Denny Hamlin Focused on Championship Glory Despite Legal Battle
Few drivers in NASCAR history have been as consistently present in the playoff picture as Denny Hamlin. Since making his postseason debut back in 2006, Hamlin has missed the championship hunt only once in 2013, when a back injury sidelined him for several races. Now, nearly two decades later, he’s gearing up for his 19th playoff run with Joe Gibbs Racing, determined to finally add that elusive Cup Series title to his résumé.
For Hamlin, the approach is straightforward, even if the stakes are higher than ever. “It’s just another chance to roll the dice,” he said during Playoff Media Day. “That’s it. I don’t feel any better or any worse than what I have last year or the year before that or the year before that. They’re all very, very similar. I feel as though our team is as strong as it’s ever been, but we’ve seen in the short sample size, it’s just a matter of whether you get unlucky at times or you catch a caution at the right time or not. Do you stub your toe on pit road? Those are the small things that decide whether you move on in the playoffs or not.”
Hamlin’s career has been defined by near-misses. Under the current elimination-style format, he’s reached the Championship 4 on four occasions, but his last appearance came in 2021. The hunger to break through and capture that first title remains strong, but Hamlin has set another goal for 2025 as well reaching 60 career Cup Series victories.
Currently sitting just two wins shy of the milestone, Hamlin knows exactly where he’d like to hit that mark. “I’d love for it to happen at Martinsville,” said the Virginia native. “I think that would be a really big one for me just being a short track that I felt so strong at for so many years and ultimately a track that meant a lot to my short track upbringing.” Achieving that feat would secure his place inside the top ten on NASCAR’s all-time wins list a testament to his longevity and consistency at the sport’s highest level.
But as Hamlin prepares to battle on the track, another fight is brewing off of it — one that could reshape the business side of NASCAR. The ongoing legal dispute between 23XI Racing (the team Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan), Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR has intensified in recent weeks. The conflict centers on team charters, which were stripped from 23XI and Front Row and are now in jeopardy of being resold to other organizations. With the trial set for December, tensions between the teams and NASCAR leadership are rising.
For many drivers, such a high-stakes legal entanglement might serve as a major distraction. But Hamlin insists it won’t derail his focus. “Because I want to win the championship,” he said firmly when asked about balancing the lawsuit with his driving duties. “I want to win 60 or more races and so that is my number one goal and so I’m not going to let anyone distract me from that no matter what their motivations might be.”
Hamlin went on to praise NASCAR’s track officials, calling them “very fair,” but made it clear his frustrations lie with “the others” a not-so-subtle jab at the sanctioning body’s leadership. He admitted he isn’t surprised the battle has dragged out this long, and with trial preparations underway, he doesn’t see a path toward resolution before the case reaches court.
Still, Hamlin’s focus remains unshaken. For him, the mission is simple: perform on the track, put his team in position to win, and finally capture the title that has eluded him for nearly two decades. Whether or not the courtroom drama overshadows the headlines, Hamlin insists he won’t let it overshadow his driving.
As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, Hamlin finds himself once again at the center of attention not only as one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers still chasing his first championship but also as a co-owner fighting for the future of his race team. If he succeeds in keeping both battles separate, this fall could prove to be the defining chapter of his career.