NASCAR will not ‘issue, sell, convey, or lease any additional Charters’ for 2026 until their court case is settled with 23XI and FRM

NASCAR, in a recent court filing, has decided not to “issue, sell, convey or lease any additional” charters for the rest of the 2025 season. They also stated that without court approval, they will not pursue the sale of the inactive charters previously held by Stewart-Haas Racing.

In new court filings, NASCAR has indicated that it will not issue, sell, convey, or lease any additional charters to the 2025 Cup Series season until it settles its lawsuit against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. It is also stated in the filing that NASCAR will not finalise any transactions involving the two inactive charters the team had at Stewart-Haas Racing without court permission. Moreover, for the 2026 season, NASCAR will not issue, sell, convey, or lease more than four additional charters until the legal cases with 23XI and FRM are settled.

Jordan Bianchi reported on X:

"In a new filing by NASCAR, it states the following: NASCAR represents it will not issue, sell, convey, or lease any additional Charters for the 2025 Cup Series season; "NASCAR represents that, without Court approval, it will not effectuate a sale, conveyance, or lease of either of two (2) inactive Charters, which were previously held by Stewart-Haas Racing; "NASCAR represents it will not issue, sell, convey, or lease more than four (4) additional Charters for the 2026 Cup Series season."

Jordan Bianchi

@Jordan_Bianchi

In a new filing by NASCAR, it states the following: "NASCAR represents it will not issue, sell, convey, or lease any additional Charters for the 2025 Cup Series season; "NASCAR represents that, without Court approval, it will not effectuate a sale, conveyance, or lease of

This is a self-imposed cap that is meant to save the sanctity of the charter system and avert further turmoil or claims of injustice as the antitrust dispute is worked out. This effectively seals the market on charter contracts both at the end of 2025 and to a large extent in 2026, legally safeguarding the participating teams and ensuring that no final decision is made before the lawsuit between NASCAR, 23XI Racing and FRM is decided.

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NASCAR vs 23XI Racing and FRM gets ugly; Denny Hamlin reportedly said 'his despise for the France family runs deep'

The legal conflict between NASCAR and 23XI Racing, led by Denny Hamlin, along with Front Row Motorsports (FRM), has escalated with deep personal and professional hostility coming to light. The court's recent release of email and text exchanges between top NASCAR executives and team owners revealed sarcastic and dismissive attitudes from NASCAR leadership toward the efforts of 23XI and FRM, including threats to strip charters if deals weren’t signed.

Among the most notable revelations was Hamlin’s reportedly blunt admission:

"my despise for the France family runs deep."

Both teams presented "smoking gun" documents as evidence of NASCAR’s alleged monopolistic behavior, showing strategies used by NASCAR to block any rival series and keep control over Cup Series tracks and intellectual property. The power imbalance is underscored by references to NASCAR’s “gold codes”—essentially their ability to run the Cup Series without input from team owners.