Denny Hamlin is not backing away from an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France even with 23XI Racing running as Open cars this weekend. He says that all will be exposed once trial begins.
A U.S. District Judge denied a request on Thursday that would have provided 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports with a temporary restraining order. This denial meant that they would no longer be chartered teams for at least the next two weeks.
The Court did not rule on the temporary injunction request that would keep both organizations chartered through the end of the 2025 Cup Series season.
"This would just be my blanket answer for all questions about this," Hamlin said Saturday when asked about his cars competing as Open entries.
"If you want answers, you want to understand why this is all happening, come December 1. You'll get the answers that you're looking for and all will be exposed."
December 1 is a key date for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. This is the scheduled start of trial in their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and France, which they filed last October.
This trial will provide both sides of the lawsuit to present their cases in front of a jury, including any evidence they found during the discovery process. As Hamlin said, this is when all will be exposed.
Hamlin referenced this discovery on the latest episode of his "Actions Detrimental" podcast. He pointed to the evidence while explaining why 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed the requests for the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
"Through discovery, we have obviously revealed -- and again, so much of this is redacted," Hamlin said. "Discovery has revealed a series of monopolistic acts that have occurred.
"So we believe status quo of us having our charters should not be disturbed until this is resolved on December 1 in the courtroom."
Hamlin did not explain what discovery revealed, but he pointed to the evidence that the judge will see so that he can make a decision regarding the requests.