A jury trial that could fundamentally reshape the business relationship between NASCAR and its teams — and which will feature Michael Jordan, NASCAR CEO Jim France and other major U.S. sports figures — will begin next Monday in federal district court in Charlotte, North Carolina. This trial will proceed unless a settlement is reached during the Thanksgiving holiday.U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell will preside over the trial, which is expected to last 10 days. The trial will focus on antitrust claims filed by 23XI Racing, owned by Jordan, Denny Hamlin and Curtis Polk, and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR.AdvertisementMore…
Author: Les Grossman
NASCAR drivers sometimes have dirty mouths, and who can blame them? Racing at 180 miles per hour in a cockpit as hot as an oven while other drivers beat and kick you can test the patience of a saint.Mind you, most race car drivers are not saints.One of our favorite segments on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub is “Radioactive,” where we rebroadcast driver conversations on team radios. Even though the obscenities are carefully bleeped out, you can hear the rage in the voices of the drivers and crew chiefs:It’s a double-edged sword: On the one hand, fans have access to drivers’…
Brent Crews has signed a deal to drive the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) NASCAR Series. The 17-year-old will compete in 29 of 33 events and will only miss four because he is not old enough to race on all types of tracks.The Toyota development driver would be eligible for a playoff waiver, as missing races due to age restrictions is an acceptable excuse.AdvertisementCrews ran ten NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races last year and impressed with their performance. He scored two top fives, three top tens and led more than 100…
NASCAR told drivers this weekend at Phoenix Raceway that any instances of race manipulation in the championship race would cost them dearly. Newly crowned three-time champion Joey Logano relayed the message Monday during an interview with the 2014 champion. Kevin Harvick on his YouTube show Happy Hour. This decree was a response to the race manipulation debacle that erupted the day after the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville. NASCAR suspended crew chiefs, crew chiefs and observers but ultimately chose not to directly penalize drivers… this time. Steve O’Donnell, one of NASCAR’s top executives, didn’t mince his words on…
More internal messages from NASCAR executives have continued to surface in the 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports antitrust case and the latest batch could be the most damaging yet. This may be a point of no return, or at least one that fans cannot ignore.Things started a day ago with some pretty weird texts mocking the Superstar Racing experience, but it got worse from there: they are now facing direct insults aimed at team owners, enormous mistrust within the company and even verbal attacks against NASCAR fans.AdvertisementThe latest submission to lawyers – a 10-page document filled with private conversations – shows…
Earlier this week, the two sides NASCAR antitrust lawsuit convened for settlement discussions and mediation. Denny Hamlin was present at the settlement negotiations and has his own opinion on how things went Tuesday and Wednesday. Although no settlement was reached this week, Judge Kenneth Bell, who is overseeing the case, credited both sides for their good faith efforts. Apparently, these discussions didn’t impress Denny Hamlin much. In Martinsville, Hamlin was asked about how things went earlier in the week. He gave an honest answer, as he has done many times before on this subject. “It was good the first day,…
The big topic of debate in NASCAR is the championship format again. Kevin Harvick wants to find a “happy medium”. Points format throughout the season? Playoffs? A Chase format of sorts? And how do you make things simple enough for fans to be interested? If there’s a downside to the current NASCAR championship format, it’s its complexity. You really have to sit there and think about the rules and how points transfer, and what’s the difference between points and playoff points, and how eliminations work, and why does every round have three races except the final? There are a lot…
The 38th edition Motorsport Awards will be hosted for the first time by award-winning broadcaster and long-time motorsport fan Greg James.Best known as host of the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 1 and co-host of The Fast and the Curious Formula 1 podcast, James brings a fan’s perspective and his trademark humor and energy to motor racing’s most influential night.AdvertisementA Motorsport Network event, Motorsport Awards is motor racing’s defining night, where ambition meets achievement and champions and innovators are celebrated across Formula 1, MotoGP, Formula E, IndyCar, NASCAR and more.”It’s going to be really fun to host the Motorsport Awards.…
Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team, was ejected from Daytona International Speedway for an inspection violation Friday.NASCAR claims the team was observed making an unapproved adjustment to its race car’s splitter. The car passed all checkpoints on its second attempt and then the adjustment was made. According to NASCAR, “The struts were reinstalled and the car was put back on the USS and failed due to the adjustment.”In addition to Fugle’s expulsion from the event, Byron will start at the back of the pack for the Coke Zero 400 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.…
Internal texts from NASCAR executives Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell have emerged in new court documents, providing a fairly direct look at how the sport’s best will react in 2023 when Dennis Hamlin decided to register for the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX).These texts appeared during the third season of SRX, as the series began to really gain traction. They had managed to attract active NASCAR drivers and air in prime time on ESPN.AdvertisementThe texts were released as part of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit involving 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Both teams say NASCAR uses its control over the schedule,…