Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing have filed a preliminary injunction to allow both teams to race as licensed entries in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.
Both teams announced they would file for an injunction a week ago when they filed a lawsuit against NASCAR on the new charter agreement of the sanctioning body. FRM and 23XI are the only two teams that did not sign the franchise agreement before the deadline in early September. The other 13 approved teams signed the agreement.
“The 23XI and Front Row Motorsports teams are fully committed to competing in next year’s Cup Series,” a statement from the teams said. “Today’s filing is the next step in advancing our case against NASCAR and its monopolistic practices, while protecting our drivers, racing teams and sponsors by establishing our legal right to race in 2025. “
23XI is owned by Michael Jordan and Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin. Front Row Motorsports has competed in the Cup Series for nearly 20 years. Both teams are looking to go from two cars to three in 2025.
Approved teams are guaranteed a place in each race and receive a larger share of the purse than open teams. In their lawsuit against NASCAR, the teams said it takes $18 million per season to field a competitive car. And this figure does not include the driver’s salary.
The lawsuit accuses NASCAR of being monopolistic. NASCAR sent its teams its final charter proposal the week before the start of the playoffs and gave teams hours to agree to the terms. NASCAR declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The current charter contract expires at the end of the 2024 season, as does NASCAR’s current media rights agreement. Starting next season, NASCAR will add TNT and Amazon as media partners through the 2031 season.
