“We got some of what we wanted”: NASCAR owner explains reason behind signing charter proposal amid 23XI conflict

Thirteen teams signed NASCAR's new charter agreement less than two days before the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which also included the team Trackhouse Racing. However, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports refused to sign it due to certain issues with the terms of the deal.

According to the Associated Press, several teams were urged to sign the agreement at their earliest. Per journalist Adam Stern, the teams' main concern about the deal was whether they would continue to have an opinion on "costly rule changes" and maintain a "traditional relationship" with the drivers, thereby owning their "intellectual property."

"Concerns that some teams have had with the fresh charter contract include whether they will be limited in having a say over costly rule changes and whether there's new clauses that'll impact their traditional relationships with drivers + ownership of their intellectual property," Stern wrote in a recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks explained why he had decided to sign the agreement. Although Marks also had issues with the agreement, he felt the deal paid heed to a lot of their wants as a NASCAR Cup Series team. In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the 43-year-old said:

"For Trackhouse, we didn't get everything we wanted, but we got some of what we wanted. At the end of the day, the agreement is one I can build the business around, and that we can embark on the future, embrace what it is, and everything in it and go on ahead."

23XI Racing notified NASCAR in writing about the issues that they had with the terms of the new deal. However, there is no update from the organization regarding the issue.

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Justin Marks on how NASCAR could close negotiations with the teams

The most recent NASCAR charter agreement was signed in 2016 and is set to expire at the end of the current season.

NASCAR has been in constant negotiations with teams for more than two years to formulate a new deal to take them through the 2025 season and beyond. However, the deal, which was supposed to be closed before the playoffs begin, is yet to be signed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

In a statement reported by AP News, Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins said about the situation:

"I know a lot of people were uncomfortable but felt like they had to (sign)."

Here is what Justin Marks had to say on the issue:

"If the day doesn't come when finally somebody goes, we're done here, then it will never come; the negotiations will never end. Me, personally, as we continued to have the conversations, I was ready and anticipating the day (when) NASCAR said this is it, we're done. We've addressed all these issues, you know where we won't move. We've moved on the same (thing) you want us to, we've agreed on 90 percent of it, or 75 percent of it, it's time to get this thing done."

"There are things about the agreement that I really like; that are gonna be very helpful to us," Marks continued. "There are things in the agreement that are different than the way I would have wanted them to end up. There are gonna be some challenges. I think it's just both sides trying to get the best deal for them as possible."

Meanwhile, NASCAR is preparing to host the second race of the Round of 16 at Watkins Glen International on September 15 (3 PM ET onwards). Fans can watch the race live on NBC and USA. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN will provide radio updates on it.