Denny Hamlin Unleashes Chaos in NASCAR Courtroom Showdown: “You Are The Monopoly”

If you thought the wildest action in NASCAR happened at Talladega or Daytona, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to the absolute circus unfolding in a federal courtroom right now.

The antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR has officially entered the “spicy” phase, and Denny Hamlin is not holding back. On the second day of the trial, Hamlin took the stand for cross-examination, and let’s just say he didn’t exactly stick to the “play nice” script.

The veteran driver and team co-owner turned the courtroom into his own personal roast session, firing shots at NASCAR’s leadership, their business model, and the very idea that teams have any real power in this sport. Grab your popcorn, because the testimony was nothing short of a masterclass in throwing shade.

The highlight of the day—and frankly, the moment that’s going to be meme-d into oblivion—came when NASCAR’s defense lawyer, Lawrence Buterman, tried to flip the script.

1. The “No U” Defense: Hamlin Calls Out the Monopoly

Buterman attempted to paint a picture where Hamlin and his team were engaging in restrictive practices similar to what they are accusing NASCAR of doing. He tried to compare a driver’s contract exclusivity to NASCAR’s stranglehold on tracks. Hamlin wasn’t having any of it. In a moment that felt less like a legal defense and more like a mic drop, he shot back, “We aren’t a monopoly. You are.” He didn’t stop there. He doubled down, explaining the massive difference between a driver signing a contract and a sanctioning body controlling the entire ecosystem. Hamlin emphasized that in a healthy market, drivers have options on where to take their talent. In NASCAR’s world, according to him, the teams are just living in a kingdom run by the France family, and the rent is too high.

2. Jim France’s “Just Stop Spending Money” Strategy

Things got even more heated when the topic of finances came up. We all know racing is expensive, but Hamlin revealed a conversation with NASCAR CEO Jim France from 2022 that makes you wonder what planet the executives are living on. Apparently, when Hamlin brought up the skyrocketing costs of running a competitive team (around $18 million at the time), France’s brilliant solution was essentially: “Have you tried being poorer?” France allegedly told him that teams should just cut their costs to $10 million per car. Hamlin recounted his response with the kind of exasperation any business owner would feel. He noted that you can’t just slash your budget in half and expect to compete. “We’ve cut this grass so short that we are down to the dirt,” he recalled telling France. It seems NASCAR’s leadership thinks teams are just burning cash for fun rather than trying to win races in an ultra-competitive environment. Perhaps the most damning—and hilarious—part of the testimony was when Hamlin pulled back the curtain on how NASCAR controls the narrative. The defense tried to catch him in a lie, pointing out that Hamlin had previously praised the Next Gen car publicly, calling it a “net positive,” while now suing over it.

3. The “Sunshine and Rainbows” Puppet Show

Hamlin didn’t blink. He essentially admitted that being a NASCAR driver means being a corporate puppet if you want to avoid trouble. “If I say anything bad, I get a lashing,” he told the court. He described a culture of fear where he has to go on TV and pretend everything is “sunshine and rainbows” because if he speaks his mind, he gets an angry phone call from the tower. It’s a refreshing bit of honesty. We’ve all suspected that drivers are fed talking points, but hearing Hamlin admit that his public positivity is basically a hostage situation adds a whole new layer of grim hilarity to those pre-race interviews. Of course, it wouldn’t be a high-stakes lawsuit without some eye-watering numbers. It was revealed that Hamlin is seeking $105 million in damages. The defense tried to make him look greedy, pointing out this would be a 900% return on his initial investment and noting his massive $14 million annual salary as a driver. But Hamlin stood his ground, arguing that the damages are about being made whole for what NASCAR’s monopolistic practices have done to the value of the teams. And as for his salary? He clapped back that he gets paid the big bucks because he wins. Simple as that. The trial is far from over, but Hamlin has made one thing clear: he isn’t going to be bullied by lawyers or executives. Whether this gambit pays off for 23XI Racing remains to be seen, but for now, the drama is better than anything we’ve seen on the track this season.

• Tags:
• Denny Hamlin