Article continues below this ad In his official statement, he wrote, “As a successful driver, I love competing in all sorts of motorsports. I was approached by a short-track series called Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) about driving in SRX races. SRX was a series composed of stock vehicles that raced on short tracks in America. Unlike many motorsports series, including the Cup Series, there were no separately owned teams in SRX. Instead, SRX owned all cars, directly hired drivers, and provided the pit crews.” While NASCAR has official rules that limit Cup Series drivers with more than a few years of experience to only 5 starts in each of the Xfinity and Truck Series, the rules regarding truly outside ventures like SRX are often less codified but heavily influenced by corporate relations. AD Before the lawsuit ever reached the courtroom, NASCAR teams had one unified goal: securing permanent charters. For over two years, the Race Team Alliance had been advocating for this change, arguing that the absence of permanent charters threatened both sponsor confidence and financial stability. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Tensions exploded when NASCAR unveiled a new charter proposal with a tight deadline last year, one that seemingly ignored those long-standing concerns. Hence, in response, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin took a stand, refusing to sign the deal and filing a lawsuit that would send shockwaves through the sport. NASCAR has now gone on the offensive. They accused 23XI Racing of trying to destroy the sport, as stated in a motion for summary judgment: “Neither greed, nor an individual’s bruised ego over his inability to deliver on some promises he made to other teams, justifies trying to destroy an institution.” However, Denny Hamlin clapped back using NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates’ words, saying, “NASCAR would be perfectly fine going back to that pre-charter model.” His caption: “In case you’re wondering who threatened the system.” And as the fight goes on, all eyes and ears will be open for the next update. However, while this may look like some sort of betrayal for Denny Hamlin, the No. 6 Ford RFK driver still pushes for another framework within NASCAR to change. Brad Keselowski calls out the NASCAR playoff system In a candid conversation with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, he didn’t hold back his thoughts on NASCAR’s current playoff format, a system that has long divided fans, drivers, and team owners alike. Having raced through the evolution from the old full-season, 36-point championship to the modern 10-race elimination format, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion spoke from experience and frustration. He very bluntly said, “The whole playoff thing has to go away. The nuance of having 10 races that are more important than 20-some others is very unhealthy for the sport. It’s demeaning to the other tracks and races.” ADVERTISEMENT