NASCAR’s three-time Daytona winner and oldest active Cup driver, Denny Hamlin, took the stand as the lone witness on Day 1 of the explosive charter dispute trial. And as the industry digests the fallout from his testimony, Hamlin’s claim that NASCAR routinely silences dissenting voices has now found unexpected support.
Not from a team owner, not from a star driver, not even from a media insider. But from someone few would expect: a former team intern.
Ex-Intern Backs Denny Hamlin Against NASCAR – ‘They Silence, Intimidate and Censor’
Last day, Hamlin closed out his stint on the witness stand in Charlotte, putting the pedal to the metal in the ongoing NASCAR antitrust trial. His 23XI Racing outfit, alongside Front Row Motorsports, took the sanctioning body to court last year over claims of monopolistic control.
The 45-year-old’s testimony was, to say the least, raw, emotional, and unabridged. However, the cross-examination from NASCAR’s legal team took him through every curve of his career, from business ventures to finances, rather unapologetically.
At one point, the questioning veered to his July 2024 appearance on “The Kenny Conversation” with former driver Kenny Wallace, where Hamlin had praised the Next Gen car and the inaugural Mexico City race.
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Lawrence Buterman, the sanctioning body’s external counsel, had a straightforward strategy: drive Hamlin into a corner, portraying his statements as self-serving and hypocritical.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, however, held firm, firing back with sharp retorts. As Joseph Srigley reported, Hamlin explained his 2024 comments, “If I say anything bad, I get a lashing from NASCAR. So, publicly, it’s all sunshine and rainbows.”
In the wake of Day 1 of the trial, Emily Grindstaff, a former JTG Daugherty (now Hyak Motorsports) intern, lent support to Hamlin’s claims. “I was also 19, an intern, and brand new to the industry & was an intimidated kid. This situation gutted me & absolutely scared me into acquiescence,” she wrote on Twitter (X).
She added, “But the team I worked for fullyyyy had my back. They were the best, and I loved that team/job JTGD forever.”
Recalling a 2012 incident during All-Star weekend, she described her experience – “In 2012, I posted a tweet saying I didn’t understand the All-Star race format & within two hours, my team owner called me in to tell me they got a call from NASCAR threatening to fine me & the team for my comment. Yes, they silence, intimidate & censor industry members.”
Also Read: NASCAR’s Controversial Moves To Block Tony Stewart’s SRX Series Exposed in Court
Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Hyak Motorsports was one of the ten teams to submit its declaration in favor of NASCAR in the ongoing dispute. Gordon Smith, the majority owner, admitted that in November 2023, he became the principal owner of the one-car team. Following this, NASCAR sent multiple drafts of the 2025 Charter, which were received in May, August, and finally in September 2024
Hyak Motorsports accepted NASCAR’s final Charter offer on September 6, 2024, as the new agreement provided greater revenue than the previous deal and ensured the team retained the Charter, a vital source of income and stability.
With Hamlin and now the former intern speaking out, the situation is becoming clearer. NASCAR has long maintained significant control over its rules and operations, leaving owners and drivers with limited room to challenge the organization publicly.