NASCAR president Steve Phelps has been largely tight lipped when it comes to anything regarding the lawsuit brought against the sanctioning body by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
Those two teams, which are owned by veteran racer Denny Hamlin and sporting legend Michael Jordan and restaurant owner Bob Jenkins respectively, have brought forth litigation against NASCAR on antitrust and monopolistic grounds.
This came after the two teams decided not to sign an extension of the charter document that has governed revenue sharing and competition since 2016, and itself followed two years of contentious negotiations that saw 13 of the 15 teams that compete in the Cup Series ultimate sign the document.
Phelps appeared on the Puck Sports Podcast with veteran sports business reporter John Ourand, where he was asked about the topic. He was specifically asked if he wanted the legal process to reach a decision or a settlement.
“Obviously, we want a court victory,” Phelps said. “I can’t get into the lawsuit, and I can’t speak to why Michael and Denny Hamlin decided to take this action. We negotiated in good faith for over two years. We had the majority of the teams—13 of 15, representing 32 charters—extend with us.
“I love that Michael Jordan is in our sport. I personally like Michael and think he’s good for the sport. Do I like that he’s taking this course of action? I don’t. Would I like to put it behind us? Yes, I would. I’m hopeful it can be somewhat speedy. But for us, it’s going to be business as usual. We’ve got races to run. We’re looking to grow. We’ve got new media partners. There’s lots of momentum. I just want to make sure that this is not a distraction.”
Before the two parties can even make their respective cases, comes a preliminary injunction hearing on Monday over whether the two teams can retain their charters, the ones they chose not to sign, over the course of the legal process.
Lawsuit timeline
23XI Racing, Front Row decline to sign NASCAR’s final 2025-2031 charter document
Why 23XI, Front Row filed a lawsuit against NASCAR
23XI, Front Row makes his case in antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR
Richard Childress says he had ‘no choice’ but to sign charter document
How drivers feel about the lawsuit
Michael Jordan comments on his team’s lawsuit against NASCAR
Meet NASCAR’s antitrust defense lawyer
NASCAR files injunction to be included in charter system through lawsuit
NASCAR motions against team’s preliminary injunction request
Teams, NASCAR consent to redacting charter details in filings
Teams make case for injunctive relief, expedited discovery
NASCAR’s lengthy rebuttal to injunction, lawsuit
Teams respond to NASCAR response over injunction
Judge denies expedited discovery before injunction hearing