Big relief for 23XI and FRM as federal court orders NASCAR to ‘guarantee’ Cup Series spots

AUTO: MAR 16 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 - Source: Getty
Good news for 23XI and Front Row Motorsports - Source: Getty

NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass has recently shared some good news for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports amid the ongoing lawsuit against the governing body. The fiasco began when the two teams refused to sign the new charter agreement in October 2024, and since then, the parties have been involved in a lawsuit.

Ad

After refusing to sign, both teams filed an antitrust lawsuit against the chairman, Jim France, for monopolizing the sport. The court denied the team's request for a temporary restraining order to save their charters, but the court ruled in favor of NASCAR stripping the teams of their charters and making them run as open teams in the Cup Series.

However, during the recent hearing for setting a preliminary injunction hearing for August 28, Judge Kenneth D. Bell held NASCAR off from selling the six charters till then. Reflecting on the good news for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, Bob Pockrass wrote on X:

Ad
"Preliminary injunction hearing set for August 28. The judge indicates that 23XI and Front Row will be guaranteed spots in races up until a decision on the preliminary injunction and that NASCAR won’t sell charters until a decision as well."
Ad

Both teams purchased the charters from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024. The drivers affected by the decisions include Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst, and Tyler Reddick from 23XI Racing. Followed by Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, and Zane Smith from Front Row Motorsports.


“Mr. France doesn’t like being played”: NASCAR insider gave his take on 23XI Racing and the NASCAR lawsuit

On the latest episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast on YouTube, stock car racing insider Tommy Baldwin expressed his views on the ongoing battle between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR.

Ad

Following the ruling, the teams ran as open entries at Sunday's race at Dover Motor Speedway. Reflecting on the same, Baldwin stated [39:19 onwards]:

"I hope it gets settled. I hope you know, Mr. France is a tough man. He doesn’t like being played like this, and you got a lot of money on the other side at play. So, it's going to be interesting to watch how it (unfolds). The biggest thing is what is going to happen if NASCAR has to open its books. What's going to happen, right? That's the decision NASCAR is going to have to make — whether to negotiate after or say, “Yeah, we're going to open our books and show you everything.” So, we'll see. That time's coming, right? It's coming pretty soon, a couple of months. So, we'll see."
Ad

youtube-cover

In December last year, the US District Court allowed the teams to run as charter teams for the 2025 Cup Series season. However, things changed in June 2025, when the Fourth Circuit Court revoked the decision and asked the teams to compete as open entries. Also, the lawsuit is set to go to trial on December 1, 2025.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Quick Links

Edited by Samya Majumdar
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
Manage notifications