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Denny Hamlin Breaks Silence on Tyler Reddick Entering Free Agency Amidst Charter Lawsuit Saga

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 10:32 AM ET

Denny Hamlin and 23XI Racing are in a tough spot. For the past few weeks, the Cup team has been in a legal battle against NASCAR over chargers, alongside Front Row Motorsports. If things don’t go in 23XI’s way, they could lose their charters entirely, potentially losing its drivers. Now, Hamlin has addressed rumors of losing Tyler Reddick over the situation.

NASCAR drivers usually have clauses in their contract that allows them to leave a team if they lose their charter rights. Cup charters are important for any garage, as it allows teams to get revenue sharing from the sport.

23XI Racing could be forced to give up its charters if it loses the case against NASCAR when the trial commences in December. This could make its drivers free agents, including Tyler Reddick, who is often considered one of the most exciting talents in the field.

Denny Hamlin was asked over Reddick’s situation. The JGR veteran made it clear that his star driver remains under contract for now. Moreover, Hamlin insisted that Tyler Reddick had faith in 23XI Racing over the ongoing case. Perhaps, the 29-year-old is not interested in looking at his other options just yet. But this could change in the future depending on the situation of the case.

Uh, well, we have him under contract, and I think he probably feels as confident as we are in December. So…
Denny Hamlin said, as quoted by On3.com.

Denny Hamlin takes pole for second Cup Playoffs race

Hamlin has a lot on his plate in NASCAR. Not only is the Toyota veteran managing a team and its legal issues, but also racing full-time with JGR in the Cup Series. Yet, it seems that Hamlin manages to leave everything behind once he gets inside the cockpit.

The 44-year-old secured pole position for the Gateway race this weekend, the second of ten Playoff races. Denny Hamlin is 43 points above the current elimination line for the top 12 round. Pole position gives him another boost in the title campaign.

After the session, Denny Hamlin asserted that a few adjustments made by the JGR crew helped improve things after practice. The Toyota veteran pointed out that there’s a stark difference in one-lap pace, due to the nature of the World Wide Technology Raceway.

We were able to, very similarly to last week, make some great adjustments from where we were in practice And again, there is so much that is different from practice to qualifying when you’re going for one lap. Air pressures at a track like this are dramatically different, certainly, the intensity from which I drive is a lot different in practice than qualifying. They gave me all of the adjustments that I needed to have a really good handling car there, and we were able to capitalize on it.
Denny Hamlin said, as quoted by Reuters.

Certainly, Denny Hamlin’s driving is not getting impacted by his off-track workload. The NASCAR veteran knows exactly how to manage responsibilities even when the future of 23XI Racing seems uncertain to some. However, the upcoming weeks could be crucial for Hamlin and 23XI. The Toyota squad must be able to have a firm stance in the legal battle till the trial begins in December.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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