Denny Hamlin has given his blunt take on Bob Pockrass' NASCAR lawsuit update. Pockrass outlined NASCAR's reply to the fresh allegations raised by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. However, the seemingly 'hidden' X (formerly Twitter) thread caught the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and 23XI co-owner's attention.
The lawsuit drama has taken another turn amid recent developments. The case was reassigned to Judge Kenneth Bell without furnishing any reason behind the change, NASCAR reportedly asked the judge to toss the case, and teams were alleged of coordinating driver emails amiid the dispute.
The teams, however, accused NASCAR of their double standards. According to the allegations, the officials promised that the charter deal involving SHR would be passed but they later snuck a condition instructing the teams to drop the lawsuit for charter sale and purchase to proceed.
Pockrass explained the reply to the fresh allegations. He outlined that the governing body has arguments over the procedure and wants to respond again to the new allegations. And if that's not possible, they want the recent claim to be stricken.
But seeing the Tweets in the form of sneaky threads under Pockrass' lawsuit update piece, Denny Hamlin didn't hold back his feelings and issued a blunt three-word response.
"Well hidden tweet," Hamlin reacted.
The charter transfer has become a crucial deal for 23XI and FRM, as both have expanded to a three-car team for the 2025 season, and charter purchase failure could prove financially heavy on the organizations.
SHR's former president attacks NASCAR's double standards amid blocking charter sale
Stewart-Haas Racing announced that it'd close its operations at the end of the 2024 season. However, Gene Haas, co-owner of SHR, has retained one charter for his one-car Cup team, Haas Factory Team.
23XI and FRM agreed to purchase charters from SHR at nearly $30 million apiece. However, NASCAR has blocked the sale, because SHR agreed upon the terms of the sanctioning body, not 23XI and FRM. Thus, they have instructed teams to drop the lawsuit if they wish to materialize the charter transfer.
However, the sanctioning body's decision has put the Haas Factory Team in trouble. HFT president Joe Custer submitted an affidavit admitting they can't field extra cars as they're dependent on the proceeds from the charter sale.
"23XI/FRM filing today includes affidavit from SHR's Joe Custer, who says that NASCAR had told him on more than one occasion (no dates given) that the transfers to 23XI and FRM would be approved. He said they do not have the personnel/resources to run two more teams."
23XI and FRM's irreparable claim was denied as the officials removed the clause that prevented suing teams from participating in the races, meaning they could earn racing revenue while pursuing their legal battle on the sidelines.
However, a verdict on the preliminary injunction appeal is yet to be delivered.