CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After two days of participating in a court-mandated settlement conference, NASCAR and the two teams suing the league, including one co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, failed to reach terms to settle the protracted and contentious legal battle over the state of the sport’s charter system.
Advertisement
Although NASCAR and teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports did not find a way to end the antitrust lawsuit filed by the two teams against NASCAR and NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France, the two days of settlement talks were among the most the parties engaged in discussions since the legal saga began last October.
23XI’s ownership group includes Jordan and current star NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin; Front Row is owned by Bob Jenkins, a restaurant entrepreneur who also owns several fast-food franchises. Jordan, Hamlin and Jenkins attended the sessions, as did France, NASCAR co-owner Lesa France Kennedy, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps, NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton and NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy. Also present was 23XI co-owner Curtis Polk.
The parties spent all of Tuesday and also Wednesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in downtown Charlotte; they were at an offsite location Wednesday morning.
The settlement conference was mandated by Kenneth Bell, the presiding judge in the case, with the hope of forcing the two sides to find common ground before the scheduled Dec. 1 trial date. Former NBA chief legal officer Jeffrey Mishkin served as mediator.
Tuesday, Jenkins described the opening day of discussions as “congenial” as he left the courthouse after the eight-hour session. Wednesday’s session also went eight hours.
Neither side offered a comment as they left the courthouse late Wednesday afternoon.
Denny Hamlin and Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, offered no comment leaving the courthouse. Summary judgment hearing remains scheduled for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Yqqy1NWeny
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) October 22, 2025
With no settlement reached, the parties will be back in court Thursday morning for summary judgment related to various arguments by the legal teams in advance of the trial. A settlement still could also be reached at any time, including after the trial begins.
Advertisement
23XI and Front Row filed a joint federal lawsuit last fall against NASCAR and Jim France, alleging monopolistic practices stemming from two-plus years of tough negotiations to extend NASCAR’s charter agreement with teams that was set to expire after the 2024 season. Owning one of 36 available charters guarantees teams certain revenue in addition to a starting spot in every Cup Series points race.
After NASCAR made a last-minute, take-it-or-leave-it offer to the teams in September 2024, 13 of the 15 charter teams signed the accord. 23XI and Front Row refused and filed their lawsuit the next month.
While NASCAR, 23XI and Front Row engaged in discussions Tuesday, the Drivers Advisory Council announced it had requested to file a brief as amicus curiae in the case, a means for a party not involved in the lawsuit to provide additional insight on the situation. The DAC is a “voluntary association of NASCAR drivers whose mission is to represent and advocate for the drivers within the sport.”
NASCAR and the DAC have worked closely on several matters since the group’s 2022 formation. Former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton serves as the DAC director, and he’s been credited by NASCAR leadership for improving communication between the league and the drivers. Most recently, NASCAR and the DAC created a program that awards a monetary bonus to drivers who engage in activities to promote the sport.
With the impending mediation, the DAC is concerned any potential agreement regarding the charter structure or revenue in the sport will “impair the rights and interests of the drivers and threaten their overall security,” the brief read.
The DAC further notes in the brief that “any resolution in the case (1) protect the long term interests for existing and future drivers in the sport; (2) provide a permanent and meaningful position for drivers collectively to have an independent voice on important issues in the sport; and (3) for all parties to act in the best interest of the fans to provide the best experience possible.”
