What’s Happening?

Seemingly forgotten in NASCAR’s charter negotiations is the rumor that NASCAR wants to own a charter and field entries in races. Now, a recent report suggests that this may be a reality in the new charter agreement.

• The NASCAR Charter agreement is a major talking point of the 2024 season. This weekend, several teams signed the agreement after a hard deadline from NASCAR. However, 13 of 15 teams signed, with 23XI and Front Row Motorsports holding out.
• NASCAR, owned by the France Family, currently does not own a team or cars. Historically, the family played the host and rulemaker of the series, making their money by promoting the races.

NASCAR Wants to Own a Charter

In June, word spread that NASCAR, or rather the France Family, would like the option to own and field a chartered car. This news raised the concerns of fans, who worried about a “state-owned” team running the board every weekend.

Regardless, this conversation mostly fell off as the summer months, the Olympic break, and the run to the playoffs drove forward.

However, following the new charter agreement, this topic has emerged once again. Jenna Fryer of AP Sports reported that NASCAR left this “language” in the final draft of the charter agreement, leaving room for a member of NASCAR’s first family to own a charter.

What is NASCAR’s Goal?

The opinion of many fans upon hearing the initial rumor was the worry that their favorite drivers could find themselves losing to the sport itself. This fear is not misplaced, as in 2024, many IndyCar fans have grown tired of the sports owner, Roger Penske, and his team.

However, it is important to realize that the France family could use the charter to help grow the sport rather than field a full-time car for a championship driver.

First, NASCAR could field an all-star car. This all-star car could be a competitive entry for drivers who do not compete in NASCAR full-time, like Marco Andretti or Sage Karam.

More importantly, NASCAR could use this entry for drivers entirely outside of NASCAR. Similar to the No. 50 at 23XI, the No. 60 at RFK Racing, and the No. 91 at Trackhouse.

Over the past few seasons, Kimi Räikkönen, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Kamui Kobayashi garnered headlines for the sport. In turn, NASCAR could make news for itself by fielding international stars at multiple races a year.

Names like Helio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden, and Daniel Riccardo come to mind as some of the names that NASCAR could summon to drive the car. NASCAR could even use a full-time entry to help those drivers in the NASCAR developmental system.

NASCAR could field a young driver out of a ride or lacking sponsorship. Furthermore, NASCAR could field a member of its Drive for Diversity program.

While no one knows the France family’s plan if they were to buy a charter, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. There are options for Frances to, rather than further grow their influence, use their potential team to develop the sport further.

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