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Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski discuss unity between NASCAR teams in charter negotiations

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 5/5/24

The charter negotiations between NASCAR and the Cup Series teams are stalled. Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski gave an update at Kansas. As the negotiations drag on, teams have to stay unified in their efforts if they want to get the agreement they have bargained for.

The teams hired an anti-trust attorney earlier this year. Since then, it feels like NASCAR has let things stall. It would be in their interest to negotiate with teams individually or even negotiate with just a small group.

So far, the teams are united. If it continues to drag out, will there be a team or two that steps out of line to get a deal done? It’s hard to say.

Denny Hamlin talked about the importance of staying united and getting the best agreement.

“We have been [united],” Hamlin said, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “I think it’s just a tough situation because every team does want a little different things here and there. There’s four basics that we all feel like we deserve, but each team has, how they would prioritize those four, might be different for each team but the four things really encapsulates what all the teams want. That would make all the teams happy.

“Why this is such an important thing is that we’ve had eleven teams go out of business since 2016. That’s not good. Certainly, if we continue on the trend of a couple of stakeholders [NASCAR, the tracks] doing really well and one [teams] not, that will continue and that’s not good for our sport.”

As charter negotiations continue to seem stalled between NASCAR and the teams, how are the teams going to remain united? What Denny Hamlin said on that topic yesterday: pic.twitter.com/PSGM6a4Ocp
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 5, 2024

Brad Keselowski wasn’t as detailed as Denny Hamlin. He doesn’t sound like he is too confident teams will stay together, either.

“I don’t know,” Keselowski said. “I think it’s kind of a story that will make a lot more sense when it’s done and you could armchair quarterback it, right? There’s a lot of things going on right now, it’s a real fluid situation.”

Then again, Keselowski might just be keeping his cards close to his chest as a team owner.

“I don’t know either. Well, that’s the thing it’s not a transparent process. Nothing with the charters really is, and that’s not just from the NASCAR side, it’s the team side probably even more than the NASCAR side. So, you don’t always know what cards everybody’s playing.”

And Brad Keselowski on how/if the team owners can keep unity amid the charter negotiations. pic.twitter.com/Y5SFnOHQGw
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 5, 2024

Denny Hamlin has been vocal lately about the negotiations. NASCAR doesn’t want to give up more than they have to. When talking about billions of dollars in TV revenue, you can understand both sides.

Brad Keselowski is a team owner. He does know about the negotiations. However, Keselowski is keeping things close to his chest as it were. 23XI Racing and RFK Racing have the same interests as Cup Series teams.

The teams want more money from NASCAR and the race tracks. It is a three-party affair at the end of the day. Negotiations have taken a long time. Teams are willing to wait it out, and so is NASCAR.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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