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
How to watch Commanders vs. Chiefs: TV channel and streaming options for October 27
The Washington Commanders (3-4) visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, October 27, 2025 to go up against the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3).How to watch Washington Commanders vs. Kansas City ChiefsWashington vs. Kansas City oddsOdds provided by BetMGM.Injury reportsChiefsNo injuries listedCommandersNo injuries listedStats to know The Chiefs’ average points scored this season (26.6) and the Commanders’ points allowed (24.3) are within 2.3 points of each other. Kansas City’s offense has averaged 370.6 yards per game this season, within 6.3 yards of the 364.3 Washington’s defense has allowed. KC picks up 5.9 yards per play and DC gives up 6.1. The Commanders, on average, score 8.0 more points (25.7) than the Chiefs allow (17.7). Kansas City has surrendered 280.3 yards per game, 64.7 yards fewer than Washington has generated (345.0). Washington picks up 6.0 yards per play, while Kansas City […]
Danny Higginbotham was afraid to fly. Then he tried hypnosis
Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and performance through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.For more than a year, Danny Higginbotham tried to cure his fear of flying. He tried over-the-counter medication and acupuncture. He sipped alcohol on the plane. To settle himself, he showed up to the airport three hours early, which only extended the agony.AdvertisementWhen Higginbotham played for Manchester United in England, an assistant once noticed his unease about air travel and offered a piece of advice: If something is going to go wrong, it is going to happen in the first minute. So in the moments after takeoff, Higginbotham always stared at his watch, heart pounding, counting the seconds to a minute.“As if I’d just run a marathon or a sprint,” he said.During one flight to Columbus, […]
At Juventus, ‘transition’ is a taboo term – and so Igor Tudor feels the heat
“I don’t read the papers,” Igor Tudor insisted.But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team.An innocuous question about how he planned to approach Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid got a six-minute answer.Tudor wanted “intellectual honesty” from the press pack that followed Juventus from Turin. Analysis of a six-game winless streak had, in the papers he doesn’t read, been unfair and lacking in context.AdvertisementIt did not, for instance, stand back and consider Juventus’ “mad schedule” and the quirks of the “algorithm” in the UEFA and Serie A fixture computers that left him facing Inter, Milan, Atalanta, Dortmund, Villarreal and Madrid during the first 10 games of the season.It focused too much on results and not performances instead. A 0-0, like the one against Milan at the start of the mont, was not, […]
PGA Tour cancels 2026 season-opening tournament The Sentry
The PGA Tour has cancelled its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, after drought and water conservation issues on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and failing to find an alternative venue.The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, taking place from January 15-18, the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The Plantation course in Kapalua has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, but has been forced to close two of its courses due to severe water restrictions stemming from a dispute with the company in charge of a century-old water delivery system. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland The tour said in a statement, "After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be […]
Who’s now favourite in F1’s three-way title race – and who has best car for run-in?
Formula 1 heads to Mexico City for this weekend’s latest Grand Prix with focus more than ever on the top of the Drivers’ Championship after a dramatic Sprint weekend in Austin saw Lando Norris and Max Verstappen make further inroads into Oscar Piastri’s points lead. And what had appeared a two-horse race between the McLaren drivers now having clearly increased to three thanks to the resurgent form of Red Bull's reigning world champion Verstappen, we look at the some of the big questions being asked about the championship fight heading into the decisive final weeks of the season and give you the chance to have your say on some of those key talking points... What's the state of play heading to Mexico?With five race weekends of the 2025 season to go in the space of the next seven weeks, the […]
Marko reveals what lies behind Verstappen surge in post-Horner era
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a "different approach" to engineering their car lies behind the surge in form that his catapulted Max Verstappen back into Formula 1 title contention.The Milton Keynes-based team's season - which featured the sacking of long-serving and hugely-successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies - had threatened to be heading for an underwhelming finish amid McLaren's domination of the Constructors' Championship and Verstappen's apparent fall out of drivers' title contention by mid-season. However, Verstappen is now firmly back in the hunt for a fifth consecutive crown against the McLaren drivers after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of all five events since the August summer break.He has closed down what was a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 […]
