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Hamlin Details Charter Concerns, Busch’s RCR Leadership Shift, and More From a Trial-Heavy Week in NASCAR

Hamlin Details Charter Concerns, Busch’s RCR Leadership Shift, and More From a Trial-Heavy Week in NASCAR

Gowtham Ramalingam
December 06, 2025

Welcome to Hoot in the Oval — your all-access pass to everything NASCAR. From Denny’s clutch finishes to Ross’ wild moves, Chase Elliott fandom to Bubba’s bold takes—we’ve got the stories that fuel the track and the timeline. Fast, loud, unfiltered. Buckle up, y’all. 🏁

The latest edition of our newsletter covers:

Denny Hamlin states the details of NASCAR’s ‘unsustainable’ charter agreement in court
Kyle Busch’s new crew chief, Jim Pohlman, expects greatness at RCR’s #8 crew, but not without challenges
In the interest of better racing, Ray Evernham urges the sport to let its creative juices flow
Daniel Suarez says the best years of his career are yet to come

🏁 Inside the Oval

Denny Hamlin Testifies in Court on Why the Charter Deal Isn’t Sustainable

On the first day of the antitrust lawsuit trial between 23XI Racing and NASCAR, Denny Hamlin orated an emotional statement. Day 2, however, on December 2, he delivered a detailed and clear breakdown of his claims, financials, and the economic dynamics behind his emotions.

Hamlin was questioned by attorneys for over three hours on his past statements, investment expectations, and the financial origins of 23XI Racing. He testified that he earns around $14 million a year as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and that he has invested $45 million in 23XI Racing.

Out of that investment, $10 million has come as a direct personal contribution, while the rest has been managed via a loan, Hamlin stated. The questioning then turned to the expenses that were incurred for Airspeed, the new race facility that Hamlin and Michael Jordan built for the team.

It was constructed for $35 million. The opposition attorney pointed out that Hamlin had originally put a budget of only $9-10 million for the shop and accused him of overspending. He even mentioned the company’s expensive parties.

The 23XI co-owner retorted that the original budget had been drawn before the COVID-19 pandemic and that it did not include the complete cost of the facility.

Lawrence Butterman, the opposition attorney, then brought forward how Hamlin had spoken positively about the charter system, NASCAR, and the Next Gen car on his podcast, calling them compelling reasons to invest in the sport. He had done so to convince Jordan to become his partner, stated the attorney.

Hamlin defended himself, saying that he was only sharing the “positive talking points” that NASCAR itself provided each week and that he stands by his current position, which is that those structures are NASCAR’s pillars for anti-competitive strategy.

The veteran driver then recalled a meeting he once had with Jim France. The NASCAR chairman had told him that teams shouldn’t be spending more than $10 million on a car. Hamlin recalled that he had replied, “Cutting is not growth. I can’t cut my costs in half. It’s not realistic.” Understandably, Hamlin had left the meeting discouraged.

Hamlin’s final contention was that he would be out of business in the near future if he signed the charter agreement that NASCAR was presenting.

🏁 Inside the Oval

New Crew Chief Jim Pohlman Ready for a Promising 2026 with Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch hasn’t quite been himself on the race track these past few years. He has even struggled to even finish races on some instances. To pull him out of this tricky situation, Richard Childress Racing hired a championship-winning crew chief in Jim Pohlman.

Pohlman, who won the 2024 Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, is highly regarded in racing circles. He has expressed excitement to work with the two-time Cup Series champion. In a recent interview with RACER, Pohlman detailed how his approach to the job would be.

“We’re probably a lot alike. I haven’t seen his analytical chart as to how his personality is, but having done the crew chief role and reading people, I’d say we’re probably identical. There might be some spats, I’m not going to lie. He’s passionate. I’m passionate,” said the crew chief.

Both driver and his new crew chief want to take the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro to Victory Lane, nothing less. And it is crucial for them to find the right chemistry since success depends on it. Pohlman had found that balance with Allgaier.

Pohlman has taken this ambitious step as a gamble to achieve something even greater. Hopefully, his belief will not go to waste.

As for Busch, he can take heart from the friendship that Allgaier and Pohlman shared. In fact, their friendship ran so deep that it was Allgaier who pushed Pohlman to take the job with RCR.

