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In September 2024, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports declined to sign the latest NASCAR charter deal. While 13 other Cup Series teams signed the agreement, the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-co-owned and the Bob Jenkins-owned teams decided to stay away. Weeks later, the two teams filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the Association and CEO Jim France.
Months passed, but the tussle remained as the two parties filed and countered petitions. However, Judge Kenneth Bell's verdict on Monday favored 23XI and FRM.
Here's a timeline of what happened beginning with Judge Bell taking charge:
Judge change
After 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports declined to sign the charter deal, their future in the sport was in jeopardy. They could not compete in the Cup Series without a charter next season. 23XI and FRM's attorney Jeffrey Kessler appealed for an injunction to address the issue.
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The injunction would enable the two teams to participate in the competition even if they don't sign the agreement. However, Judge Frank Whitney denied giving the teams an injunction. Federal judge Kenneth D. Bell then came onto the scene and took charge.
Judge Kenneth Bell's verdict
Last week, Judge Kenneth Bell shared a verdict, and his judgment favored 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. According to the verdict, NASCAR should allow both teams to operate with two existing cars and recognize their third car (the charters obtained from Stewart-Haas Racing).
However, NASCAR filed a petition the very next day. Through its petition, the governing body asked the judge to delay the verdict and put a stay order on it. The latest petition against 23XI and FRM led the judge to take the case under his observation and share another significant ruling on Monday.
Latest update of the NASCAR lawsuit
As of December 23, 2024, Judge Kenneth Bell has reshared his verdict against the governing body. However, it did not go 23XI Racing's way. As per the verdict, NASCAR needed to acknowledge Front Row Motorsports' obtained charter from Stewart-Haas Racing in 2025 and recognize the injunction.
As for the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-co-owned team, worries are far from over. According to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports:
"The judge issued his opinion and opted to tweak the injunction, ruling that because 23XI had not asked for its charter transfer to be approved as part of its initial injunction request (23XI had not gotten a formal denial at that time), he would remove that from the injunction order he issued last week – but the judge will allow 23XI to ask for the court-ordered approval in a separate motion."
It will be interesting to see how 23XI Racing and Jeffrey Kessler tackle the next hurdle and help Riley Herbst (the driver in the SHR-obtained charter) race in the 2025 Cup Series season.