Related
How to watch Commanders vs. Chiefs: TV channel and streaming options for October 27
The Washington Commanders (3-4) visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday, October 27, 2025 to go up against the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3).How to watch Washington Commanders vs. Kansas City ChiefsWashington vs. Kansas City oddsOdds provided by BetMGM.Injury reportsChiefsNo injuries listedCommandersNo injuries listedStats to know The Chiefs’ average points scored this season (26.6) and the Commanders’ points allowed (24.3) are within 2.3 points of each other. Kansas City’s offense has averaged 370.6 yards per game this season, within 6.3 yards of the 364.3 Washington’s defense has allowed. KC picks up 5.9 yards per play and DC gives up 6.1. The Commanders, on average, score 8.0 more points (25.7) than the Chiefs allow (17.7). Kansas City has surrendered 280.3 yards per game, 64.7 yards fewer than Washington has generated (345.0). Washington picks up 6.0 yards per play, while Kansas City […]
Danny Higginbotham was afraid to fly. Then he tried hypnosis
Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and performance through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.For more than a year, Danny Higginbotham tried to cure his fear of flying. He tried over-the-counter medication and acupuncture. He sipped alcohol on the plane. To settle himself, he showed up to the airport three hours early, which only extended the agony.AdvertisementWhen Higginbotham played for Manchester United in England, an assistant once noticed his unease about air travel and offered a piece of advice: If something is going to go wrong, it is going to happen in the first minute. So in the moments after takeoff, Higginbotham always stared at his watch, heart pounding, counting the seconds to a minute.“As if I’d just run a marathon or a sprint,” he said.During one flight to Columbus, […]
At Juventus, ‘transition’ is a taboo term – and so Igor Tudor feels the heat
“I don’t read the papers,” Igor Tudor insisted.But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team.An innocuous question about how he planned to approach Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid got a six-minute answer.Tudor wanted “intellectual honesty” from the press pack that followed Juventus from Turin. Analysis of a six-game winless streak had, in the papers he doesn’t read, been unfair and lacking in context.AdvertisementIt did not, for instance, stand back and consider Juventus’ “mad schedule” and the quirks of the “algorithm” in the UEFA and Serie A fixture computers that left him facing Inter, Milan, Atalanta, Dortmund, Villarreal and Madrid during the first 10 games of the season.It focused too much on results and not performances instead. A 0-0, like the one against Milan at the start of the mont, was not, […]
PGA Tour cancels 2026 season-opening tournament The Sentry
The PGA Tour has cancelled its season-opening tournament, The Sentry, after drought and water conservation issues on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and failing to find an alternative venue.The Sony Open in Honolulu will be the first tournament of 2026, taking place from January 15-18, the latest start to a season since the PGA Tour was formed in 1969. The Plantation course in Kapalua has hosted the PGA Tour since 1999, but has been forced to close two of its courses due to severe water restrictions stemming from a dispute with the company in charge of a century-old water delivery system. Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland The tour said in a statement, "After assessing alternate venues in Hawaii and beyond, the tour determined it would not be […]
Marko reveals what lies behind Verstappen surge in post-Horner era
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a "different approach" to engineering their car lies behind the surge in form that his catapulted Max Verstappen back into Formula 1 title contention.The Milton Keynes-based team's season - which featured the sacking of long-serving and hugely-successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies - had threatened to be heading for an underwhelming finish amid McLaren's domination of the Constructors' Championship and Verstappen's apparent fall out of drivers' title contention by mid-season. However, Verstappen is now firmly back in the hunt for a fifth consecutive crown against the McLaren drivers after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of all five events since the August summer break.He has closed down what was a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 […]
Who’s now favourite in F1’s three-way title race – and who has best car for run-in?
Formula 1 heads to Mexico City for this weekend’s latest Grand Prix with focus more than ever on the top of the Drivers’ Championship after a dramatic Sprint weekend in Austin saw Lando Norris and Max Verstappen make further inroads into Oscar Piastri’s points lead. And what had appeared a two-horse race between the McLaren drivers now having clearly increased to three thanks to the resurgent form of Red Bull's reigning world champion Verstappen, we look at the some of the big questions being asked about the championship fight heading into the decisive final weeks of the season and give you the chance to have your say on some of those key talking points... What's the state of play heading to Mexico?With five race weekends of the 2025 season to go in the space of the next seven weeks, the […]
Be the first to leave a comment