Team Owner Calls NASCAR “Communist Regime” Over Charter Deal
What’s Happening? A lingering storyline of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is ratifying a new Charter Agreement. However, it sounded…
In the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, 23XI Racing owner Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on NASCAR’s recent countersuit against his team, co-owner Curtis Polk, and Front Row Motorsports. Hamlin also addressed recent statements from those associated with NASCAR about Polk.
On Mar. 5, NASCAR filed a lawsuit against 23XI Racing, one of the team’s co-owners, Curtis Polk, and Front Row Motorsports. These two teams filed their antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR against NASCAR on Oct. 2; this legal battle, mostly revolving around Charter ownership, has persisted ever since.
However, the proverbial war began at the bargaining table last season when the Race Team Alliance, a negotiating group made up of charter-owning NASCAR team owners, attempted to hammer out a new Charter Agreement for 2025.
These talks fell flat throughout the summer, and in September, NASCAR made what was deemed the final offer. Most teams signed the agreement, albeit apprehensively, after NASCAR made this aggressive move. However, of course, there were the now well-known holdouts, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
What’s Happening? A lingering storyline of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is ratifying a new Charter Agreement. However, it sounded…
NASCAR’s current countersuit revolves around these negotiations. It claims that Polk, acting on behalf of the Race Team Alliance during Charter negotiations, conducted a “plot to use collusive behavior to extract more favorable commercial terms from NASCAR in the Charter negotiations.”
Polk, a long-time business partner of 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan, was a major player in negotiations and outspoken about what NASCAR wanted. Polk, in fact, wore a sign at Darlington on Sept. 1 stating, “Please don’t ask me about my Charter. I don’t want to disparage NASCAR and lose it.”
What’s Happening? Though the ongoing lawsuit between Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit with NASCAR is awaiting its…
In the most recent episode of Actions Detrimental, beyond calling the accusations laughable, Hamlin defends his fellow owner Polk, referring to his strong sports business acumen and legacy in helping Jordan build one of the most valuable brands in sports.
“You know, the guy [Polk] is one of the most respected businessmen in all of sports,” Hamlin said. “He’s done it—he’s been in the business in multiple sports. He helped us build this race team into a championship-caliber team by year five, which was our goal.”
This is in response to claims from NASCAR’s Lawyer, Christopher Yates, who stated in a report from Jenna Fryer of AP Sports that he feels Polk does not understand the business of NASCAR.
In this now infamous Mar. 5 report, Yates said, “He’s done a lot of things that might work in the NBA or might be OK in the NBA but just are not appropriate in NASCAR.”
When the NASCAR community first read this story, many started pointing out similarities between the two sports, such as referring to NASCAR’s new in-season tournament. Either way, Hamlin further supports Yate’s understanding of NASCAR and the ways he has helped the team in its infancy.
“Curtis has just been fantastic for our team and certainly a pioneer—I believe—and a trailblazer for, you know, new ideas that our team uses every single time we hit the racetrack and how we do business and certain things.” — Denny Hamlin
Both sides continue to be outspoken in stating their case in this multifaceted lawsuit. Should the teams ultimately prevail in the main antitrust lawsuit, the future of NASCAR and its charter system is unknown.
We have covered this lawsuit extensively via the link below.
What’s Happening? Though the ongoing lawsuit between Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit with NASCAR is awaiting its…
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