HAMPTON, Ga.— The buzz at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday wasn’t about the NASCAR Cup Playoffs.
It wasn’t about Chase Briscoe’s come-from-nowhere win to advance to the postseason.
And it wasn’t about Tyler Reddick gutting out a top-10 result to win the regular season championship.
The latest update on the current charter agreements tossed anything competition-related to the back burner.
Denny Hamlin sparked the flame during the Playoff media day on Wednesday in Charlotte. When asked if a charter deal could be completed prior to the final 10 races of the season, he replied, “Yeah, absolutely, it could. But, again, someone will have to wake up and have a completely different mindset and I just don’t know if that is going to be possible. What happens if the season ends? Then, we retain all of our rights.”
Although NASCAR declined comment, a Friday deadline was issued to teams regarding the latest charter terms. Of the 36 teams who currently own charters, all but four complied. Hamlin’s two-car 23XI Racing and Bob Jenkins’ two-car Front Row Motorsports were the only holdouts.
Saturday morning, 23XI Racing ownership issued a statement on X that clearly defined the company’s stance on charters:
“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.
“We notified NASCAR what issues needed to be addressed, in writing, at the deadline. We are interested in engaging 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.”
With part of 23XI Racing’s ownership group coming from a sport where franchises were the norm, navigating the charter system might leave something to be desired. Hamlin had little to add during his media availability on Saturday, other than that he had hoped for more extensive discussions on the agreement.
He did acknowledge that it would be difficult for the company to operate without the money provided by the current charters.
“Certainly it’s frustrating, but every team does what’s best for them,” Hamlin said.
What’s best for 23XI Racing in the long run might not be best for everyone presently at Air Speed—the state-of-the-art facility the team moved into for the 2024 season. Bubba Wallace’s future is on hold while he awaits completion of the charter agreement.
“My process has been going hand-in-hand with the charter agreement,” Wallace said. “It’s frustrating to see where we’re at because that impacts my life, my livelihood and everything moving forward for my future.”
As far as Wallace’s status for 2025, “Anything in the future is dependent on that,” Hamlin added.
Also on hold is the purchase of a third charter for 23XI Racing. If the company fears their current charters can be revoked by NASCAR, why would they acquire a third?
And while NASCAR has green-lit the next Netflix series on the Playoffs, the project has not officially been announced due to what drivers might be available in the postseason and what drivers might not give permission. Christopher Bell, who flew under the Netflix radar in the early rounds of 2023, should be front and center this year.
“I’ve seen them a little bit,” Bell said of the media company. “But I think it’s a bummer that the charter negotiation is going on and putting a wrench in it. I do feel like the Netflix documentary is good for the sport, so if we could get all of us to buy into it, it would be a really cool deal.”
Several sources told CATCHFENCE.com the majority of the charter agreement has been in place since June. Roush Fenway Keselowski team owner Brad Keselowski didn’t believe the latest agreement addressed all of the teams’ needs but with expansion in the organization’s future, it was time to move on.
“We want to run NASCAR for a long time to come,” Keselowski said on Saturday.
“Signing the charter agreement is a statement to our commitment to do just that. We’ve got great plans for the sport, and we’re excited to see that carry on for quite some time.
“There are things we would like to have better, but to some degree, there are pieces we really like and pieces—not so much. It’s hard to use the word “fair”. I don’t know what that means.”
Although some teams felt forced to sign the agreements, Keselowski believes that might be overstating the situation. But as RFK looks to add a third team, access to an additional charter is important to the company. He believes that under the new agreement, RFK should be able to lease a charter in 2025.
“We are getting to a spot where it’s important to get these things settled,” Keselowski said. “Knowing that the charters will be around next year certainly helps our chances. You still have to buy one and we’re not in that sport yet.”
The seven-year charter agreement aligns with the current media rights deal that goes into effect next year—and Keselowski is glad that the economics for the teams have improved in step with that new contract.
“We’re glad to see the sport perpetuate,” Keselowski said. “Right now the sport lives and dies with the media rights deal—and there’s no getting around that. When the media rights deal got done this winter, that was a big, big deal for the sport.
“Now, you’re seeing the dominoes fall behind that. But don’t forget what the first domino is.
“There are a lot of comparisons between NASCAR and the other sports leagues. This industry is looking over its shoulder at NFL, NBA and so forth, and seeing their situations continue to dramatically improve and we all want the same. That creates an expectation or a standard that drives some of those negotiations.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
Statement from 23XI ownership pic.twitter.com/z0z5rjRjEP
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) September 7, 2024
