{"id":349403,"date":"2025-12-16T18:02:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/349403\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T18:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:02:07","slug":"denny-hamlin-addresses-nascar-media-after-antitrust-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/349403\/","title":{"rendered":"Denny Hamlin Addresses NASCAR Media After Antitrust Settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2244692121-e1762155697603.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Denny Hamlin lost the 2025 NASCAR Cup title after a late caution at Phoenix allowed Kyle Larson to surge and claim his second championship.\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Image\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>AVONDALE, ARIZONA &#8211; NOVEMBER 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, reacts after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 02, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Denny Hamlin is again at the center of NASCAR\u2019s charter debate, this time after a major legal settlement. Following the end of the federal antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR, <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/nascar-antitrust-case-monopoly-power-focus-shift\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">23XI Racing<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/rick-hendrick-and-roger-penske-praise-settlement-as-key-step-for-nascars-unified-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Front Row Motorsports<\/a>, Hamlin publicly called for an apology from SiriusXM NASCAR Radio hosts. His comments came days after the case was settled in the U.S. District Court.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit focused on NASCAR\u2019s charter system and how teams share revenue and gain entry into races. Denny Hamlin, a co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/antitrust-trial-michael-jordan-denny-hamlin-bob-jenkins-nascar-react-settlement\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Jordan<\/a>, said earlier criticism from media voices now looks misplaced based on the evidence presented during the trial. The dispute has added another chapter to the ongoing tension between team owners, NASCAR leadership, and media voices tied closely to the sport.<\/p>\n<p>Lawsuit settlement restores charters<\/p>\n<p>The antitrust lawsuit ended on December 11, 2025, after nine days in federal court. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports challenged NASCAR\u2019s charter system after refusing to sign. Trial testimony included claims that NASCAR owed the teams $364.7 million and underpaid all chartered teams by $20.3 billion. The <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nascar\/nascar-charter-system-antitrust-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">case settled<\/a> before a verdict, restoring six charters to 23XI and Front Row Motorsports under undisclosed terms.<\/p>\n<p>Denny Hamlin challenges the NASCAR media<\/p>\n<p>After the settlement, Hamlin posted on social media and addressed SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, including Larry McReynolds. Responding to a promotional post for McReynolds\u2019 show \u201cOn Track,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dennyhamlin\/status\/2000916678172139681?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">He wrote<\/a>, \u201cGood morning. Now that the case is settled and the evidence is out, will you or anyone on channel 90 be issuing an apology for what you all said about 23XI\/FRM when the lawsuit was filed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hamlin followed up with another<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dennyhamlin\/status\/2000917522715951205?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\"> post<\/a>, listing examples of remarks he believed were unfair. \u201cI believe it was \u2018how dare them for trying to come in and change the sport. 23XI hasn\u2019t been around long enough, and FRM wasn\u2019t good enough. Also, how about \u2018I don\u2019t know what their problem is, 13 other teams signed it\u2019? Just to name a few examples.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the lawsuit was filed, 13 other teams signed the charter agreement. <a href=\"https:\/\/thesportsrush.com\/nascar-news-not-shocked-fans-bash-dale-earnhardts-former-crew-chief-over-biased-take-blame-nascar-amid-legal-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">SiriusXM hosts<\/a>, including McReynolds, questioned why 23XI and Front Row Motorsports did not follow the same path.<\/p>\n<p>Fan reactions follow Hamlin\u2019s comments<\/p>\n<p>Hamlin\u2019s posts sparked reaction from fans online, including listeners of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Some echoed his call for accountability and pointed to past coverage of the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m waiting for Moody\u2019s apology for the shitty way he was when he interviewed Mr. Kessler at the very beginning. I\u2019m sure you realize how many hours of On Track have been entirely devoted to you for the last year. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fidgetsfive\/status\/2000921628109365449?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Figdets said<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another fan expressed doubt that any apology would come. \u201cWhy would they! They don\u2019t have the decency. But don\u2019t worry, we all know all the B.S they spewed and how bad it makes them look. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GTPGREG\/status\/2000917290112454894?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Greg said<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit itself arose from broader concerns among team owners regarding NASCAR\u2019s control over revenue, intellectual property, and barriers to new teams. With the legal case resolved, attention now turns to how the charter system operates moving forward. NASCAR has said the agreement strengthens partnerships and focuses on long-term growth.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/dogliwilberforce\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/dogliwilberforce\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Image AVONDALE, ARIZONA &#8211; NOVEMBER 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Toyota, reacts after the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-349403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}