The settlement that ended the antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR and teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports “absolutely” was “good for all sides,” according to Scott Fowler of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. 23XI owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin can “count this one as a big win, because the race teams finally got the permanent charters they sought.” NASCAR “got to avoid a large-scale decimation. In exchange for a lighter checkbook, NASCAR got to largely preserve its status quo.” And it got to “dodge the question” of whether it is an “unlawful monopoly.” NASCAR also got to keep Jordan in the sport. If Jordan had lost, he and his race team “almost surely would have been out.” His fame is “no small thing to a sport that needs all the eyeballs it can get” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/12). NBCSPORTS.com’s Dustin Long wrote, “Consider this the sport’s gift to fans two weeks ahead of Christmas.” It “took someone like Jordan to help lead the sport to this path.” Jordan did not enter NASCAR “merely as a businessman with only passing interest in the sport.” He has been a “long-time fan, a passion handed down from his father.” The fans are “one winner for certain” because they “get their sport back” (NBCSPORTS.com, 12/11).
IN THE DETAILS: THE ATHLETIC’s Jordan Bianchi cited sources that the settlement saw NASCAR make “several notable concessions beyond just granting teams ‘evergreen’ charters, comparable to a franchise in most professional sports leagues.” In addition to all 15 charter-holding teams having their charters become “permanent instead of expiring at a set end date,” the settlement terms include teams “receiving a say in governance and a greater percentage of various NASCAR revenue streams.” The combined gains are considered a “massive win” by 23XI and Front Row that will “benefit every Cup Series organization, as the teams achieved many of the goals they laid out when the most recent charter negotiations began more than two years ago.” NASCAR also agreed “to pay monetary damages to 23XI and Front Row,” according to sources, though the “exact figure is unknown” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/11).
PUSHING FOR PROGRESS: ESPN.com’s Ryan McGee wrote there was “no doubt that the victory belonged to the teams over the sanctioning body because we already knew that their ultimate goal had been achieved.” In the end, this was about “their fight for NASCAR to make team charters, as close as stock car racing gets to stick-and-ball franchises, permanent.” It is “very difficult” to find someone in the Cup Series paddock who “does not believe this is the right move.” In fact, every team in the Cup Series garage once stood with 23XI and FRM, although they “eventually relented and were willing to let those two teams carry ahead with the fight alone.” McGee: “They won that fight, and as a result, so did every NASCAR team owner who is fortunate enough to have one of those 36 charters” (ESPN.com, 12/11).
HARD FEELINGS: In Charlotte, Alex Zietlow notes one disclosure from the case was “internal messages that executives wish they could have back.” This lawsuit was “replete with embarrassing, unflattering and unbecoming messages, all of which were found during the discovery process and revealed to the jury during trial.” Zietlow: “Acrimony is what made this trial so tense. It’s also what made Thursday’s settlement so surprising — and necessary for the sport to move on” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/12). FOXSPORTS.com’s Bob Pockrass wrote NASCAR had “contended all along that this was negotiation through litigation.” And while the lawsuit is over, “bitter feelings could continue.” Pockrass: “Several texts and emails of NASCAR executives making disparaging comments about drivers, as well as long-time owner Richard Childress, won’t be forgotten.” The 23XI Racing “internal squabbles also were brought to light” — Jordan’s own business execs “complained about” Hamlin and his “excessive spending” (FOXSPORTS.com, 12/11).
OWNERSHIPS’ OPINIONS: REUTERS wrote team owners “praised Thursday’s decision and what it meant for the future health of their sport.” Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick was among the “high-profile owners to release a statement Thursday afternoon.” Hendrick said, “Today’s resolution allows all of us to focus on what truly matters — the future of our sport.” Team Penske owner Roger Penske said in a statement, “Today’s settlement is tremendous news for the industry.” Wood Brothers Racing posted on X, “Great news” (REUTERS, 12/11).
AIR JORDAN: FORBES’ Greg Engle wrote, for Jordan, the case was “never just about dollars and decimals.” Jordan said, “From the beginning, this lawsuit was about progress. It was about making sure our sport evolves in a way that supports everyone: teams, drivers, partners, employees, and fans” (FORBES, 12/11). THE ATHLETIC’s Jeff Gluck noted as much as other “key players were involved,” this trial was “so much about Jordan vs. NASCAR.” Without his “deep pockets to fund massive legal fees, without his willingness to engage NASCAR’s founding France family in legal combat as no one had done before, and without his insatiable appetite for winning, this lawsuit would have never happened.” All along, Jordan insisted that he was here to “strengthen NASCAR and form a partnership, not tear it apart.” Jordan said that he “wanted change” and he was “willing to do whatever it took to achieve it — even if it meant risking his race team’s existence.” After Thursday, that mission “has been accomplished.” While there is “no question Jordan will always be most known for the impact he had on basketball, he can now add NASCAR to the list of sports for which he will be regarded as a historic figure.” The victory he achieved Thursday was “that significant for stock car racing.” Jordan is not in NASCAR “for the money.” He is in it because he “actually, genuinely loves racing.” And yet, because of the “bitter charter negotiations and then the lawsuit, NASCAR has completely missed the chance to link arms with him and help promote the sport during his time as a team owner.” That “has the chance to change now” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/11).