NASCAR insider questions whether 23XI Racing has legal standing in charter controversy

The Cup Series playoffs began on Sunday afternoon, but the larger story inside the motorsports world over the last few days has been the drama between 23XI Racing and NASCAR officials over the sport’s charter agreement.

While many of the top teams in the sport have signed the new charter agreement, two remain in limbo in 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Specifically, 23XI Racing, led by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, have been outspoken regarding their issues with the agreement, and it seems more like we’re at the beginning of a saga than the end of one.

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On the latest episode of The Teardown following Atlanta, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic attempted to make sense of the issue, with the latter wondering if 23XI Racing even has a leg to stand on, regardless of whether they’re in the right or not.

“There’s a lot of pros and cons in this,” Bianchi explained. “I wish I had the answer to this, because you know, this isn’t public record, but if the charter agreement says, like, if the contract ends on Dec. 31, 2024, and there’s no more charter agreement, it disappears, like — if the current agreement ends, you’re operating under (the new) one, I don’t know how you can — can you said, ‘They’re taking my charter.’ I don’t know. They could just let them expire. So, I don’t know.

“It’s very fascinating to see how this plays off, because you have two sides who, NASCAR is very used to, historically, getting its way, and running its sport however it wants to. There’s a long history, dating back to really the first year NASCAR was founded. Like, this is how Bill France, or Bill Sr. is going to do it, this is how Bill Jr. is going to do it, and Jim France is kind of continuing that legacy of, ‘This is my sport. It’s a private business, we’ll run it how we want to.’

“But you also have another side, in Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk, who are very much used to getting things they want, and doing things their way. So, it’s going to be interesting.”

Of course, 23XI Racing leaving NASCAR would be a major blow to the sport, as Jordan and the upstart team has brought numerous fans, sponsors and celebrities to the track over the last couple of seasons. Will that be enough for NASCAR to adjust their new agreement? That remains to be seen.

Regardless, it feels like we’re on the verge of a situation that could get ugly fast, with the two sides seemingly more far apart than ever. Time will tell what the resolution is, but it’ll be up to NASCAR and 23XI Racing to figure one out, or they may be going their separate ways.