”It’s a double-edged sword for me. I am sad to see him go because he has meant the world to me – and still will. His dream has been to be a full-time Cup Series crew chief, to have a shot at going for a championship,” Allgaier had said.

As much as Pohlman staying would have aided his growth, Allgaier couldn’t ask that of him. Now, that’s a big sacrifice.

If Busch can find such a dynamic with Pohlman, the sky would be the limit for what they can achieve together.

🗣️ Pit Politics

Ray Evernham Wants NASCAR to Bring Back the Creativity Teams Once Had

There used to be a time in NASCAR when creativity was still a factor in designing cars. Teams made popular machines such as the Dodge Charger Daytona and the Plymouth Superbird, inspired by the need to eke out more speed from the hardware and win.

But the sport has left that world far behind. NASCAR’s Next Gen car features uniform parts that cannot be altered in any manner. So, virtually, it’s just a group of identical cars that race each other in the Cup Series.

The legendary crew chief, Ray Evernham, does not feel good about this one bit. “We used to call it rubbing on the cars. We’d rub on it every little thing that we could do to make that car better than everybody else’s,” he said in an interview on Kenny Wallace’s YouTube channel.

“And we used to have a saying that a racecar is never done. It just gets time to go race it… I feel that’s something that we need to get back into,” added Evernham, who believes that NASCAR needs to reclaim its heartbeat by going back to the earlier way of things.

Evernham wishes to see more personality and character brought into the sport. “I think this new Gen 7 car will never drive the cost down, but it’ll stop the curve from going up at such an angle,” he said.

“I would like to see them put more adjustment back into that car so that the guys had things they could do during the race to make it better, rather than having to worry about fuel mileage all the time,” added Evernham, who also sees how small the toolbox has become for crews.

When a driver comes to the pit with a bad car, there’s little they can do to make things better. This is also why he wants to be able to make more adjustments to the car.

Evernham believes that the machine ought to be tailored to the driver, which would mark a return to the human touch that was once the hallmark of NASCAR.

🏁 Trackside Trivia

The late Michael Annett remains the only NASCAR driver to have started in Ice Hockey

Before he ever got into stock-car racing, Annett was a defenseman for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the United States Hockey League (USHL).
In 2004, he was named the USHL’s “Most Improved Player.”
He was part of the Black Hawks team that won the Clark Cup championship—i.e., he was part of a title-winning team before shifting careers.

🎙️ Hoot’s Radio Chatter

Daniel Suarez Heads to Spire Ready for His Best NASCAR Years

Daniel Suarez faced one of the most heartbreaking disappointments of his career when Trackhouse Racing decided not to renew his contract. He had spent five seasons with them and helped build the team into the dominating force that it is today.

However, he soon found a new home in Spire Motorsports and is set to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in 2026. Suarez is getting ready for the transition, firmly believing that his best years are ahead of him and not behind.

The 33-year-old said that he feels like a more complete driver now and that he did not lose any sleep over Trackhouse Racing’s announcement to let him go. This is because of the confidence he has gained from the immense work he put into developing himself on the race track.

In the early days of his career in the late 2010s, Suarez struggled to find the right infrastructure that would help him grow. It was only with Trackhouse that he found that footing.

Immensely grateful for everything the team provided him, Suarez refused to answer the question of how much longer he plans on racing. He appears to have finally understood that time and fate are the ones who would make that decision for him.

“The best part of my career, I promise, is in the next five to 10 years,” Suarez said without a tremor in his voice, and called himself one of the fittest drivers in the garage. Blind speed doesn’t matter much if a driver does not have the endurance to last through the entire season. Suarez believes that is where his strength lies.

Any driver could go and win on one particular weekend. But only a select few can be consistent throughout the season. Suarez places himself in the latter group.

With impressive skill and a strong mindset, Suarez enters Spire Motorsports equipped to lift the organization to greater heights. The biggest chapter of his career is just beginning, he believes.

🏁 Lap Back in Time: NASCAR Stat of the Year
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)

1961: Ned Jarrett won the championship with just one victory.
Jarrett claimed the 1961 title despite winning only a single race that year—his season was won on sheer consistency (33 top-10s in 46 starts).