The Charlotte courtroom was already humming when Denny Hamlin took the stand. Everyone expected a few hours of charter talk and lawyers’ discussion. Instead, they got fireworks, sarcasm, and one bombshell text message that had jaws dropping.

It all started with NASCAR’s lawyer, Lawrence Buterman, who came out swinging, throwing everything from driver contracts to revenue splits at Hamlin. Every time Buterman tried to paint 23XI as hypocritical for having its own exclusivity rules, Hamlin fired right back with one sentence.

“We’re not a monopoly, you are.”

However, the real gasp came when Buterman pulled up a text where Hamlin asked Michael Jordan to find someone to buy him out of 23XI. You could hear the air leave the room. But the driver didn’t panic. He explained that the reason he said that was because he wanted the success or failure of 23XI to depend on his own terms, and not under somebody’s control.

And that frustrated request to ‘buy him out’ was just his way to make the team owners realize the seriousness of it and get their attention. Hamlin mentioned that they eventually figured it out. It was just a normal disagreement, the kind every partnership has.

However, the fact that the text existed at all had everyone wondering what else happened behind those closed doors. Some NASCAR fans may view that as betrayal, but for Hamlin, it was out of frustration.

Further, when Buterman brought up the September 6 letter explaining why 23XI wouldn’t sign the charter deal, Hamlin didn’t flinch. He called NASCAR’s so-called concessions “small tweaks” and ripped the seven-year flat payout as ridiculous.

“You force us to buy all the cars and parts, but we don’t own any of it. How stupid is that?” he said.

He compared it to renting a house forever, while the landlord keeps raising the rent and never lets you paint the walls. The Team Owner Council got the same treatment. Hamlin called it window dressing. He even joked they could make teams race in Dubai tomorrow, and nobody could stop them.

Then came the Driver Ambassador Program. Hamlin admitted it puts money in his pocket but said he hates it anyway because it forces teams to loan their stars to NASCAR’s sponsors and give up forty percent of the cash.

Buterman tried a cheap shot, asking, “So you don’t want drivers to get paid?”

Hamlin smiled and shut it down. “Teams pay drivers, not NASCAR. And most drivers don’t win the number of races I do.”

This trial is slated for 21 days. But whatever the outcome may be, it looks like appeals will be inevitable.

If things are bad, why does Hamlin speak so positively about NASCAR on podcasts?

Considering the number of times Hamlin has spoken about NASCAR on podcasts, this question was inevitable. If he was so unhappy, why would he paint a rosy picture of NASCAR?

Well, Hamlin answered this question in court and explained that he was simply regurgitating NASCAR talking points because any negative comments can lead to retribution.

“You can take all my things out of context and paint a picture that everything is fine,” he said. “The reality is, (being) negative affects me in (technical inspection), getting called to the hauler, NASCAR not liking what I said.”

The trial is expected to last two weeks, and it will be interesting to see the outcome after a lengthy battle.

NASCAR is owned and operated by the France family. It was founded in 1948. In its defense, NASCAR contends that it did not interfere with any team’s trade or commerce. However, the charter system, which was initially given for free, has become an issue. The demand for charters created a market as big as $1.5 billion in equity.