NASCAR vs 23XI Racing and FRM gets ugly; Denny Hamlin says 'his despise for the France family runs deep'

The legal conflict between NASCAR and Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing, along with Front Row Motorsports (FRM), has turned into a more controversial issue, and the hostility between the parties is spilling over. Citing the presence of both a personal rift and a legal battle, Denny Hamlin was reported to have said that his 'despisal' for the NASCAR owners runs deep.

The court has unsealed records that reveal email and text chain communications between NASCAR leadership, including France-Kennedy, France, Prime, O'Donnell, and Phelps, in which they cynically and dismissively comment on the efforts of 23XI and FRM, including discussing giving them the contract, picking a date, and signing it or losing their charters.

FRM and 23XI released redacted "smoking gun" documents in an attempt to prove their claim of how NASCAR had tried to stop a competitor copycat series and avoid being locked out of Speedway Motorsports. The power imbalance is implied by the existence of NASCAR's 'gold codes' to conduct the Cup Series independently of teams. As per Motosport senior editor Matt Weaver's recent Tweet, these 'gold codes' imply that NASCAR holds the keys to the entire Cup Series infrastructure and can operate it without team owners’ input or approval, which 23XI and FRM argue is an abuse of monopoly power.

As reported by Matt Weaver, Denny Hamlin, in one of the exchanges, said:

"my despise for the France family runs deep."

Matt Weaver

@MattWeaverRA

Court has let out. It's not an understatement to say the gloves have come off and the mutual animosity and bitterness from both parties spilled over today. To prove likelihood of success, 23XI and Front Row made public the redacted 'smoking gun' documents, text chains from

The teams claim that they are suing because they love the sport and want to see all teams benefit because NASCAR is unrepresentative of charter financial benefits. Conversely, NASCAR charges the teams with bad faith when it claims that charters are still valuable and that the teams are trying to make financial problems bigger. The main controversy is whether NASCAR should recharter 23XI and FRM, which had been stripped of a charter by appeal courts that had overruled a previous injunction compelling them to race as open teams.

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Denny Hamlin has a blunt reaction to the NASCAR lawsuit potentially leading to 23XI’s detriment

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, has given a blunt and confident response regarding the ongoing NASCAR lawsuit that has resulted in 23XI Racing losing its chartered status and currently competing as an open team. Hamlin assured fans and team members that he has "absolutely zero concern" about the lawsuit’s impact on the team’s operations, driver retention, or employment.

He emphasized that any fallout from the legal battle will be managed by ownership and will not affect the team's day-to-day functions. Hamlin remains positive and focused on his championship pursuits, stating there is no room for distraction as the case proceeds toward trial in December 2025. To Bob Pockrass, Denny Hamlin said:

"I have absolutely zero concern about the lawsuit. I know the facts and I have zero concern."

He and co-owner Michael Jordan are committed to keeping 23XI Racing competitive regardless of the lawsuit's outcome, confident that transparency will be provided when the case concludes.