Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has put its recent triumph in court over NASCAR to good use, signing Zane Smith as the team's third driver for 2025.
Last September, FRM and 23XI refused to sign the 2025 Charter Agreement, and instead filed a suit against NASCAR alleging monopolistic practices — putting the teams in a precarious position. But on December 18th, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing secured a significant legal victory when a North Carolina judge granted the two teams' motion for preliminary injunction, giving them the right to compete with charters while the antitrust lawsuit unfolds in 2025. (Had the teams lost that December request for motion — or NASCAR's subsequent failed appeal — they would have had to race as "open" teams without guaranteed race starts.) The court's decision also forced NASCAR to approve FRM's purchase of a Stewart-Haas Racing charter, which it needed to expand into a three-car operation.
