The NASCAR lawsuit has time and again revealed secrets that the fans were never ever meant to see. Remember how, back in August, expletive-laden messages between 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan and his business partner showed their animosity towards other team owners? Or the many exchanges between NASCAR executives that showcased the tensions between the teams and the sport runners?

Well, now, a newly surfaced three-year-old email from the 23XI co-owner, Denny Hamlin, peeled back the curtain on a tense, private conversation he had with NASCAR’s Jim France. It perfectly captures the long-brewing friction between team owners and the sanctioning body. In this message, Hamlin isn’t just venting. He’s laying out a fundamental disagreement over the future of NASCAR’s business model.

NASCAR lawsuit: Denny Hamlin’s email reveals more secrets

Reporter Kelly Crandall revealed that an email from Denny Hamlin in 2022 outlines his years of frustration that spilled out after having a meeting with Jim France. And at the heart of the conversation was nothing but a simple question posed by Hamlin to the NASCAR executive. “Why should I keep investing in this sport once I’m done driving?” Hamlin asked.

Now, this wasn’t a simple rhetorical question from Hamlin. Rather, it was a warning, a challenge, and, if you look at it, the moment that crystallized the underlying tension between NASCAR and team owners. This, in some way, ultimately led to the NASCAR lawsuit.

Hamlin’s recounting paints a picture of two distinct visions for the sport that the two parties had. On one side was Hamlin (representing investors like Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk). And on the other was France (representing NASCAR). Hamlin argued that the current business model leaves teams with no sustainable path to recover their investment, let alone turn a profit.

Jim, whose solution, as Hamlin described it, boiled down to one idea – cost-cutting. “We need to continue to find ways to cut the team’s cost,” Jim explained. However, Hamlin pushed back. He questioned how endless cuts could lead to long-term growth when teams were already operating near the bone.

What stood out most in the email was Hamlin’s belief that France still sees team ownership through a 1960s lens, where “racers” ran small shops out of garages and profit wasn’t part of the equation. France, according to Hamlin, openly preferred owners like Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, and Dale Jr. – former drivers who “get what we are doing here.” The implication was blunt: he doesn’t want outside investors or business-minded owners capable of challenging NASCAR’s longstanding revenue split.

This wasn’t just a philosophical clash. It was a revelation of how deep the divide runs. Hamlin suggested that France didn’t truly value what modern, well-funded teams bring to the sport and viewed NASCAR itself (not its owners) as the main attraction. That mindset, Hamlin feared, risked choking the sport’s future growth.

The email wasn’t a complaint. It was a red flag that sits at the center of the NASCAR lawsuit today.

Lawsuit document reveals NASCAR’s international plan

The Denny Hamlin email wasn’t the only unexpected revelation tucked into the lawsuit files recently. Just when fans thought the legal drama was only about charters, revenue, and power struggles, another document surfaced. And this one showed just how far NASCAR and its teams have been thinking beyond U.S. borders.

For years, NASCAR has flirted with the international stage. Mexico City finally got its first points-paying Cup race in 2025, and the sport has tested the waters in Canada, Europe, Brazil, and even Japan decades ago. However, nothing (and truly nothing) comes close to what the newly revealed proposal outlines: a full-blown NASCAR-style showcase in the Sultanate of Oman, complete with teams, star power, and a made-for-TV format engineered for absolute chaos.

If you think that the concept was some half-baked brainstorming session, think again. It detailed 15 cars split across three teams, each one led by a household American crew chief, a retired star, or a celebrity owner. Every team’s driver lineup would mix three current Cup drivers, one Omani racer, and one wild-card guest from any motorsport discipline.

The race format? Even wilder. Four rounds, each 50 laps or 20 minutes, with grids reset before every stage: standard qualifying for the opener, a full-field invert for Round 2, and team-points order for Round 3. Drivers who qualified in the top five could even elect to start last for bonus points. Now, this surely rewards chaos, aggression, and comebacks.

The proposal even had track options mapped out. It was either a temporary oval inside the Sultan Qaboos Stadium, mirroring the LA Coliseum Clash concept, or a stunning Muscat waterfront street circuit that was compared directly to Monaco. Shipping plans, cost breakdowns, and logistics were all outlined.

Seeing this level of detail emerge from a lawsuit makes one thing obvious that NASCAR and its teams have been quietly plotting a much bigger global footprint. The Oman event might not make it beyond the proposal stage. However, its existence shows just how ambitious the sport’s international vision really is and why the ongoing legal battle feels like NASCAR guarding not just its business model, but its global scope.