US EditionNASCAR emerges from federal antitrust lawsuit bruised but ready for its 78th season
- Last week, the case was dismissed as the France family agreed to a settlement making charters evergreen ahead of the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
- The teams argued that charters guarantee race access and steady revenue, seeking permanence after two years of stalled negotiations and a late 2024 112-page offer to the 15 organizations that hold charters.
- Court testimony revealed the France family trust was paid more than $400 million from 2021 through 2024, while 36 charters compete for 40 spots and a charter's value rose from $45 million to nearly $100 million.
- The settlement leaves NASCAR united again and positions Ben Kennedy to advance as the family's heir apparent, following bruising testimony that portrayed the France family unfavorably.
- Testimony showed unflattering details and derogatory texts from Steve Phelps, NASCAR's first commissioner, who left the company at the start of the year amid leadership questions.
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Analysis | NASCAR emerges from federal lawsuit bruised but ready for 78th season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the days following the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports plane crash that killed all 10 people aboard, Bill France Jr. and Mike Helton showed up at Rick Hendrick’s front door in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Associated Press News
NASCAR emerges from federal antitrust lawsuit bruised but ready for its 78th season
The Michael Jordan-led federal antitrust lawsuit last year against NASCAR and its owners took a toll on the France family, which settled the case after eight days of harsh testimony.
Inside The Garage: With NASCAR Lawsuit in Rearview, What Does it Mean for Drivers?
That 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports will field an extra car to attempt to make the Daytona 500 this week is just a subtle sign of what it meant to get through their lawsuit against NASCAR before the start of the 2026 season. Both organizations had told employees they would have jobs in 2026 even if they lost their lawsuit and didn’t have guaranteed spots for any of their cars in the field. But whether they would field three full-time cars…
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