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Leading NASCAR Owners Push for Settlement in Antitrust Case Ahead of Trial

By  |  October 5, 2025

NASCAR’s most influential team owners are calling for a resolution to the high-profile antitrust lawsuit filed by Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, according to the New York Times. The case, which accuses NASCAR of operating as an illegal monopoly, is scheduled for trial on December 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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    Per the New York Times, representatives from nine of NASCAR’s 13 non-litigant charter teams submitted signed declarations supporting NASCAR’s motion for summary judgment. Those declarations came from some of the sport’s most powerful figures, including Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports, Roger Penske of Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing. Other notable signatories included Richard Childress and Brad Keselowski.

    The Times reported that Trackhouse Racing, Spire Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, and the Haas Factory Team were the only charter-holding organizations not to join in the declarations. The unified statement from the others underscored the importance of NASCAR’s current charter system, which many owners described as essential to their teams’ survival.

    Related: Judge Denies Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Team Bid for Charter Injunction

    NASCAR released a statement emphasizing the broad support behind its system. “Today’s filing demonstrates that NASCAR’s charter system has the support of race teams throughout the garage, and that the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit is not in the best interests of the sport,” the organization said. NASCAR added that the case “is not about antitrust” but rather “an attempt to renegotiate an agreement that was signed and is being honored by all other race teams.”

    However, according to the New York Times, attorney Jeffrey Kessler, representing 23XI and Front Row, countered that the declarations actually reinforced his clients’ arguments. “They have supported charters because teams cannot survive without them,” Kessler said. He maintained that while other teams rely on the charter model, it does not excuse what his clients allege is NASCAR’s anticompetitive behavior and monopoly control.

    Source: The New York Times