Everything We Know (So Far) About NASCAR 25 iRacing Console Game
What’s Happening? 2024 and 2025 will be an interesting and exciting time for NASCAR video game fans. In this article,…
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As we approach the release of NASCAR ’25, many unknowns remain about the next NASCAR console game. One often overlooked aspect is the potential implications of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR and two teams, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing. It is unclear whether this lawsuit could affect the two teams’ involvement in the new game.
What’s Happening? 2024 and 2025 will be an interesting and exciting time for NASCAR video game fans. In this article,…
What’s Happening? The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit will continue for some time. However, many developments will occur along…
On Oct. 2, when Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing sued NASCAR, the teams referenced intellectual property in their initial lawsuit. Intellectual property can mean many things in the NASCAR world. This can include the rights to the designs of the team’s cars, team logos, and typefaces for their numbers, etc.
On Page 29, the teams claimed, “It [NASCAR] seized control over team intellectual property rights, to be used for NASCAR’s benefit.” Here, the teams are claiming that NASCAR is seizing other teams’ IP via the 2025 NASCAR Charter Agreement. Presumably, the teams could withhold their cars from the new NASCAR game as they did not sign the new agreement.
In the past, several cars missed out on appearing in NASCAR games for several reasons. Most of these were individual drivers rather than teams. For example, Jeremy Mayfield‘s exclusion from NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. A more prominent example is Carl Edwards. During his rise in NASCAR, Edwards was not included in EA Sports NASCAR 07 or 08 due to a private licensing deal. However, as far as teams missing out on NASCAR games entirely, Chip Ganassi Racing is not in the legendary NASCAR Racing 2003 Season.
Perhaps if the team’s issues with NASCAR extended into 2025, and the projected release date next fall, there is a chance they could not appear in this game.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. One prominent piece to the puzzle is that the teams have signed an agreement with NASCAR despite their previous complaints about intellectual property.
What’s Happening? 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports announced on Saturday morning that they will race in the Cup Series next…
On Nov. 16, 23XI and FRM announced that they had signed the NASCAR Open Team Agreement. NASCAR offered them this agreement to compete in 2025 as non-chartered teams. This agreement featured the removal of a release provision. That provision was one of the initial reasons they would not sign the Charter Agreement.
Unfortunately, the contents of this open agreement are unknown. However, the past could tell us if 23XI and FRM might be involved in the new game as “open” cars.
“Open” cars are non-chartered entries in the NASCAR Cup Series. These teams usually run a part-time schedule and do not reap the benefits of Charter ownership. Past NASCAR games prominently featured open teams, such as Beard Motorsports’ No. 62, which appeared in the past few NASCAR games with differing drivers.
Furthermore, the teams would likely want to be involved in this game. Not only is it good for their reputation, but it’s also good for their sponsors to be involved in such an anticipated project. NASCAR console games give NASCAR and its teams the ability to reach casual fans and some former fans.
As far as NASCAR goes, they would likely want to have the team’s prominent drivers involved in the new game. FRM is a beloved underdog, and 23XI finds broader prominence due to co-owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan. 23XI also has two of the most prominent drivers on the grid, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.
While we don’t know how this lawsuit will affect the teams in the long run, history shows that open teams have consistently appeared in NASCAR games. However, this exact situation is a first. It will be interesting to see if these beloved teams will be in iRacing’s inaugural game.
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