NASCAR: 3 landing spots were already ruled out for SHR charters

As a dedicated NASCAR fan with years of experiencing the thrilling highs and heartbreaking lows that come with this captivating sport, I must say, the recent developments regarding the charter transfers have kept me on the edge of my seat! The legal battle between NASCAR and 23XI Racing, as well as Front Row Motorsports, has been an intriguing twist in the story.

It appeared quite clear when Stewart-Haas Racing declared their intention to cease operations following the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, implying they are seeking to sell their four team charters.

Initially, Gene Haas retained the first charter to manage the single-car Haas Factory Racing team for the year 2025. Later on, Cole Custer was appointed as the driver for this team. Conversely, another charter was sold to the Trackhouse Racing Team during their growth from a two-car to a three-car operation.

As a gaming enthusiast diving into virtual racing, I was all set to join the ranks at 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, with both teams gearing up for an expansion from two to three cars. But here’s the twist: these two teams have found themselves embroiled in a legal tussle with NASCAR over recent months. They’ve filed an antitrust lawsuit against the sanctioning body, following their decision not to sign the new NASCAR charter/revenue sharing agreement.

Consequently, at first, NASCAR refused to grant the transfer of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters to the two new teams, and they declared that they no longer considered the current 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports entries as chartered ones.

The key challenge arose because NASCAR announced their intention to field 32 teams in 2025, which is less than the standard 36. However, due to the denial of transfer for Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters, there were only 30 confirmed teams available.

It was mentioned that there were questions raised about the two unaccounted-for charters following the announcement that they had been transferred to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, with the deals allegedly worth more than $20 million apiece, but yet to be validated by NASCAR.

Luckily for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, a judge ruled in their favor earlier this week, enabling them to finalize the charter agreements despite their ongoing legal action against NASCAR and its chairman, Jim France, concerning antitrust issues.

Due to the preliminary court order, these two teams can undoubtedly participate in the races of 2025 as established teams, maintaining their current two licenses. Moreover, they are now authorized to acquire a Stewart-Haas Racing license, thereby restoring the total number of charters from 30 to 36.

However, it seemed that multiple possible destinations were no longer viable options for the two unoccupied Stewart-Haas Racing charters, regardless of this decision being made.

Here are three that were once considered but would not have panned out.

Richard Childress Racing

There were whispers during the summer about the possibility of Richard Childress Racing increasing their number of full-time racing teams to three again, which has not been seen since 2017. This speculation grew stronger due to the fact that they had fielded a third car for various events for the third consecutive year.

Instead, they’ve just revealed that the upcoming third installment will operate on a partial schedule in 2025, suggesting they’re not planning to return to fielding three cars on a permanent basis anytime soon.

RFK Racing

For several months, there have been rumors about the potential growth of RFK Racing. However, with all four Stewart-Haas Racing charters already accounted for, they made it clear that expansion would only occur if they secured an additional third charter.

They did indeed manage to pull it off, using a charter leased to them by Rick Ware Racing to add a third entry. As a result, they no longer have a need for another charter.

Haas Factory Team

Initially, the transfer of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports was denied, leaving these charters belonging to a team that no longer officially exists in a technical sense.

This situation could’ve created some difficulties for the organization, as the 2025 season approaches rapidly. The worth of those charters might have diminished over time, reducing the chances significantly that the team would receive the initial anticipated value from them.

Under the circumstances, it was highly unlikely that Gene Haas would suddenly transition from managing a single-car team to overseeing three teams at such short notice. The latest decision is undoubtedly good news not only for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports but also for many others in the racing community.

The upcoming 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off on Sunday, February 16. Live coverage of the 67th annual Daytona 500 will be aired on Fox, starting at 2:30 PM Eastern Time, directly from Daytona International Speedway.

2024-12-19 16:02