The incidents that have plagued Denny Hamlin throughout the off-season have been more than tragic. His fans have been worried that it will take a toll on his mental health heading into the 2026 season. However, among the hardships, the settlement of the charter lawsuit with NASCAR was definitely a breather. In the NASCAR Live podcast, Hamlin answered some crucial questions about his upcoming season and how the lawsuit settlement changes things for him.

Denny Hamlin agrees to take it easy on himself in 2026

The lawsuit between his team, 23XI Racing, and NASCAR for the charters left him drained. According to Hamlin, racing regularly and visiting the courts for the lawsuit left him with very little time on his hands. As he reveals during the episode:

“I think I certainly am going to go into 2026 having a lot less on my plate. There was just so much going on last year. We still handled it fine. We still won as many races as anyone on the racetracks.

“But yeah, I am going to have more time this season, which is great. I’m going to need it. I still need it. But yeah, being done with that was good, especially with it being settled, so there are no appeals. It’s done.”

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Nevertheless, he can’t help but wonder how everything just came to a halt suddenly for him and co-owner Michael Jordan.

“And it was such an abrupt thing, because it was like we were full-steam ahead, and all of a sudden—you walk in, and it’s done. And when I say done, it was like that was just such an abrupt stop that it was like—’now what?'”

During the off-season, many fans were arguing about the possible after-effects of the lawsuits. They thought that the lawsuit was taking too much time and patience out of Hamlin. Hamlin completely agrees with them on that aspect.

“Because it was just consuming so much time and so much brainpower for so many people that certainly there’s going to be extra time to do with it what I need. If it’s concentrating more on racing or if it’s just spending more time off, then I will do that.”

For now, it does feel like the NASCAR driver/owner is not going to let his mental health get disturbed anymore. Denny Hamlin is entering the 2026 season with a fresh narrative and new rules.

And though he finally got the permanent charter he wanted from NASCAR, Hamlin is still unsure about the actual extent of their growth.

Denny Hamlin reveals bigger challenges for the team

The lawsuit settlement landed more than $300 million in his favor. But for Denny Hamlin, that is not something that his team can rely on for long-term racing. 23XI Racing is still a budding team, and Hamlin worries that they need better planning.

“It put us on stable ground so that the next time we’re negotiating, we can’t get told ‘sign it or else,’ so that’s beneficial,” Hamlin said. “It certainly allows private equity to look at these race teams just like someone would look at NASCAR and say, ‘Okay, that is where I want to put my money in the long term,’ because they see growth possibility.”

For now, some of the decisions that Hamlin has made about 23XI Racing seem to be working well in their favor. In 2026, they will be allowing Corey Heim to participate in 10 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 this week.

It is a tricky decision for Hamlin, especially due to the rumors about his boss Joe Gibbs not being in favor of Heim. Gibbs allegedly tried to end Corey Heim’s future in NASCAR due to the feud between Heim and his grandson. For some unconfirmed reasons, Heim does not have a full-time ride in NASCAR this year, even though he is the 2025 Truck Series champion.

Hamlin’s bold move, which will allegedly go against the wishes of his boss, has already put him in the good books of the fans. They are rallying behind him for a great season ahead. His decision, however controversial it may be, will help their team build a narrative for the upcoming seasons.