NASCAR: Biggest lawsuit loser wouldn’t be 23XI – or Front Row

NASCAR: Biggest lawsuit loser wouldn't be 23XI – or Front Row

As a long-time NASCAR enthusiast with memories of the roaring engines and thrilling races etched deep into my heart, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and apprehension as we approach the 2025 season. The recent charter saga involving Stewart-Haas Racing and teams like 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports has been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least.

In simple terms, at the beginning of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, Stewart-Haas Racing announced they would cease operations after the season, allowing them to seek potential buyers for all four of their racing charters by the start of the 2025 season.

Among the four charters, one was kept by team co-owner Gene Haas. This retained charter will be utilized for a newly established Haas Factory Team with a single car. The driver chosen to steer this vehicle is none other than Cole Custer, who has raced in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in the past.

One of the four charters was assigned to Trackhouse Racing Team, a group that had been actively considering expansion. This deal was relatively simple, and the team co-owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull is indeed planning to field a third full-time car for Shane van Gisbergen, in addition to their current full-time cars driven by Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez.

But not much else has been straightforward about this process.

As an enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that both two-car teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, have decided to invest in a charter each from Stewart-Haas Racing, all part of their strategic growth plan to grow to a three-car team.

Nevertheless, these two teams declined to sign the latest NASCAR charter/revenue sharing contract, leading them into a prolonged court case with NASCAR. They initiated this dispute by filing an antitrust lawsuit against the organization and its chairman, Jim France.

As a devoted NASCAR enthusiast, I’ve learned that they’re planning to run the 2025 season with only 32 charter teams, instead of the standard 36. However, it seems there’s a slight hitch: Both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports had planned on fielding three charters each. This means that we’re currently at 30 accounted-for teams, leaving two spots unaccounted for in the proposed 32-team lineup.

To put it simply, we found ourselves in a predicament where two charters didn’t have arrangements for the upcoming year, with the commencement of the 2025 season looming just under two months away.

I can’t help but wonder why NASCAR chose not to recognize the transfer of charters from Stewart-Haas Racing to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. These transactions, valued at over $20 million each, were seemingly poised for completion, yet NASCAR seemed to have put a halt to them. It’s intriguing to speculate on the reasons behind this decision.

In essence, it can be said that as of now, those two unaccounted-for charters still technically belonged to a team that no longer operates. There have been rumors of inquiries regarding these charters, but with the offseason reaching its midpoint, many potential buyers who initially showed interest have essentially been dismissed.

Richard Childress Racing intends to field an additional car, though it will operate on a partial schedule. Similarly, RFK Racing has increased from two cars to three, similar to Trackhouse Racing Team, but their third charter is being rented to them by Rick Ware Racing – the team they have had a technical partnership with for the past two seasons.

Luckily for both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, a verdict was passed this week in their favor by the judge, allowing them to enter into charter agreements even as they continue with their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.

As a gamer, I’d put it this way: “With the preliminary injunction in place, it looks like these two teams can definitely compete as official teams next year, racing with their current slots. Moreover, they now have the option to acquire a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing, bumping up the total number of charters from 30 to a full 36.

Regrettably, NASCAR has chosen to contest this decision, intending to prevent the transfer of these two charters from Stewart-Haas Racing to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

If NASCAR succeeds, Stewart-Haas Racing could end up being the big loser here.

Clearly, NASCAR doesn’t compel teams to field more cars than they choose to field. It’s evident that Haas F1 Team has no intentions of fielding a three-car team, thus they have no need for the additional two charters. As time goes by, it’s likely that the cost of these charters is decreasing.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports had been aiming to field three cars permanently next year, even if these were open (non-chartered) entries. However, their ideal situation was always to operate three chartered cars to restore the total number of such teams back to 36.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but that latest decision might not be the final call. NASCAR has hinted at an appeal, so things could potentially shift again in the grand scheme of things.

The team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan has officially added a third driver: Riley Herbst will be joining forces with Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick on the roster.

The Bob Jenkins-led squad is anticipated to announce that Zane Smith, former Spire Motorsports driver and Truck Series champion for them in 2022, will be joining Todd Gilliland and ex-Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson on their team.

This coming Sunday, the 67th edition of the Daytona 500 will kick off. Live broadcasting from Daytona International Speedway begins at 2:30 PM Eastern Time, and Fox is in charge.

2024-12-20 15:02