NASCAR team owner Richard Childress on signing the 2025 charter agreement, “I didn’t have a choice”
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have opened an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. Both teams neglected to sign the 2025 charter agreement ahead of the lawsuit.
NASCAR lawsuit opened by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports
For years, NASCAR and teams have been negotiating on terms of a new charter agreement. The previous agreement expires at the end of this season.
Ahead of the 2024 playoffs a few weeks ago, NASCAR allegedly drew a line in the sand. They issued their final amendment to a new charter agreement around 6:00pm on a Friday. Teams were given until Midnight to sign the agreement.
13 of the 15 teams signed the agreement.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are the only teams that didn’t sign. And they’ve elected to take NASCAR to court on antitrust claims. In the lawsuit, it mentions that NASCAR threatened to take charters away if the agreement wasn’t signed by midnight.
Now, Richard Childress has confirmed the lines in the lawsuit that mention NASCAR stated the would take charters away if teams didn’t sign…
NASCAR teams sign new charter agreement; 23XI Racing excluded
Richard Childress comments on the NASCAR lawsuit
“Well we’ve read it all, I can’t comment a whole lot now because I know attorneys are handling a lot of that,” Richard Childress told Bob Pockrass.
“But I will say that the part about, we got our Docusign that evening at 6:37 is when it came in and we had to sign it by 12 o’clock or we’d lose our charters. I didn’t have a choice, because we had to sign. I’ve got over 400 employees, OEM contracts, contracts with sponsors and I’ve gotta take care of my team.”
NASCAR teams comment on ultimatum to sign charter agreement
RCR doesn’t think there’s an option to join the lawsuit
Part of the terms of the 2025 charter agreement are that teams release NASCAR of antitrust claims. RCR has already signed that agreement.
“Bob, I don’t know how you phrase happy on this. I would just say that I don’t think we can join, I don’t know, it’s way too early to talk about all the legal stuff.”
“NASCAR hadn’t even came back with an answer. I’m sure they’re looking at antitrust attorneys, I know they are, and we’ll go from there.”
However, regardless of whether or not all teams are a part of the lawsuit. If it works out in favor of 23XI and Front Row, the rest of the garage will likely benefit as well.
“I think it will by the law but we don’t have a favored nation in our charter which is not fair to me anyway because everybody should be treated equal,” Richard Childress added.
“How do I know that they’re not going to give somebody a bigger restrictor plate or how do I know they’re not going to pay somebody 20 million more dollars than me? We don’t know without a favored nation.”
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Rick Hendrick comments on 23XI Racing not signing agreement
Links
NASCAR | 23XI Racing | Front Row Motorsports | Richard Childress Racing
