"If you perform well, your expenses should be paid": When Denny Hamlin demanded changes to NASCAR’s sponsorship-dependent system

Denny Hamlin once suggested a change in NASCAR's sponsorship-dependent system. In 2018, Hamlin argued NASCAR should pay the teams that won more races to address the dependency on sponsorships.

Hamlin is a NASCAR Cup Series driver under Joe Gibbs Racing. While the driver didn't struggle with sponsorship thanks to his long-time partner FedEx, he suggested changing the pay system to aid Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr.

At the time, Johnson lost sponsorship from long-time partner Lowe's after the retail company left the sport, while Truex Jr.'s team, Furniture Row Racing, was closing its operations.

In an interview with For The Win, Denny Hamlin said:

"I think if you perform well on the race track, your expenses should be paid."

He added:

“You should be able to run full-time in the Cup Series at a high level if you go out there and perform at a high level. So the winnings itself I think should be able to pay to put that race car on the race track and not have them rely straight off of a $20 million sponsor.”

His suggestion would prevent companies from committing to a hefty $20 million sponsorship deal, especially considering TV ratings are declining.

“Just the way people watch racing and other sports is a lot different now than what it used to be, so getting a company to commit $20 million a year, which is, roughly, what it costs to have an up-front team, if you think about it, the winnings are only a fraction of that. So in my opinion, the winnings, if you perform well on the race track, it should pay for its way to be able to field a car," Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin (11) and Jimmie Johnson (48) at Michigan Speedway in 2019 - Source: Imagn

The JGR driver said the pay for race wins would come from the redistribution of TV revenue.

Jimmie Johnson secured a new sponsorship with Ally Financial starting the 2019 season. However, the seven-time Cup champion eventually retired in 2020. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr. joined Denny Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing. He retired from full-time competition after the 2024 season.

Notably, Denny Hamlin recently bid farewell to FedEx after about two decades of partnership in NASCAR. 47 out of his 54 career Cup wins were achieved with the transport company as the primary sponsor.

Moreover, Hamlin, through 23XI Racing, is suing NASCAR for alleged monopolistic practices and unfair charter deals with teams. Front Row Motorsports also joined 23XI in the antitrust lawsuit battle against the stock car racing league.

---

Denny Hamlin reacted to unprecedented court win against NASCAR

Last December, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were granted a preliminary injunction for the 2025 season. 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin reacted to the court win by taking to X (formerly Twitter) and posting GIFs.

After Judge Kenneth Bell granted a preliminary injunction on December 19, Hamlin wrote:

"YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!"

He also posted a GIF of Will Smith in the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness where Chris Gardner finally landed a job at a prestigious brokerage firm.

NASCAR subsequently filed a motion for a partial stay of the preliminary injunction. However, the court later denied it on December 23, which prompted Hamlin to post an Al Bundy GIF wishing a Merry Christmas.

The preliminary injunction allows 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to compete as temporary chartered teams while pursuing the lawsuit. It safeguards the teams for the 2025 season after refusing to sign NASCAR's multi-year charter deal extension last September.