The NASCAR lawsuit is getting heated, and one insider just dropped a bombshell that could redefine the sport’s charter system. This isn’t a typical boardroom disagreement; it’s a high-stakes antitrust fight featuring NASCAR’s most powerful names: Jim France on one side, with Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing on the other.
NASCAR’s CEO isn’t backing down, and Michael Jordan’s camp (23XI Racing) is digging in. With a December trial looming, the gears are shifting. So far, it’s been a messy mix of injunctions, appeals, and a media spotlight that won’t just fade. And now, according to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, a new chapter is brewing, and it promises to be explosive.
NASCAR Lawsuit sees no sign of settling
Well, as it stands, the date for trial has been set for December 1, but 23XI Racing and FRM faced a major setback ahead of that. After initially being granted a preliminary injunction to compete as chartered teams, despite refusing to sign the agreement and continuing to sue NASCAR for monopolistic practices, the tables have now turned. An appeals court recently revoked this injunction, meaning that in the coming weeks, we could see 23XI and FRM have to qualify for races as open teams!
The court ruled that NASCAR’s asking teams to sign a non-lawsuit clause isn’t, by itself, anti-competitive, thereby in favor of NASCAR. As the teams haven’t proved when they’re likely to win this thing, at least not yet, they’ve got 14 days to appeal, with June 26 being the deadline. If they don’t, their cars become open entries, meaning no guaranteed spot and way less cash.
Bob Pockrass recently joined Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour to explain the latest development in the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit. Kaitlyn Vincie kicks things off by asking how much it could hurt these teams, both financially and on the track. Bob didn’t sugarcoat the consequences. He simply replied, saying, “Well, Denny Hamlin told us, for a three-car team, you’re talking tens of millions of dollars. And from what I can tell, depending on your sponsorship, it impacts your overall revenues as a race team by 30% to 50%.” Now, the question on everyone’s mind is, are the two parties willing to settle instead of going to trial?
Well, this is what Bob Pockrass had to say, “Most of these types of cases settle… In this case—Michael Jordan, 23XI, Front Row, Jim France, NASCAR—they’ve got their heels dug in a little bit… They’ve been urged to try to settle, but NASCAR said they are not going to redo this charter because a couple of teams of the 15 organizations are suing them.” To be fair, this makes sense on NASCAR’s part, too. While 23XI and FRM have a strong case to present, NASCAR would not want to do away with a system they have received near majority support for.
Amidst all this, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing, assured that 23XI will be committed to running the full season despite the financial strain of running as an open team. “What we said in December is that we’re committed to run this season open if we have to, even before they decided on the injunction. So we’re going to race and fulfill all of our commitments no matter what. We’re here to race. Our team’s going to be here for the long haul, and we’re confident of that.”
Well, this whole situation has certainly got both parties fired up and eagerly awaiting the court date. However, could this off-track drama be affecting 23XI Racing’s performance?
Is the lawsuit affecting 23XI Racing on the track?
Well, 23XI Racing has not had the blistering season they had in 2024. Last year, Tyler Reddick was the model of consistency, winning 3 races and notching up 21 top-10 finishes en route to the regular season championship. It was a landmark moment for the team. To put the icing on the cake, Reddick also won a thriller at Homestead Miami to lock himself into the Championship 4. 23XI Racing had a shot at the championship while suing the sport; a bold statement to the rest of the garage. However, 2025 has been very tame in comparison.
Tyler Reddick has struggled. With just 5 top-10 finishes in the first 15 races, Reddick looks like a shadow of his former self. Bubba Wallace has shown glimpses of fire, like his thrilling top-3 run at Miami, but not enough to make up for a 2+ year winless streak, and rookie Riley Herbst is still learning the ropes. On Kevin Harvick’s podcast, Bob Pockrass was asked if the lawsuit is playing on the back of the minds of people in the 23XI garage. He said, “I think it’s certainly in the back of their minds. As many times as you can tell employees that ‘you’re going to be taken care of,’ if they know that your revenues are going to be less than what you would expect them to be, it’s going to make them wonder.”
When the initial verdict of the preliminary injunction dropped last year, 23XI Racing and FRM were poised to run as open teams, and this was a daunting prospect. Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick noted that their contracts had clauses to provide a guaranteed charter to race in, which eventually swayed the Judge to grant the injunction when 23XI and FRM appealed. However, with it being overturned again, these drivers could be questioning their future, according to Bob Pockrass. Pockrass continued, “Bubba Wallace isn’t signed yet for next year, and while you would think he wants to stay at 23XI, if they don’t have charters, should he look somewhere else? I think it just adds an unnecessary distraction and certainly, I think, can impact a driver.”
Well, as it stands, the team owners are committed to running as open teams, ready to face the wrath of the courtroom come December. What do you think will happen in this lawsuit? Will the teams prevail, or will Jim France have his way? Let us know in the comments!
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