Front Row Motorsports (FRM), which currently fields two Ford Mustang Dark Horse race cars in the Cup Series with plans to add a third in the future, has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. Toyota team 23XI Racing joined FRM in the legal battle, which comes in the wake of a lengthy negotiation regarding the sport’s charter system.
According to a report from the Associated Press, which obtained a copy of the lawsuit, FRM and 23XI claim that the new charter system is unfair to teams by binding them to the racing series, its tracks, and its suppliers. Both teams were unhappy with the charter proposal presented by NASCAR earlier this year, and neither organization signed it. Now, they’re calling out NASCAR’s founding family, the France family, for what they claim is a monopolistic hold on stock car racing.
“The France family and NASCAR are monopolistic bullies,” the lawsuit states. “And bullies will continue to impose their will to hurt others until their targets stand up and refuse to be victims. That moment has now arrived.”
FRM and 23XI hired Jeffrey Kessler, a top antitrust attorney, who has worked with other major sports leagues in the past, such as the NCAA. The lawsuit presses NASCAR for details “related to their exclusionary practices and intent to insulate themselves from any competition,” and the teams indicated that they will seek treble damages for the anticompetitive terms that were first introduced when NASCAR issued its first charter agreement in 2016.
The current charter agreement is set to expire at the end of the 2024 racing season, and the suit alleges that the sanctioning body only allowed 48 hours for teams to sign the new charter agreement before the first race in the Playoffs. The suit also alleges that NASCAR threatened teams with relinquishing their charters and killing off the charter system entirely if enough teams did not agree. Without the charter system, many teams could be priced out of competition in stock car racing’s highest echelon.
Comments
Nascar has required owners to use only one supplier , which is wrong . If Nascar is so good that they need to ride heard over everyone then pay all the same. Nascar should create the “box” to live in and provide DRAWINGS of parts , chassie should be same as well as engines. we know there are “FILLERS ON TRACK BECAUSE THE WELL FUNDED ARE UP FRONT” AND THE REST FOR MOST PART FILL THE FIELD BECAUSE OF LACK OF COMPETION ON SUPPLIERS”
That’s not really the point of this lawsuit. And the teams still build the cars individually to fit NASCAR’s “box.” They just have to purchase parts from approved suppliers.