"The first one through the wall always gets bloodied": Denny Hamlin references Brad Pitt's blockbuster amid mixed reactions to 23XI's lawsuit

Denny Hamlin responded to the mixed reactions received after his co-owned venture, 23XI Racing, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. Hamlin quoted a line from Brad Pitt's hit movie, 'Moneyball,' outlining the situation he and Michael Jordan are in.

On October 2, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports sued the France family for their alleged anticompetitive practices and monopolizing the high-octane sport. This stemmed from the hurried deadline imposed by NASCAR a week before the playoff opener began in Atlanta.

Despite negotiating for two years, the teams couldn't land a mutual ground with the charter agreement. Nearly a month after the charter agreement fiasco, 23XI and FRM filed a lawsuit against the NASCAR-owning family. The reactions to suing the first family NASCAR received mixed responses. While some praised the teams for taking a big step, many critiqued their move. Among the critics is FOX's Larry McReynolds, who blasted 23XI for the lawsuit.

When asked about the responses received since filing the suit, Denny Hamlin cited a quote from Brad Pitt's mpvie as he addressed the negative responses to the team's actions. He said (via Frontstretch on X).

"Michael Jordan, he sent me an awesome clip from the Moneyball, where John Henry's saying, 'The first one through the wall always gets bloodied.' But in the end it's because you are threatening status quo, you're threatening people's jobs and things like that," Hamlin said (3:00).

"I just hope it's not seen that way. Just seeing that certainly this in an opportunity for us to try to promote change in the sport that’s positive for everyone, and that's teams, drivers, fans, everyone. So, I feel like, certainly on our end, it's actually been good for me," he added.

According to reports, NASCAR informed the teams that if they chose not to sign the charter agreement by September 6th, the teams would lose their existing charter. All the teams chose to proceed with the proposal except for Denny Hamlin's co-owned outfit and Bob Jenkins' FRM.

---

NASCAR has frozen Denny Hamlin's 23XI's bid for purchasing the third charter from Stewart-Haas Racing

Since marking their debut race at the 2021 Daytona 500, 23XI has expanded to a two-car Cup Series team, fielding Tyler Reddick in the #45 Toyota and Bubba Wallace in the #23. Amid SHR's imminent closure, two charters were sold to Trackhouse Racing and Front Row Motorsports, while one was retained by Gene Haas, SHR's co-owner, for his new single-car Cup team, Haas Factory Team.

Denny Hamlin's 23XI, to further increase their on-track presence and avail the guaranteed benefits of owning the charter, struck a deal for SHR's remaining asset. However, that agreement is on hold as of now, as NASCAR has put a pause on the transaction.

Even though the two teams entered an arrangement on August 7, a month before the charter drama, and two months before 23XI Racing sued NASCAR, the transaction is "still in escrow and requires approval from NASCAR."

"23XI is currently in the process of acquiring a third charter. 23XI and StewartHaas Racing, LLC entered into a purchase agreement on Aug. 7, 2024, but the transaction is still in escrow and requires approval from NASCAR. In the interim, Stewart-Haas Racing, LLC signed NASCAR’s 2025 Charter Agreement,” read page 12 of the lawsuit.

If the lawsuit's outcome favors Denny Hamlin's team, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the family-owned sport will change.