Veteran driver Denny Hamlin had plenty to say in court over the past week and a half, but after Thursday’s groundbreaking settlement in the antitrust case against NASCAR, Hamlin summed it up in two sentences.
“Standing up isn’t easy, but progress never comes from staying silent. The reward is in knowing you changed something,” Hamlin wrote on X.
Hamlin and Michael Jordan, co-owners of 23XI Racing, feel their lawsuit against NASCAR alleging monopolistic practices was well worth the fight after the sides came to a confidential settlement agreement Thursday in a federal courtroom in Charlotte.
Team owners praised Thursday’s decision and what it meant for the future health of their sport after 23XI and Front Row Motorsports launched their legal case against NASCAR more than a year ago.
Though financial terms of the settlement will remain confidential, it was confirmed that 23XI and Front Row will be given back three charters for the 2026 season, and that some form of permanent charters will be introduced in the stock-car racing league.
“As part of today’s resolution, 23XI’s and Front Row Motorsports’ charters have been returned for the 2026 season,” plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler said in a statement.
Front Row and 23XI refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement presented by NASCAR before the deadline in September 2024, while the sport’s other 13 teams signed. Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, testified this week that he had no choice but to sign the charter for the 2025 season, or else his team would have gone bankrupt.
According to evidence entered during the trial, another owner, Rick Hendrick of the highly successful Hendrick Motorsports, had sought for NASCAR to move to a permanent charter system only to be told that it was against NASCAR CEO Jim France’s wishes.
Hendrick was among the high-profile owners to release a statement Thursday afternoon.
“Millions of loyal NASCAR fans and thousands of hardworking people rely on our industry, and today’s resolution allows all of us to focus on what truly matters — the future of our sport,” Hendrick said. “For more than 40 years, NASCAR racing has been my passion. I believe deeply in what we can accomplish when we work together. This moment presents an important opportunity to strengthen our relationships and recommit ourselves to building a collaborative and prosperous future for all stakeholders. I’m incredibly optimistic about what’s ahead. When our industry is united, there’s no limit to how far we can go or how much we grow the sport we love.”
“Today’s settlement is tremendous news for the industry,” Roger Penske said in a statement. “We are stronger together as a sport and the agreement today allows all of us to focus on what’s important, the continued growth of NASCAR. The sport has never been more competitive and today’s resolution provides the entire industry with a platform that strengthens our business and allows us to continue to entertain our millions of passionate fans in a unified way.”
Front Row Motorsports, often overshadowed by Jordan and Hamlin during the legal battle, said in a lengthy statement that the resolution “reflects our shared commitment to maintaining a fair and equitable framework for long-term participation in America’s premier motorsport, one that supports teams, partners, and stakeholders while ensuring fans enjoy uninterrupted access to the best racing in the world.”
Wood Brothers Racing posted on X that its statement was simply, “Great news.”
France and Jordan stood side by side outside the courtroom when meeting with the press.
“We can get back to focusing on what we really love, and that’s racing,” France said. “We spent a lot of time not really focused on that as much as we need to be. So I feel like we’ve made a very good decision here together, and we have a big opportunity to continue growing the sport.”
–Field Level Media
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