23XI, FRM lawsuit: Steve O'Donnell admits NASCAR felt threatened by SRX Series, ESPN

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell admitted Thursday that the sanctioning body had concerns about Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). Specifically, how much SRX was beginning to resemble NASCAR.

SRX, founded by Tony Stewart and Ray Evernham, was a startup stock car racing circuit which debuted in June 2021. Judge Kenneth Bell has already ruled at NASCAR is a monopoly. 23XI and FRM are arguing that NASCAR uses its power to keep drivers and teams from competing elsewhere.

Before the start of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports versus NASCAR antitrust lawsuit trial, a series of text messages came to light in which NASCAR executives voiced displeasure of their drivers and team owners competing in the series.

“Oh great, another owner racing in SRX,” a person said in the thread, whose name was redacted on the document. O’Donnell and NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps replied.

“This is NASCAR,” O’Donnell replied. “Pure and simple. Enough. We need legal to take a shot at this.”

“These guys are just plain stupid,” Phelps responded. “Need to put a knife in this trash series.”

23XI and FRM lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler questioned O’Donnell about his concerns of SRX. O’Donnell testified, according to Kelly Crandall of RACER, “I was concerned with what was happening on the racetrack.”

NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell questioned about concerns of SRX

Kessler further questioned O’Donnell about his comment that he wanted NASCAR’s legal to look at SRX. Included in the exhibits of text messages was a screenshot Phelps shared of a fan comment on an SRX social media page, Crandall reported. The fan said that SRX was beginning to resemble NASCAR, the same way LIV Golf resembled the PGA Tour.

Many NASCAR drivers competed in SRX until it folded. Those drivers included Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin among others.

“I thought this looked more and more like NASCAR,” O’Donnell said.

NASCAR even blocked SRX from racing at a Speedway Motorsports track by invoking its exclusivity clause. O’Donnell said this was done because “we were in a major negotiation” for a new media rights deal and “we wanted to retain as much revenue as possible for the teams,” per a report from The Athletic.

Kessler wrapped up his examination Thursday and NASCAR’s legal team began its line of questioning of O’Donnell. NASCAR’s questioning of O’Donnell will resume Friday when the court resumes at 9 p.m. ET.