At the Southern 500 Cup Series race last weekend, 23XI Racing investor Curtis Polk sported a strange sign on his back that read: “Please don’t question me about my Charter. I don’t want to offend NASCAR and lose it.” Polk’s statement was aimed at the potential inclusion of an anti-disparagement clause in the new agreement.
“Yeah, it’s a threat,” Hamlin responded when questioned about the potential provision. “That’s assuming you speak negatively. If they don’t like what you say, they’re attempting to reserve the right.
Much of the finer specifics of NASCAR’s ownership proposal are kept behind closed doors, but it is evident that NASCAR and its teams have failed to reach an agreement on a new charter arrangement for 2025. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23Xi Racing, has aggressively leveraged his platform to become one of the most vocal critics of several of NASCAR’s plans.
On Saturday morning, 23XI Racing issued a statement declaring that it had decided not to fulfill NASCAR’s deadline and, as a result, declined to sign a new charter for the 2025 season that was bound by the plans.
Tensions have been high for a time, and they were especially evident last weekend when 23XI driver Tyler Reddick won the regular season championship at Darlington. No one from NASCAR’s leadership attended the trophy ceremony. “You know, certainly, pretty disappointed to not see anyone from NASCAR present Tyler his trophy,” Hamlin said. “That was a little disappointing.”
It has resulted in one of the Cup Series’ most renowned teams — and most outspoken drivers, Hamlin — publicly criticizing the sport’s executives. But Hamlin and Team 23XI’s rejection of the charter has been their most vocal protest yet. And it has put a clear line in the sand that other team owners are unwilling to cross.
As part of its refusal to sign a team charter on NASCAR’s mandated timeline, 23XI Racing released a statement that explains its position.
“23XI decided to not meet a NASCAR-imposed deadline last night to sign Charter agreements for its two cars for 2025-2031. 23XI’s position, as stated in a letter to NASCAR, is that we did not have an opportunity to fairly bargain for a new Charter contract. We notified NASCAR what issues needed to be addressed, in writing, at the deadline.
“We are interested in engaging in constructive discussions with NASCAR to address these issues and move forward in a way that comes to a fair resolution, while strengthening the sport we all love. At 23XI Racing, we remain committed to competing at the highest level while also standing firm in our belief that NASCAR should be governed by fair and equitable practices.” t’s obvious that the team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Hamlin feels it has enough leverage to demand changes. But these are uncharted waters for NASCAR, and it’s not clear where 23XI or NASCAR’s leadership go from here. The two sides seem far apart, judging by media day interviews on Wednesday in which Hamlin indicated that “they keep going in the wrong direction” in negotiations.
Denny Hamlin and the “one-sided” deal
“There’s probably a handful of teams that are just happy to take any deal that they can get, and there’s others with some business sense that says this is unreasonable,” added Hamlin.
Hamlin says authority views him as “a thorn in their side.” He provided additional insight into the new agreement, describing it as “one-sided” in favor of the sanctioning authority. “I made a good living in this as a NASCAR driver, and I chose to invest back in the France family and NASCAR,” says Hamlin. “And they are yet to show me an opportunity where I’m going to get that back.”
According to FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, Front Row Motorsports has also rejected to sign the agreement, but FRM has yet to issue a formal statement.
Speaking further about what this new agreement could mean for NASCAR’s power structure, Hamlin said, “Who’s the jury, the judge, and the executioner? It sounds. It’s as if everyone is the same individual. It has never been the same individual, but they are now claiming that it is.”
Leave a Reply