Nov 23, Front Row expects to compete in 2025 NASCAR Cup Series despite lawsuit

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the two top Cup Series teams, still plan to compete in the series in 2025 even though they have initiated an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.

In fact, both 23XI and FRM plan to expand their operations and add a third car to their lineup. Time will tell if NASCAR will allow it or not.

23XI FRM plans to expand NASCAR operations in 2025

On October 2, 2024, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, two teams active in the Cup Series, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its owner Jim France. Teams say NASCAR is behaving like a monopoly.

This lawsuit appears to stem from particularly contentious negotiations that took place in 2024 regarding the extension of the Cup Series charter system. The charter system establishes the rules under which both teams and the series operate, with the charter itself adding value and establishing that team’s right to compete in NASCAR.

This year, 23XI and FRM maintain that NASCAR was in joint charter negotiations with the teams until March, when it excluded the teams from planning the terms of the new charter. NASCAR then presented the complete charter agreement to the teams for signing in September.

If teams don’t sign the lawsuit, NASCAR alleged they could lose their charters. Moreover, if most teams refused to sign the contract, NASCAR would kill the charter system completely.

The lawsuit alleges that these are monopoly-like practices that have created an environment in which NASCAR thrives as a series, but the teams that take to the track suffer.

23XI and FRM are the only two teams that have not signed a charter agreement.

Dive into NASCAR:

👉 NASCAR charter dispute turns into antitrust lawsuit: what it means and what to expect

👉NASCAR Lawsuit: All Allegations of Monopolistic Conduct Against the Cup Series

Still, both 23XI and FRM intend to compete in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, and both plan to purchase a third charter to continue growing their operations.

I’m talking to RUNNER23XI co-owner Curtis Polk said: “Yes, 23XI Racing plans to race next year.

“We plan to continue to do all the things we planned to do before we filed the lawsuit. Our business model will evolve and we will continue to grow and compete at the highest level.”

In its lawsuit against NASCAR, 23XI revealed its plan to purchase a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing, while FRM announced plans for a third car in May.

RUNNER also reports that there are plans to file a preliminary injunction that would effectively allow both teams to compete in 2025 under the terms of the charter agreement, but without having to actually agree to those terms.

Although neither team has signed a charter agreement for 2025 due to several fundamental disagreements over its content, operating as a charter team still brings benefits, including securing a guaranteed starting position in each race, as well as earning a larger prize pool.

Moreover, if NASCAR stripped them of their charters, it would likely be used as further evidence against the series in this lawsuit.

However, the lawsuit alleges that these terms stack the benefits to NASCAR’s advantage and that teams like 23XI and FRM could still be harmed. The lawsuit aims to seek financial compensation for damages, but also to completely revamp the sport of NASCAR as a whole to take power away from the series itself and put it more in the hands of the teams.

It’s unclear what exactly will happen in the future with 23XI, FRM or NASCAR, but it’s a story that will continue to unfold over the next few years. Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing teams in the case, estimates it will be a year or two before anyone sees a courtroom.

Read further: Six big takeaways from NASCAR’s 2025 schedule: international racing, back to basics