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After nine days of an antitrust suit that many believe’d would never make it to trial, NASCAR agreed to a settlement with Michael Jordan‘s 23XI Racing team as well as Front Row Motorsports on Thursday.
The two race teams, represented by star attorney Jeffrey Kessler, alleged that NASCAR acted as a monopsony (not to be confused with a monopoly, and sought $365M in combined damages.
Throughout the trial, Kessler showed several instances where NASCAR seemingly asserted its power over the stock car racing market to leverage teams into agreeing to an unfair charter agreement.
Before a jury could come to decision, with Judge Kenneth Bell hoping to wrap up the trial by Friday, the two sides convened on Thursday morning and came to a settlement agreement.
NASCAR Concedes Evergreen Charters As Part Of Settlement.
The largest concession on the part of NASCAR is evergreen charters, which NASCAR owner Jim France had previous denied.
What that means is that NASCAR can no longer threaten to remove guaranteed starting spots from team owners should they not agree to the terms set forth by the series.
Additionally, Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press reports that the revised charter agreement, which will now apply to all teams, will provide them with additional revenue streams.
Source, and this is murky because there’s going to be a Thursday afternoon call to discuss new charter model: Teams will now share in international revenue for the first time, the three-strike rule will be reinstated as a five-strike rule, teams will get 1/3 of revenue from IP,…
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) December 11, 2025
Witnesses for and evidence submitted by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports routinely showed that teams were operating at a loss despite NASCAR reporting profits year-over-year
“We believe it’s a settlement that’s going to grow this sport. That’s going to be great for the teams and for NASCAR, but most importantly for the fans,” Kessler told members of the media after the settlement was announced. “This case was filed 15 months ago. This was never about just 23XI. It was never just about Front Row. It was about trying to do something that was great for everyone. And as part of this deal, we are going to have evergreen charters that will be available forever.”
Neither side announced the complete terms of the settlement. Front Row Motorsports and 23XI were the only teams not to agree to the prior charter agreement. It is unknown if NASCAR agreed to pay out financial damages to those two teams.
Earlier this year, NASCAR reportedly explored an equity sale for the first time in the sport’s history. The France family has owned the series since its founding in 1948.