"It shows they had a plan": Insider weighs whether NASCAR's 'Project Gold Codes' signals business prudence or a takeover attempt

When NASCAR’s charter dispute with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports spilled into federal court, it revealed more than legal arguments. Among the documents that surfaced was a contingency blueprint called Project Gold Codes.

Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass highlighted the project's internal slides on X, showing how the sanctioning body mapped out responses if teams staged a boycott. The backdrop is the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed in late 2024. 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports sued NASCAR, alleging the charter system was monopolistic.

Unlike every other team, they refused to sign the 2025 agreement, operating instead under provisional status by court order. As tensions rose, filings showed the league feared teams might escalate their leverage by skipping events altogether. That is where Project Gold Codes came in.

One fan reacted with disbelief online:

"I can’t believe that they even thought about it. 🙄"

Pockrass replied by reframing it:

"It shows they had a plan if teams had strike or boycotted, which was rumored. It can be viewed simply as any business looks at all contingencies during negotiations. Or it can be viewed as a hope to ditch the charter system and run everything. Or somewhere on the scale in-between."

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

It shows they had a plan if teams had strike or boycotted, which was rumored. It can be viewed simply as any business looks at all contingencies during negotiations. Or it can be viewed as a hope to ditch the charter system and run everything. Or somewhere on the scale in-between

Pockrass' response shows the duality of the leak. To some, the plan looks like prudent crisis management. To others, it fuels the argument that NASCAR was prepared to seize outright control of the Cup Series.

At its core, Project Gold Codes laid out layered strategies if boycotts occurred. In the short run, the governing body would manage PR, delay sessions, or shorten events to blunt disruptions. In the mid-term, it would shift weekends to Xfinity or Truck Series, recruit outside teams from IMSA or WEC, or tweak payouts.

In the extreme long-term, the slides anticipate an entirely self-run Cup Series, with the sanctioning body owning 36 cars and personnel to operate the grid within 18 months. That “ditch the charter system” clause struck many as more than just a fallback.

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Project Gold Codes raised questions about NASCAR’s true intentions

The NASCAR Cup Series pit road at Bristol Motor Speedway. Source: Imagn

The leaked slides suggested NASCAR expected pushback and worked through every possible outcome. Each disruption scenario - from teams boycotting practice to walking off the grid - was paired with an immediate PR response, showing how seriously they treated the optics.

Support races were to be promoted to headline status, distances shortened to protect engines, or points awarded if a race reached halfway before collapse. For the teams suing, these details bolstered their case. They argue it proves the Series saw dissent as an existential threat and was ready to cut out holdouts by eventually replacing them.

Lawyers for 23XI Racing and FRM even framed the material as evidence of monopolistic intent. For NASCAR, the defense is simpler. The plan was never enacted, they argue, and preparing for worst-case scenarios is standard business practice. Having a blueprint in case of protests or boycotts is part of protecting TV obligations and race-day contracts. From that perspective, the slides are insurance, not a takeover.

In either framing, the revelation deepened the standoff. It offered fans and insiders a rare look at NASCAR’s private thinking during one of the sport’s most delicate disputes. And whether viewed as pragmatism or power play, Project Gold Codes will remain central, as the charter lawsuit continues to unfold.