NASCAR Cup Series driver and team owner Denny Hamlin recently praised Matt Weaver on his understanding of the law regarding the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit.
23XI Racing, which Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordon, is fighting a legal battle against NASCAR with Front Row Motorsports. The court recently ruled in favor of the two teams and granted their preliminary injunction to run as chartered teams in the 2025 Cup season.
However, NASCAR fought the charter transfers and asked for a delay before its appeal. The decision on the delay will be taken on Monday, December 23.
Sportsnaut's Matt Weaver shared his analysis of the case in response to a fan's question on X. Before the big decision, Hamlin commented on Weaver's post and wrote:
"You’ve gotten quite the education on law Matt. Congrats!"
Weaver explained in his post how the injunction maintained the status quo for both teams and wrote:
"The injunction effectively restores the conditions, more or less, to the summer right before negotiations broke down in which 23XI and Front Row had two charters and agreed to purchase a third each. NASCAR, of course, pushes back on that last inclusion the most."
This Monday, the court will decide whether to delay the ruling and pause the charter transfers until NASCAR's appeal to the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Virginia is resolved.
If the judge grants the delay, the approval of the SHR charter transactions will be on hold. The team's first request to compete as chartered teams was denied but a second injunction to a new judge, Judge Kenneth Bell, was approved on December 18.
Denny Hamlin excited after favorable court ruling last week
23XI and Front Row had plans to purchase charters from the now-closed Stewart-Haas Racing. However, after the teams refused to sign the new charter agreements and filed the lawsuit, NASCAR stopped them from buying the charters for their third cars in the Cup Series. It suggested the teams compete as open entries in 2025.
A federal judge ruled in favor of the teams last week and ordered NASCAR to approve the transfers and recognize them as chartered teams for the 2025 season. Denny Hamlin also posted on X in response to the news:
"YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!"
Meanwhile, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished the 2024 season in eighth place in the final standings with three wins. Hamlin's best race was at Bristol, where he led 163 laps and won.
He also won at Richmond and Dover and had 12 top-five, and 18 top-10 finishes this year.