On December 2, 2025, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin attended day 2 of the ongoing trial in the lawsuit against NASCAR. During the trial, Hamlin opened up about the reason behind refusing to sign the charter agreement last year and filing this lawsuit.The situation arose when 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports refused to ink the charter agreement in October 2024. Following that, the two Cup Series teams filed an antitrust lawsuit against the governing body and CEO Jim France. The teams accused France of creating a monopoly in the sport.The charter agreement guarantees a spot in all Cup Series events along with a slice of NASCAR's revenue. Following that, during his deposition, Denny Hamlin explained the reason for not signing the charter agreement:“I don't sign because I know that this is essentially my death certificate for the future."“I think it was the only decision," he added.Denny Hamlin further addressed the future and stated:"It's time for change. I've spent 20 years trying to change this sport and grow it further."Earlier on Monday, Denny Hamlin was questioned about 23XI Racing's deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Cup Series driver explained that his co-owned team pays $8 million per year for technical support. He also claimed NASCAR tries to take sponsors from teams, citing Germain Racing's example.“Fans have been brainwashed”: Denny Hamlin lambasted ESPN's senior writer ahead of the trialJoe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin recently called out senior writer Ryan McGee for writing a propaganda-style article. He accused him of brainwashing stock car racing fans and completely disagreed with his take on the whole situation.Ahead of the trial's first day on December 1, 2025, McGee published an article accusing 23XI Racing of gaining more control. The piece highlighted that Cup Series teams bag around 49% of the TV money. However, the NBA legend Michael Jordan still believes that it's not enough.Jordan further claimed that NASCAR should adopt an NBA-style format and sell charters rather than leasing them. Reflecting on that, Denny Hamlin lambasted Ryan McGee and wrote:"Please give credit to @mforde for helping you write this propaganda piece that they want pushed to switch the narrative. Continuous lies about our stance, NASCAR's motives for its actions, and continued message from the sanctioning body that everything is fine. Our fans know better.""Our fans have been brainwashed with their talking points for decades. Narratives pushed by media who are intimidated by them. Lies are over starting Monday morning. It’s time for the truth. It’s time for change," he added.Ahead of calling out the ESPN writer, Hamlin's 2022 email was made public. In the mail, Hamlin called out Jim France for not supporting the Cup Series team financially and asked them to cut costs. Despite the JGR driver explaining massive engine-building costs, the governing body didn't budge and pawned off the financial responsibility to the manufacturers.