Kevin Harvick warns Denny Hamlin that 23XI's charter drama impacts team morale, cites Bubba Wallace

Kevin Harvick warned Denny Hamlin's 23XI regarding the ongoing charter standoff between them and NASCAR. He believes the decision to hold out the charter deal for 2025-2031 could harm the team, including the drivers such as Bubba Wallace.

23XI, co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, refused to sign the multi-year extension charter agreement with NASCAR before the deadline last week. This means the Huntersville-based team didn’t secure a charter that's required for an entry into the Cup Series races in the following years.

According to Kevin Harvick, 23XI will have to take action as the team will feel uneasy about their future as evidenced by Bubba Wallace voicing his concerns last week.

“You got the question and you heard Bubba say it,” Harvick said on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast. “It kind of puts me in a position to where I don’t know about my future and it’s uneasy" [22:05].

The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion suggested the decision to hold out could spread “cancer” through the shop, saying:

“Now, it’s gonna spread through the shop, through the employees, unless they address it and say okay we’re going to sign it or we’re going to do this or we’re in or we’re out. But they have to address that situation or it’s gonna spread a cancer through their shop like they’ve never experienced before" [22:13].

23XI owner Denny Hamlin refused to sign the agreement due to the terms, which the team found unfair. The team also stated that they were not given a fair opportunity to negotiate.

During an episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin said the team was asking for at least a decent deal from NASCAR.

"NASCAR's got their stance, and the teams have theirs. We'll just see where this goes over the next few weeks," Hamlin said. "It's never been great, you know I think personally from 23XI's perspective, we would take a decent deal, not even a fair deal, just a decent one, and from our standpoint, it's got a ways to go.”

All but two teams agreed to sign the new charter agreement. Front Row Motorsports joins 23XI as the active teams not signed for next year.

Bubba Wallace was frustrated over Denny Hamlin’s team decision over charter contracts

Bubba Wallace expressed concerns about his contract following the team’s decision to hold out. Per Frontstretch, the 30-year-old driver was frustrated with the ongoing standoff, saying:

"It's frustrating to see where we're at, because that impacts my life and livelihood and everything moving forward for my future.”

Wallace, who drives the No. 23 Toyota Camry at 23XI, is currently out of the postseason following making the 16-driver playoff grid last year. He is teammates with No. 45 23XI driver Tyler Reddick, who has secured NASCAR’s regular season championship title and is fighting to advance to the next Round of 12.

The next and second race of the Round of 16 will be held at Watkins Glen International for a road course showdown on September 15.