NASCAR Charter Talks Enter New Phase at Atlanta – Motorsports Tribune

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

HAMPTON, Ga. – Charters have been the word of the season with the negotiations between NASCAR and the teams in the Cup Series dragging on and on in a constant back and forth between the two entities.

Entering the start of the Cup Series Playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway, those talks have taken a turn with the majority of teams electing to sign the new deal put in place by the sanctioning body and two teams – 23XI Racing co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, as well as Front Row Motorsports – holding out for the time being.

In a statement, 23XI explained its rationale for not signing the new charter deal.

“23XI decided to not meet a NASCAR-imposed deadline [Friday] 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 in 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.”

Hamlin has long been outspoken about the ongoing charter negotiations and earlier this week, explained his thinking on the current state of the charter agreement. He noted on Playoff media day on Wednesday that the negotiations had become “stagnant” between the two parties.

“One side will have to wake up and be reasonable. That’s all,” Hamlin said of what it will take to reach an equitable agreement.

“People see me gripe, but they have to realize I made a good living in this as a NASCAR driver and I chose to invest back in the France family and NASCAR, and they are yet to show me an opportunity where I’m going to get that back.”

Things may have changed for some teams to sign the new agreement since those comments were made, but Hamlin and 23XI remain steadfast in their beliefs that it is not yet in their best interest to sign.

After the 23XI statement was put out on Saturday morning, Hamlin was reticent on commenting further, noting that the team statement said what needs to be said at this point in time.

With the stalemate between 23XI…