Unchartered Territory: 23XI Racing And Front Row Motorsports Decline To Sign NASCAR Charter Deal

09/07/2024 05:40 PM

By Jerry Jordan, Editor

HAMPTON, Ga. – 23XI Racing made its opposition to NASCAR's latest charter agreement offer very public – posting on social media that it "decided not to meet a NASCAR-imposed deadline" while a second team, which multiple sources have said is Front Row Motorsports is not commenting on its charter status for 2025 and beyond.

"23XI decided to not meet a NASCAR-imposed deadline last night to sign Charter agreements for its two cars for 2025-2031. 23XI's position, as stated in a letter to NASCAR, is that we did not have an opportunity to fairly bargain for a new Charter contract.

"We notified NASCAR what issues needed to be addressed, in writing, at the deadline," read the statement. "We are interested in engaging in constructive discussions with NASCAR to address these issues and move forward in a way that comes to a fair resolution, while strengthening the sport we all love.

"At 23XI, we remain committed to competing at the highest level while also standing firm in our belief that NASCAR should be governed by fair and equitable practices."

During a media availability at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin was reserved with his statements regarding the decision, saying that the announcement conveyed the team's feelings. However, he did entertain several questions from media members requesting him to expand on the issue.

"I think it was all covered by the statement I don't really have anything else to add," Hamlin said, explaining that he didn't have anything more exciting to share.

When asked about racing without a charter, what that would look like and his thoughts on other teams signing the deal, Hamlin replied, "Certainly frustrating but every team does what's best for them. We haven't had that many discussions (with NASCAR), so I don't really know how far apart we are. Financially, it will be tough, for sure (racing without a charter).

The other team to not sign the new charter deal is reportedly Front Row Motorsports (FRM), multiple team representatives, owners, and drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series garage confirmed to Kickin' the Tires.

When contacted, an FRM representative provided the following statement, "Front Row Motorsports is not going to comment on its charter discussions at this time."

The move by the two teams is murky because no one really knows what the next step is. One media member asked Hamlin if he was worried about NASCAR taking No. 23 and No. 45 team charters away from 23XI Racing, but he said he didn't have any comment on the issue.

Multiple drivers, who spoke with Kickin' the Tires on the condition of anonymity, said they weren't pleased their teams had agreed to NASCAR's offer, saying they felt like they didn't have "a lot of choice" in the matter and that NASCAR "didn't really negotiate" with the teams.

Amazon Prime, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery ponied up for a massive new TV deal that will spread the sport's viewing opportunities across four different platforms, with some of the races only online through 2031.

The hangups, sources said, dealt with who gets how much of the recent $7.7 billion TV deal that NASCAR signed with broadcasters, as well as, other issues like the length NASCAR will honor team charters. It's reported that NASCAR did relent somewhat on the amount of money it was willing to share with race teams but there were still hangups on whether charters could be made permanent for the teams. The teams wanted reassurance that NASCAR wouldn't revoke charters in the future and leave teams high-and-dry after investing millions in the sport.

The back-and-forth between NASCAR and the teams began two years ago and has been smoldering ever since.

When asked, NASCAR declined to comment on the charter situation.