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Denny Hamlin has shut down reports claiming that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are close to reaching a settlement with NASCAR in their ongoing antitrust lawsuit. Speaking to reporters at the Championship 4 media event in Phoenix, Hamlin made it clear that no deal is near despite rumors suggesting otherwise.Reports of settlement talks came into the picture after both sides met in court last week. Some believed a deal could come together soon and end the dispute before the season finale.Over the past week, multiple outlets, including The Athletic, reported that NASCAR was close to settling with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports before the championship weekend. When Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass asked Hamlin about the reports, he said,“I always get updates about everything,”“But mostly that stuff was all through media and not actual dialogue.”When asked if a settlement was close, Hamlin replied,“No.”The lawsuit was filed in October 2024 by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The two teams accused NASCAR of running an illegal monopoly after refusing to sign the new charter agreement. That decision led NASCAR to revoke their charters for part of the 2025 season.A federal judge later dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim that alleged collusion between the teams, and the main trial is now scheduled for December 1, 2025.Denny Hamlin hit by more bad luck at Martinsville before Phoenix finaleDenny Hamlin’s week went from tense to tough. He faced a setback on track at Martinsville Speedway. During Sunday’s Xfinity 500, his race ended early after engine trouble forced him to park his No. 11 Toyota with 64 laps left. It was his third DNF of the season.The weekend started with issues when a starter problem hurt Denny Hamlin’s qualifying session. Even so, he managed a fifth-place start and quickly moved up to second during the race. His run looked strong until the final stage, when smoke began to pour from his car and his engine failed.The problem didn’t stop with Hamlin. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe also dropped out due to engine failure less than 40 laps earlier, and another Toyota driver, Riley Herbst, suffered the same issue. It raised questions about reliability just as the season reaches its most important race.“I’m obviously concerned (about the mechanical problems), but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Denny Hamlin told NBC Sports. “We’ll live with it and hopefully we’ll get back next week. Everything was fine and then it just lost power into turn one and that was it. No noises or anything, just silence because it wasn’t running.”Denny Hamlin still enters the Phoenix championship race as the winningest driver of the 2025 season, with six wins. He will compete against William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe for the title.
