Denny Hamlin Directly Blames NASCAR In ‘Stagnant’ Charter Negotiations

Denny Hamlin isn’t just a NASCAR Cup Series star driver, he’s also a team owner.

And during Wednesday’s NASCAR Cup Series Media Day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hamlin was asked for an update on the stalled Charter discussions with NASCAR.

When asked, where is the charter conversation right now, Hamlin issued a one-word reply.

“Stagnant,” he said.

When asked what has to be done, Hamlin replied,

“One side will have to wake up and be reasonable,” he said. “That’s all.”

So, the natural next question was, which side?

“Not ours,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin is the driver of the No. 11 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing. He is also the team owner of 23XI along with basketball legend and one of the greatest athletes of all-time Michael Jordan.

Last week at Darlington, a 23XI investor named Curtis Polk wore a handwritten message on a piece of paper attached to his shirt that said, “Please don’t ask me about my Charter. I don’t want to disparage NASCAR and lose it.”

When asked why Polk wore the sign, Hamlin had another one-word answer.

“Frustration,” he said.

Earlier this week on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast on Monday, September 2, Hamlin revealed NASCAR had inserted a clause into recent drafts of the charter against making “anti-disparaging remarks.

“I would choose not to speak about [Polk’s shirt], but it kind of speaks for itself, and I can’t believe he actually wore that,” Hamlin said on the podcast. “They do not want you speaking negatively, that’s a new add to the charter agreement. We’ll see how that goes.

“NASCAR has got their stance and the teams have there’s. We’ll just see where this goes the next few weeks.”

Two days later, at a Hall of Fame that honors the greatest of the great in NASCAR history, a place where Hamlin will likely be inducted one day, the 54-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner was speaking more like a team owner of 23XI, than the driver of the No. 11 Toyota.

Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace drive for 23XI. Reddick won the NASCAR “Regular Season” Championship in Sunday’s Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Reddick was given a trophy, and the team owners posed for photos. But the way the trophy was presented irked Hamlin.

“Certainly, pretty disappointed to not see anyone from NASCAR present Tyler (Reddick) his trophy,” Hamlin said. “That was a little disappointing.”

When asked if he thought it was “personal” Hamlin said, “I don’t know. That was the first I’ve seen.”

On the NASCAR side, officials have been expressing confidence a new Charter agreement will be completed during the 10-race, 2-1/2-month NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

“Of course, they want it to, but the truth is they keep going in the wrong direction,” Hamlin said.

So, who is telling the truth?

“I believe I am from our standpoint, but it depends on who you ask,” Hamlin continued. “But certainly, I feel like yeah, 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.

“But everyone is going to do what their own – what they want to do that’s best for their team and each one of the teams will execute an agreement that they feel is fair for themselves.”

Hamlin said other teams have not been pushing him to speak on their behalf, “but they don’t hate it either,” Hamlin said. “I don’t love being the megaphone. I wish some of these other owners who are griping to me through text and calls would just do it publicly themselves, but I think that they fear pushback.”

The fear of pushback is real, especially in NASCAR. It’s a complicated sport with layers of scrutiny whether it be technical inspection or other areas that determine gamesmanship and sportsmanship.

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Hamlin continued. “We’re all trying to improve the sport and grow the sport. We all want what’s best for the sport.

“If the sport does great, we will do better, so I think we all just need to figure out how to lock arms and do it together.

“But we don’t have any agreement in front of us that is locking of arms, it’s all one sided.

“People see me gripe, but they have to realize I made a good living in this as a NASCAR driver and I chose to invest back in the France family and NASCAR, and they are yet to show me an opportunity where I’m going to get that back.”

Hamlin believes a Charter deal could get done by Phoenix on November 10, but it will take a completely different mindset that he doesn’t think is possible.

But Hamlin answered his own rhetorical question.

“What happens if the season ends? Then, we retain all of our rights,” he said. “Yeah, if we don’t have a charter agreement, we don’t owe the series anything and they don’t owe us anything, so it goes both ways for sure.

“Yeah, I don’t think they can stop you from racing. I mean, Joe and Billy’s garage can put a car together and run a race the way our sport is formed right now.”

As in most negotiations, fear of reprisal can be an effective tactic.

Hamlin believes that tactic is being utilized.

“It’s subjective,” Hamlin said. “Who is the jury, the judge and the executioner?

“It sounds like it’s all the same person. It’s never been the same person, but now they’re proposing that it is.”

“I’m not really sure where leverage lies. I would argue both sides feel like they have some, but I think it’s more just a frustration of a lack of acknowledgement that the teams have built this sport.

“(Rick) Hendrick and (Joe) Gibbs putting superstars on the race track – that is what has built the sport.

“Fans do not come to see cars going around in circles. If they would, then we would sell out ARCA races, but they don’t.

“They come to sell out on Sunday to watch Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch.

“So, who provides them the cars? And that’s the teams. Who spends the money? That’s the teams. Whose sponsors go buy a suite? That’s the teams. Whose sponsors activate in their midways? That’s the teams.

“That’s the tough part that, they just don’t value us.”

But there is time to come to an agreement, even if it comes at the last possible moment.

“Oh, yeah, I had a feeling this was going to go all the way to the 11th hour for sure,” Hamlin continued. “And there is just been a lot of stall tactics that have been in play and here we are.

“I’m just trying to make it better than what it was and still try to grow it and it’s unfortunate. I wish I had a bigger role in it.

“Certainly, there’s been some changes that have happened around some conversations that you have, and I think NASCAR for a while has been very receptive to listening to advice and some things.

“But certainly, when it comes to dollars and cents, that’s where we’re in two different ballparks.”

Hamlin believes he has more than done his part to help NASCAR grow and prosper.

“As a driver, I’ve put in 20 years doing this and I feel like I’ve tried to do my best to grow social following, giving more content. Things like that,” Hamlin concluded. “Trying to update the times, right?

“I tried to start a race team to build my legacy well beyond being a race car driver itself. Being part of the sport, investing in Jim France, investing in NASCAR.

“You know, I’m doing my part, but certainly I think probably from their standpoint they just see me as a thorn in their side and more than likely would be better off without me.”