“We didn’t ask for this”: NASCAR president voices deep 'disappointment' over 23XI Racing lawsuit saga

NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell recently sat down with stock car racing YouTuber Eric Estepp on his Out of the Groove podcast and opened up about the ongoing lawsuit between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR. The situation rose when the Cup Series teams refused to sign the new charter agreement in October last year.

Fast-forward to this year, NASCAR pointed out that, as both teams refused to sign the agreement, they should return the prize pools they received earlier this year. Also, the sanctioning body demanded that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports make their charter available for redistribution by October 1, 2025.

Reflecting on the same, Eric Espteep questioned O'Donnell about his views on the same. The NASCAR president expressed his "disappointment" in 23XI Racing and FRM for suing NASCAR and said [33:50 onwards]:

"I can't get into the specifics, right, of the litigation, but uh it's important that uh I think everyone knows, you know, teams the team sued us, right? We didn't ask for this. Um, we're still not sure what they're even asking for. Um, candidly, in terms of an outcome, what we've seen really doesn't have anything to do with why the lawsuit was brought. So it's a little bit perplexing."

"Um, but I think at the end of the day, um, you know, NASCAR is certainly going to, you know, we've got an 80-year history, um, for our sport. We've got owners who are, uh, you know, signed up with charters, and we're working hard every day to grow the sport. And I think what's probably most disappointing, even for me personally, is, you know, we're spending time on this topic versus growing the sport. And, you know, I'm not sure our fans, you know, want to hear about lawsuits a lot of times," he added.

The drivers affected by the lawsuit include Tyler Reddick (#45), Bubba Wallace (#23), and Riley Herbst (#35) of 23XI Racing. Followed by FRM drivers Todd Gilliland (#34), Noah Gragson (#4), and Zane Smith (#38). Also, the next hearing is scheduled for August 28, and the trial is set for December 2025.

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“Mr. France doesn’t like being played”: NASCAR insider shared his take on the ongoing lawsuit between 23XI Racing and the governing body

NASCAR analyst Tommy Baldwin was featured in an interview on the Door Bumper Clear podcast and shared his perspective on the ongoing lawsuit between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR.

Earlier, the court rejected the team's request for a temporary restraining order. Following that, since the Dover Motor Speedway race, FRM and 23XI have been running as an open charter. Reflecting on the same, Baldwin expressed his concerns about the current situation.

"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," he said [33:19].

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick ranks seventh in the Cup Series points table with 714 points. Bubba Wallace follows him in 10th place with 639 points, and Riley Herbst in P35 with 293 points.