Jim France releases statement following NASCAR settlement with 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports

Today’s settlement in the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit has the racing world abuzz. Jim France released an official statement afterward. It appears that both sides have been able to come to an agreement, and that means substantial changes in the sport. 23XI Racing and Front Row earned their charters back and evergreen, permanent charters for all teams.

The teams were unable to negotiate for permanent charters in the 2025 Charter Agreement. Many owners, if not all, have expressed a desire to see charters become permanent and fully establish a franchise system like in other American sports leagues.

With the charters becoming permanent, Jim France has given in on one of his biggest sticking points. Months of litigation and eight days of a trial were all it took!

“The outcome gives all parties the flexibility and confidence to continue delivering unforgettable racing moments for our fans, which has always been our highest priority since the sport was founded in 1948,” France said. “We worked closely with race teams to create the NASCAR charter system in 2016, and it has proven invaluable to their operations and to the quality of racing across the Cup Series.

“Today’s agreement reaffirms our commitment to preserving and enhancing that value, ensuring our fans continue to enjoy the very best of stock car racing for generations to come. We are excited to return the collective focus of our sport, teams and racetracks toward an incredible 78th season that begins with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.”

Jim France and Denny Hamlin reportedly hugged after the settlement was announced. Both sides were able to come together, shake hands, and celebrate this outcome. Now, what’s next?

Jim France gives in on permanent charters in settlement

It is so frustrating to see this outcome in many ways. The permanent charters disagreement was always simple. NASCAR and Jim France should have adopted permanent charters in the 2025 Charter Agreement to begin with. However, they let almost a year and a half of litigation and a trial happen before giving it up.

Permanent charters are going to be good for NASCAR. Having a franchise system that has stability and a future beyond the media rights agreement is good. The value of those teams is going to go up. It will also help make NASCAR look and feel like a modern professional sports league.

Jim France is a proud man, and he should be. There are times when pride can get in the way of common sense. Still, it is a good thing that we are here. A jury deciding this case and then a judge deciding the future of NASCAR would have been tumultuous. The best time to do permanent charters was 2024, the next best time was as soon as possible. I guess this was the as soon as possible.