If there was ever a year for Denny Hamlin to seal his long-awaited championship, 2025 finally feels like it. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has combined speed, strategy, and composure throughout the playoffs, positioning himself as one of the most consistent contenders in the field. Yet this potential triumph comes during one of the most complex chapters of his career.

Off the track, Hamlin’s co-owned team, 23XI Racing, is locked in a lawsuit against NASCAR alleging unfair business practices within the charter system. The optics are striking: the same figure chasing racing’s highest driver honor is simultaneously challenging the sport’s financial framework. So, let’s say if he really wins it, how will he face the NASCAR leadership at the victory stage?

Suit or trophy, respect stays

When Fox News asked Hamlin whether it would feel awkward to celebrate a championship alongside NASCAR President Steve Phelps or CEO Jim France, given the ongoing tensions between the sport’s leadership and team owners, Denny Hamlin offered a calm and professional response.

“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve seen those guys as much as I’ve ever seen them over the last few weeks. It’s just been I’ve had a different suit on and they’ve been in their normal suits.” Hamlin said.

Hamlin’s words referred to the recent standoff between NASCAR executives and the Race Team Alliance (RTA), of which his organization, 23XI Racing, is a key member. As negotiations over the new charter agreement dragged into late 2025, Hamlin emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for fairer revenue sharing and long-term charter security.

The “different suit” analogy pointed to his dual roles: driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, positions that have put him on both sides of NASCAR’s most complex modern debate.

Over the past several months, Hamlin has been in frequent meetings with NASCAR leadership, including Phelps, Jim France, and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell. Reports from Sports Business Journal and The Athletic detailed how Hamlin, along with Justin Marks and Curtis Polk, represented team interests in pushing for greater financial transparency and stability.

While these talks occasionally turned tense, Hamlin’s demeanor has remained pragmatic. His comments suggest that while negotiations have been difficult, he maintains mutual respect with NASCAR’s hierarchy, echoing the professionalism that has defined his two-decade Cup career.

Hamlin’s experience navigating off-track politics isn’t new. He has long been one of the sport’s most outspoken yet respected voices, balancing criticism with constructive insight. In 2023 and 2024, for example, he openly challenged NASCAR on the Next Gen car’s safety and parity issues through his Actions Detrimental podcast.

But he later praised officials for implementing fixes following major crashes involving Ryan Preece and Kyle Larson. That same candor has made Hamlin both a driver’s advocate and a business realist, two qualities that often collide in the modern NASCAR ecosystem.

Asked to elaborate, Hamlin added, “I’ve got, you know, respect for all those guys, and obviously it’s a totally different issue than what we’re fighting on the racetrack this weekend.”

For Hamlin, the distinction is clear. The business disagreements over charter terms are separate from the championship battle he faces on the track, a fight that could finally deliver the one title that has eluded him.

Despite 54 career Cup Series wins, three Daytona 500 victories, and multiple Championship 4 appearances, Hamlin still lacks the ultimate crown. Yet, his measured tone ahead of the finale reflects focus, not distraction. Hamlin’s ability to compartmentalize business and competition has become a defining strength, particularly as his dual identity as driver and team owner expands.

In many ways, Hamlin’s composed response captures the evolution of his career. Once known for his fiery rivalries and outspoken takes, he now stands as both a competitor and an executive, a bridge between NASCAR’s corporate future and its racing heart.

Whether or not he lifts the championship trophy beside Jim France or Steve Phelps, his comments remind fans that leadership, respect, and perspective are as much a part of modern NASCAR as horsepower and pit calls.

Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe rolls into his first Championship 4 wide-eyed, grinning like the kid he still feels inside.

Briscoe is starstruck in the Championship hunt

Chase Briscoe rolls into his first Championship 4 wide-eyed, grinning like the kid he still feels inside. He told Bob Pockrass the truth. “I think fans should root for me because I’m really just one of them, if we’re being honest. Like, I still get starstruck racing against Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin and all these guys. I mean literally I was a fan less than 10 years ago.”

His humble roots fuel the fire. Within a decade, in five Cup years, he’s got 13 national wins total, now one race from glory. No. 19 Toyota, teammate to Hamlin, is facing legends like Busch.

Briscoe on the awe: “I don’t know. I mean it’s cool that I’m racing against them. I think just because you’re starstruck, doesn’t mean you still can’t go race with them. I’ve done it my whole career, where I am still like, Man, I’m racing against this guy right now. And I’ve still been able to beat him or race around him. So I don’t think it’ll be any different this week either.”

Darlington domination kicked playoffs, Talladega sealed it, 9.1 average finish in the round. Martinsville engine blew after 295 laps, but the team swears the fixes hold.

JGR’s rookie year shines. Briscoe’s fan soul meets pro steel, starstruck but steady. Phoenix waits, and the underdog eyes the crown.