Denny Hamlin questions NASCAR revenue split after track criticism with SMI CEO Marcus Smith

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin recently engaged in an online feud with Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, which escalated when both parties made personal comments. Hamlin has since expressed his frustrations with Smith's company and its revenue split.

In the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin commended the track facilities owned by NASCAR's International Speedway Corporation (ISC). He contrasted the ISC-owned tracks with those owned by Marcus Smith's Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI), arguing that the latter takes a significant portion of the TV revenue but hasn't reinvested the money in modernizing the facilities.

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside Michael Jordan, bolstered his argument by asserting that his team has invested more in the sport in its four years of existence than Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) has in the last decade. He elaborated on his comments:

"It's frustrating because, we know that they're taking the bulk...whenever we go to an SMI track they're taking the bulk of the money from the TV revenue."

"I know personally how much that I've invested in 23XI. I would venture to guarantee you that 23XI has invested more in the sport than SMI has invested in the last ten years. And we have done it in four years. Just this one team has invested more in the sport. So there's a problem there, especially when we get roughly half of what they get on any given weekend."

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver advocated for more transparency regarding the revenue split between SMI and NASCAR. He mentioned that all team owners had disclosed their financial standings to the governing body, but there was no transparency from the other side.

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Denny Hamlin contradicts Brad Keselowski's view on additional practice sessions

RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski recently opined that reduced practice time hasn't saved significant money for race teams, voicing his desire for additional practice sessions.

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin contradicted Keselowski's statement, highlighting that extra sessions require more spending on hotel accommodations and engine bills, due to increased mileage. He said on his podcast:

"I heard Brad, it bugs me a little bit that Brad's like 'We just need to have more practice, it's not gonna cost us any more.' That's not true, that sounds like someone that's never had to make a cash call before with his race team."

"You have to buy quite a bit more, you'd had to come to the race track earlier. That's an extra night of hotel rooms. But 23XI would be more than happy to go back to full practice and qualifying if we just got our damn expenses covered."

Denny Hamlin mentioned that Joe Gibbs Racing saves significant money with the reduced practice time, however, he also expressed support for increased show time if the additional expenses are covered.