NASCAR Settles Antitrust Lawsuit

National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) reached a confidential settlement agreement with race teams Front Row Motorsports and Michael Jordan’s 23XI racing that had filed an antitrust lawsuit against it in 2024. The suit alleged monopolist practices and accused NASCAR of using anti-competitive tactics to prevent fair competition in the sport. 

The lawsuit arose from NASCAR’s 2025 “charter agreement”, which governs how teams participate in the top-tier Cup Series. Teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports argued that the terms of the new agreement were so one-sided that they had no realistic option but to reject it. Without a charter, teams had to qualify race-by-race and receive significantly lower prize money, making long-term financial planning difficult.

A February 2024 joint statement by the two teams claimed that NASCAR and the France family operated without transparency, had stifled competition, and controlled the sport of stock car racing in ways that unfairly benefited them at the expense of team owners and other stakeholders. In December of that year, both teams were granted a motion for a preliminary injunction, allowing them to race as chartered entries in 2025. However, in June 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit reversed the preliminary injunction. In October 2025, NASCAR sought a settlement conference from the court.