NASCAR insiders clarify 23XI, Front Row Motorsports position on charter talks
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are two NASCAR teams that haven’t signed the new charter deal, and two insiders have explained why. On The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic shared why 23XI and Front Row are holding out.
“They didn’t like the terms of the deal, that’s just the gist of it. They felt like NASCAR was heavy-handed and more 23XI than Front Row Motorsports in this. Though, Front Row Motorsports does share a lot of the sentiment expressed by 23XI in their statement,” Bianchi said.
“There’s a lot of frustration that NASCAR is kind of fell back in their historic ways of being heavy-handed, you know, our way of the highway, this is how we’re doing things. …There was no negotiating in good faith is probably the best way to describe it.”
Gluck spoke to Curtis Polk, the business manager of 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan. Polk told Gluck the negotiations are like “David facing Goliath,” and that “NASCAR has not been fair in these negotiations.” Gluck added, “He even described it as a step backward from the current charter system. We know they’re going to be getting more from the TV revenue, but they also did not get everything they wanted and the other things they were asking for.”
23XI Racing wants a ‘fair bargain for a new charter contract’
The majority of NASCAR Cup Series teams signed the new charter contract on Friday which was the deadline, according to 23XI Racing. On Saturday, 23XI released a statement explaining why it hasn’t signed the new deal.
“23XI decided to not meet a NASCAR-imposed deadline last night to sign Charter agreements for its two cars for 2025-2031. 23XI’s position, as stated in a letter to NASCAR, is that we did not have an opportunity to fairly bargain for a new Charter contract,” the statement read.
“We notified NASCAR what issues needed to be addressed, in writing, at the deadline. We are interested in engaging in constructive discussions with NASCAR to address these issues and move forward in a way that comes to a fair resolution while strengthening the sport we all love.
“At 23XI Racing, we remain committed to competing at the highest level while also standing firm in our belief that NASCAR should be governed by fair and equitable practices.”