The three-time Daytona 500 winner testified in the landmark federal antitrust trial about the financial difficulties in operating a team

Trust Trial in Charlotte, North Carolina included some fiery and contentious testimony and cross-examination of 23XI's Denny Hamlin.

The landmark federal antitrust trial against NASCAR opened Monday. 23XI Racing, which three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports, claim the series is a monopolistic bully that leaves its teams no option but to comply with rules and financing they don’t agree with.

As the big trial between NASCAR and Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing team continues, Denny Hamlin and everyone else on Jordan's side are being advised not to post on social media. But the three-time Daytona 500 champion just can't help himself.

Denny Hamlin, the NASCAR driver and co-owner with Michael Jordan of 23XI Racing, compared signing a charter agreement to signing a death certificate.

"Your costs aren't covered to put on their show," Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, said Monday. "And there's only one side going out of business."

The opening day of the antitrust trial brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR began with more emotional force than anyone expected, and Denny Hamlin found himself at the center of it.

Tense exchanges filled Day 2 as Hamlin defended 23XI’s decision to sue NASCAR over what he calls an unfair model.

Denny Hamlin found common ground with a fan holding up a signboard outside the court. The fan's sign suggested that followers of the sport 'deserve better', prompting Hamlin to echo the sentiment.