NASCAR President Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O'Donnell sat down with media Friday at Phoenix Raceway to discuss several topics of interest. But in his opening statement, Phelps made sure to address the pressing issue of charters.
"Probably a lot of frustration in the room that NASCAR over the last two and a half years has not talked about charters publicly or with the media," began Phelps. "We've done that purposefully. We don't believe the media is a place to have discussions about our negotiation with our race teams and our charter extensions. That was by design. I know people are frustrated about that."
This, of course, comes amidst the legal war between NASCAR and the teams of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Denny Hamlin has been an outspoken critic of the charter negotiations, long before his team's refusal to sign the 2025 agreement, using the media (and a podcast) to convey his frustrations. NASCAR took a different approach.
"We are not going to negotiate in the media about charters ever, and we are very happy that 32 of our 36 charters were extended," added Phelps. He was also sure to point out that that teams are "the single largest beneficiary of our media deal" in terms of money, noting how the sanctioning body intends to cut costs and help keep teams financially healthy.
Phelps also made it clear that they would not take any charter-related questions from the media, citing the fact that "we are in active litigation, and that matter (of charters) is closed at least at this point."
Despite his decree, the charter questions did come, especially as news broke during the press conference regarding a federal judge's decision to deny 23XI and FRM's preliminary injunction, which was filed with the hope of keeping their charters while the lawsuit is ongoing.
"No comment," replied Phelps initially, before adding: "I do think it's important for everyone to understand charters notwithstanding and what's going on there, our relationship with the race teams is really important, and our race teams working with NASCAR is really important to the success of this sport, as is our relationship with Speedway Motorsports and the independent tracks, as is our relationships with our broadcast partners and our sponsors.
"It's what makes this entire thing go, and I would suggest over the last five, six, eight, ten years that we have not optimized the opportunity in front of us. If we do that where we have alignment and everyone understands the division, the strategy about how we're going to move this sport forward, then I am positive we are going to have success."
There are also ongoing questions regarding the future of Stewart-Haas Racing's charters as the four-car operation plans to shut down. Trackhouse Racing Team is acquiring one, Gene Haas is keeping one for the Haas Factory Team, but the other two were meant to go to 23XI and FRM. However, Phelps had no answers there as the future of those two charters remains unclear.
23XI and FRM intend to appeal Friday's decision as they continue their fight to keep hold of their charters while suing NASCAR for alleged antitrust violations.
