Back in October 2024, the tension between NASCAR and two of its biggest teams finally boiled over. Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, shaking the sport to its core. The teams claimed the new 2025 charter deal was unfair, specifically pointing to clauses that forced organizations to waive their right to sue if they signed on. For Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI, that was a line they refused to cross. They argued NASCAR’s system was monopolistic, with charters, once seen as a safeguard for stability, being wielded like a weapon.

As the case heated up, fans couldn’t help but ask what all of this meant for the people at the center of it, especially Denny Hamlin. On Reddit, one post asked bluntly: “Is the lawsuit going to keep Denny Hamlin out of the Hall of Fame? Just wondering. Is he going to be the Pete Rose of NASCAR?” That sparked a flood of debate. Some said NASCAR would never let something this messy stain Hamlin’s legacy, while others weren’t so sure.

After all, the Hall of Fame has always been as much about politics as performance. If Hamlin, one of the winningest drivers without a championship, gets caught in the crossfire of a feud with the France family, could it derail his eventual induction? Fans fear that possibility, and history shows NASCAR isn’t shy about drawing hard lines when it feels threatened.

Meanwhile, the courtroom drama kept building. By December 2024, Judge Kenneth Bell handed 23XI and FRM a major early victory with a preliminary injunction, allowing them to operate as chartered teams in 2025 while the case played out. That ruling was a lifeline. Without it, the two organizations would have been relegated to “open” team status, fighting just to make the grid each week and missing out on millions in guaranteed purse money. NASCAR was also forced to approve the transfer of two Stewart-Haas Racing charters to the suing teams, a move it had resisted for months.

But NASCAR wasn’t going to sit back quietly. By early 2025, the sanctioning body counterpunched with its own lawsuit, accusing 23XI and Front Row of trying to run an “illegal cartel.” NASCAR’s lawyers claimed the teams had colluded to control charter negotiations, meddled with broadcast deals, and even threatened a boycott. They demanded triple damages and painted the teams as bullies, trying to upend the very structure of the sport.

Then came the bombshell in June 2025. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the injunction, putting NASCAR back in control. Suddenly, 23XI and Front Row were stripped of their charter status mid-season. No guaranteed starting spots. No secure cut of TV revenue. And no safety net if qualifying went wrong. The decision was devastating financially and symbolically, sending a loud message that NASCAR, not the teams, was still in the driver’s seat.

By summer, things only got messier. NASCAR began exploring the sale of the disputed charters to other teams, which 23XI argued would inflict “irreparable harm.” They told the court that if NASCAR sold those charters before a trial, even a future win would be meaningless because they would have lost their most valuable assets forever. Judge Bell seemed sympathetic, suggesting this fight was no longer just about money, but about the survival of the charter system itself.

August brought fireworks. A packed courtroom saw private messages from both sides laid bare. Jordan himself had fired off sharp words at NASCAR officials, highlighting just how personal the rift had become. NASCAR, meanwhile, painted 23XI as reckless, while Judge Bell warned that depending on the verdict, the charter system could collapse entirely. NASCAR’s request to sanction 23XI for “manufacturing evidence” was denied, with Bell blasting it as little more than “narrative control.”

Now, everything is barreling toward a December 1 trial. If NASCAR wins, it locks in its iron grip on the charter system and reasserts control for decades. But if 23XI and Front Row prevail, the ruling could rip open NASCAR’s economic structure, handing teams more power and reshaping how charters are valued and traded. It’s a showdown with massive stakes. And for fans, the fight isn’t just about business. It’s about the soul of the sport, the future of teams like 23XI, and even the Hall of Fame legacy of a driver like Denny Hamlin.

Fans debate whether  the lawsuit ruin Hamlin’s legacy?

The Reddit thread exploded with fans sharing their takes on whether the antitrust lawsuit could doom Denny Hamlin’s Hall of Fame chances, drawing parallels to blackballed legends. One fan kicked it off with sarcasm,  “Nascar would never! /s (As Smokey Yunick is rolling in his grave.) I’m honestly surprised they let Curtis Turner in, all things considered.” This digs at NASCAR’s track record of sidelining rebels, even if they are icons. Smokey Yunick, a rule-breaking genius who revolutionized racing tech, got snubbed from the NASCAR Hall of Fame despite honors elsewhere, blamed on his beef with the France family. Curtis Turner, who tried forming a drivers’ union in the 1960s and got banned, eventually made it in, showing NASCAR sometimes forgives but does not forget. For Hamlin, co-owning 23XI and leading the charge against the charter system, fans worry if his “renegade” status will seal his fate like Yunick’s.

Another fan nailed the irony, “If it’s finally Denny’s year then immediately after he kills nascar would be the most Denny thing.” It’s a cheeky nod to Hamlin’s timing. After years of near-misses, he is in the 2025 playoffs strong, but the lawsuit he is spearheading with Michael Jordan could tank his legacy right when a title feels close. The suit blasts NASCAR’s monopolistic practices, especially how charters lock teams into unfair terms. Hamlin’s three Daytona 500 wins and consistent top-five points finishes scream Hall of Famer, but if the legal fight drags him down, it would be peak Hamlin drama. Winning big on track while burning bridges off it.

The worry runs deep for some, “Bro there may not be a HOF at this rate. Jesus.” This captures the fear that the whole sport is unraveling. With the lawsuit exposing NASCAR’s governance woes, financial squabbles, and power plays, plus criticisms of the France family’s control, fans see the Hall of Fame as collateral damage. The ongoing battles, from charter revocations to countersuits accusing teams of cartel behavior, have fans questioning if the institution can survive the chaos. If the December trial blows up the charter system, the Hall might look different, or worse, irrelevant.

One fan went darker, “I think so. It wouldn’t surprise me if NASCAR bans Denny Hamlin from the sport for life a la Pete Rose as well.” The Pete Rose comparison hits hard. Banned from baseball for gambling, Rose was forever kept out of the Hall. Hamlin’s antitrust push is not betting, but the fear is real that NASCAR could hit back hard. So far, no ban, and Hamlin is racing as an open entry without charters, but the countersuit’s threats of triple damages and the France family’s influence make fans nervous. Hamlin is still competing, but a loss could paint him as a pariah, echoing Rose’s eternal exclusion.

Finally, a fan broke it down, “It honestly depends, there’s no saying that the France family blackballs him or if voters chose to let cloud their judgement instead of his on track success. But honestly think it all depends on the outcome and what comes to light because we’ve seen a good bit of Nascar’s dirty work been brought to light but there’s no saying Nascar isn’t waiting to show the public something about Denny or anyone at 23XI.”

This gets at the politics. The France family’s sway over NASCAR could blacklist Hamlin, like with Yunick, or voters might overlook his 50-plus wins for the lawsuit drama. The trial’s revelations, from private messages to “smoking-gun” documents on NASCAR’s monopoly, could swing it. If dirt on 23XI surfaces, Hamlin’s legacy takes a hit. If not, his on-track resume shines through the mess.

The lawsuit’s deepening rift has fans on edge, worried Hamlin’s bold stand could cost him his place among NASCAR greats. With the December trial looming and charters hanging by a thread, this is not just about charters anymore. It is about whether fighting the system makes you a hero or a villain in the eyes of history.