The President of the NASCAR, Steve Phelpsand Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell sat down with the media Friday at Phoenix Raceway to discuss several topics of interest. But in his opening speech, Phelps made sure to address the pressing issue of charters.
“There’s probably a lot of frustration in the room because NASCAR in the last two and a half years has not talked about charters publicly or with the media,” Phelps began. “We did it on purpose. We don’t think the media is the right place to talk about our negotiations with the teams and the charter extension. That was on purpose. I know people are frustrated by it.”
This, of course, comes amid the legal war between NASCAR and the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports teams. Denny Hamlin has been an outspoken critic of the charter negotiations, long before his team’s refusal to sign the 2025 deal, using the media (and a podcast) to air his frustrations. NASCAR took a different approach.
“We will never negotiate in the media about charters, and we are very pleased that 32 of our 36 charters have been renewed,” Phelps added. He also made sure to point out that the teams are “the biggest beneficiary of our media deal” in terms of money, noting how the sanctioning body intends to cut costs and help keep teams financially healthy.
Phelps also made it clear that they would not accept any media questions related to the bylaws, citing the fact that “we are in active litigation, and that (bylaws) matter is closed at least at this time.”
Despite his decree, questions about the charter spaces came, especially when the decision of a federal judge to deny the precautionary measure of 23XI and FRM, presented in the hope of maintaining their charter spaces for the duration, was revealed during the press conference. the lawsuit.
“No comment,” Phelps initially responded, before adding: “I think it’s important for everyone to understand charters despite what’s going on there, our relationship with the racing teams is very important, and our racing teams Working with NASCAR is very important to the success of this sport, as is our relationship with Speedway Motorsports and the independent tracks, as well as our relationships with our broadcast partners and our sponsors.
“It’s what makes all of this work, and I would suggest over the last five, six, eight, ten years that we haven’t optimized the opportunity in front of us. If we do it where we have alignment and everyone understands the division, the strategy about how we are going to move this sport forward, then I am confident that we are going to be successful.
There are also ongoing questions about the future of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charts after the four-car operation plans to close. Trackhouse Racing Team is acquiring one, Gene Haas is keeping one for the Haas Factory Team, but the other two were destined for 23XI and FRM. However, Phelps has not provided any response, as the future of these two charters remains unclear.
23XI and FRM intend to appeal Friday’s decision as they continue their fight to hold their cards while suing NASCAR for alleged antitrust violations.
