feel relieved now that I can focus more on everything I need to do.”
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It may have been a long time coming for Hamlin, but the rest of the NASCAR garage was still digesting the news and what it meant for the future of NASCAR and its race teams.
“This is obviously the biggest story in sports,” said RFK Racing driver and owner Brad Keselowski. “This is a different version of the soap opera As The World Turns: NASCAR. Let's all find out together.”
Keselowski said he “didn't expect” the team to join the lawsuit, a sentiment echoed by six-time champion owner Richard Childress. RFK and Richard Childress Racing signed a 2025 charter agreement last month that includes a clause prohibiting both teams from taking antitrust action against NASCAR. (23XI and Front Row refused to sign.)
But Childress said the team was under pressure to sign a new contract, which was alleged in the lawsuit.
“We didn't have an option to sign them,” Childress said. “It was just, 'If you don't sign it, you lose the charter.'” I couldn't take that gamble. And I know many owners I spoke to felt the same way. ”
So, in his view, is NASCAR a monopoly?
“I say this: If you want to race, if you want to be in NASCAR, race at their park,” Childress said.
NASCAR again declined comment Saturday and has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit. According to court filings, 23XI and Front Row will apply for a preliminary injunction next week, after which NASCAR must respond with its own filing within two weeks.
Meanwhile, drivers said they were closely following the story in the media, with several acknowledging it was the most important story told in NASCAR in years.
“No matter what happens, this is a huge deal for our sport,” Team Penske driver Joey Logano said. “I've never seen it before, so it's obviously big.”
But many said they didn't have a strong opinion one way or the other because they didn't know what the outcome would be.
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“I hope our sport continues to thrive,” said Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron. “I’m looking forward to watching other professional sports and seeing where we can go, so I hope that happens.”
23XI co-owner Curtis Polk caught the attention of some drivers this week when he said driver salaries are a fraction of other athletes' incomes compared to the total income of various sports leagues. Driver salaries are not made public, but NASCAR officials have repeatedly said they have declined sharply since their peak in the mid-2000s.
“We're probably one of the only sports, if not the only one.” of “It's the only sport in the last few decades where player salaries have gone down,” said Hendrick driver Kyle Larson. “Obviously, we'd like to see it trend upward rather than the other way around. But teams are probably making more money to pay salaries to the people who work for the organization. You will need it.”
23XI drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick expressed full support for the team owner's actions, as did front row driver Michael McDowell.
“I’m an advocate for change and I stand up for change, that’s what I think about,” said Wallace, the only Black driver in the Cup Series. “It's a crazy time to be in NASCAR, but I support the team 100 percent and let's see where it takes us.”
McDowell, who took pole position for Sunday's race, said he believes there is no organization as lean and efficient as the front row, but team owner Bob Jenkins is still willing to spend “millions of dollars” Competitive at a distance that I had to put into the team.
“If he has to spend his own money, there's a problem,” McDowell said.
As for Hamlin, he was asked if he thought the 23XI's financial contributions to the sport were valued by NASCAR. He pursed his lips and was silent for about 10 seconds before finally answering.
“Probably not,” he said.
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(Photo of Denny Hamlin during Saturday's qualifying at Talladega: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
