23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams were set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

After the filing NASCAR was ordered to respond by 5 p.m. Wednesday — which means there would be no ruling on if the charters will be revoked likely until Thursday, at the earliest.

“Today we filed a motion in the district court for a renewed preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to protect the teams’ ability to race chartered for the remainder of the 2025 Cup Series season and prevent irreparable business harm to 23XI and Front Row Motorsports until we can present our case at trial in December,” said Jeffery Kessler, attorney for the teams.

“New information surfaced through the discovery process that overwhelmingly supports our position that a preliminary injunction is legally warranted and necessary. The teams’ love of stock car racing and belief in a better future for the sport for all parties – teams, drivers, employees, sponsors, and fans – continues to motivate their efforts to pursue this antitrust case.”

There were large portions of the filing redacted because the arguments are based on information learned through discovery, making it confidential, for now. But, the urgency is likely tied to NASCAR indicating it plans to immediately begin selling the charters if they are revoked.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.”

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Also on Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a short virtual hearing in a North Carolina court over their fight for a charter.

Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026. RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

Legacy on Monday asked for and was granted the right to depose RWR over the recent revelation that T.J. Puchyr, one of the founders of Spire Motorsports, plans to purchase the race team. Legacy contends if Ware is selling the team, then one of the charters should be transferred to its organization.

Legacy also argued that Ware did not disclose he was entering into a sales agreement with a third party — Puchyr, who is now a consultant and brokered the initial lease deal between RWR and Legacy — in an April hearing. The judge in that case warned that RWR could be in contempt of court if it misrepresented its intentions in the first hearing.

The following are final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 19.869, no speed  def. James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, broke. 

SUPER STOCK
Kevin Helms, Plant City, Fla., ’95 Achieva, SS/BM, 9.001, 145.16  def. Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.160, 150.83. 

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Joe Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.445, 118.26  def. Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.522, 136.46. 

SUPER COMP
Chris Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’00 Horton, 8.911, 176.77  def. Ashley Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’04 Racetech, foul. 

SUPER GAS
Jim Perry, Niota, Tenn., ’00 S-10, 9.934, 167.20  def. Keith Mayers, Ellendale, Del., ’88 Spider, 9.929, 151.29. 

SUPER STREET
Keith Mayers,  ’92 968, 10.874, 146.54  def. Michael Ruff, Orlando, Fla., ’92 Camaro, 10.862, 134.11. 

TOP SPORTSMAN
Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 7.018, 198.38  def. Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 7.575, 179.73. 

TOP DRAGSTER
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.342, 205.47  def. Robert Houston, Newland, N.C., ’23 Race Tech, 7.156, 183.44. 

FIRDAY

The following are Friday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Glen Treadwell, Eustis, Fla., ’23 23T, M/AA, 7.832 seconds, -0.548 (under index)
2) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 7.761, 0.611
3) James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’23 T, G/EA, (no time)

SUPER STOCK
1) Mark Alvey, Chesterfield, Va., ’04 Sunfire, GT/GA, 9.423 seconds, -0.977 (under index)
2) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.562, -0.938
3) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.091, -0.909
4) Russell Ghent, Mooresville, N.C., ’94 Camaro, SS/JA, 10.095, -0.905
5) Dan Starko, Nashville, Tenn., ’16 Copo, FSS/C, 8.766, -0.884
6) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’06 Cobalt, GT/FA, 9.382, -0.868
7) Frank Beasley, Taylorsville, N.C., ’08 Cobalt, GT/JA, 9.935, -0.865
8) James Schaechter, Cumming, Ga., ’03 Cavalier, GT/H, 9.493, -0.857
9) Jarrod Granier, Labadieville, La., ’66 Nova, SS/F, 9.524, -0.826
10) Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 8.956, -0.794

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) James Marshall, Indian Land, S.C., ’79 Malibu Wagon, G/SA, 10.955 seconds, -1.045 (under index)
2) Thomas Mace, Jacksonville, Fla., ’90 Corvette, G/SA, 10.981, -1.019
3) Anthony Hughes, Mcdonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.747, -0.903
4) Mike Trumble, Pasadena, Texas, ’71 Chevelle, D/SA, 10.671, -0.879
5) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’94 Formula, H/SA, 11.294, -0.856
6) Orion Riley, Longwood, Fla., ’74 Nova, I/SA, 11.454, -0.846
7) Blake Hickman, Laurinburg, N.C., ’83 Camaro, J/SA, 11.633, -0.817
8) Joseph Santangelo, Marlborough, Conn., ’69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.439, -0.811
9) Timothy Fletcher, Selma, N.C., ’69 Camaro, F/SA, 11.065, -0.785
10) Darrell Bargeron, Jesup, Ga., ’72 Duster, E/SA, 10.922, -0.778

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.610 seconds, 211.00 mph
2) Paul (jackie) Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.714, 208.84
3) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 6.964, 199.46
4) Jeff Windholz, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.208, 197.91
5) James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’05 Grand Am, 7.273, 189.90
6) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.395, 185.82
7) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.404, 184.02
8) Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.457, 185.56
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 8.012, 180.31
10) Daniel (danny) Leibham, Tomball, Texas, ’01 Camaro, 12.400, 69.51

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecra, 6.128 seconds, 225.97 mph
2) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.168, 226.77
3) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., ’14 Miller, 6.214, 228.15
4) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.253, 223.69
5) Darryl Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’25 Maddox, 6.615, 200.47
6) Tisha Wilson, Salisbury, N.C., ’25 Racetech, 6.704, 200.74
7) Alexis Whitaker, Telford, Tenn., ’21 Mike BOS, 6.808, 196.02
8) Chad Taylor, Laurens, S.C., ’19 Maddox, 6.846, 195.76
9) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’19 M&M, 6.948, 196.02
10) Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.983, 191.81

An unexpected fight broke out between the pit crews of RFK Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma after Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski pitted.

The unexpected clash was caught on camera, which helped NASCAR look into the incident. The pit stalls of both drivers in question were next to each other. Just as Keselowski’s crew was waiting for his arrival, Gibbs arrived before him and drove through the RFK Racing stall, grazing tire changer Telvin McClurkin.

McClurkin quickly approached crew members from JGR before things escalated to a fight. The video shows other JGR members eventually joining. McClurkin confirmed later that Gibbs made contact with the tire in his hand as he passed by.

NASCAR officials reportedly intervened but decided to clear Gibbs of any penalties, despite Keselowski’s team putting forward their case with the footage offering an overhead view of the incident. However, NASCAR did not accept RFK’s argument. Reports suggest the sport may levy a penalty after revisiting the clips of the incident by Tuesday.

NASCAR’s Todd Gordon and Kyle Petty sided with the sport’s decision not to levy a penalty on Gibbs, hinting that the tire changer should have left some space in front of him. Gordon said:

“I see two cars coming to green flag pit in some of the shortest boxes we’ve got on pit road. I always talk about pit crew guys: you’re playing in traffic and that’s where you’re at here.

“One tire carrier has to carry two tires and he’s standing kind of sideways and that leaves his tires out, exposed… Ty comes through, makes a little contact with the outboard tire. It kind of spins the tire carrier’s wrist around and puts him a little behind.

“I think the tire carrier actually could stand to not be so wide, understanding that he’s got the car that’s in the box in front of him coming in right in front of his car. He’s got to make himself a little skinnier so that he isn’t put behind in that situation.

“As most everybody does, the carrier that carries two tires, you’re allowed to have two feet in the box, but you’ve got to be close to the wall. You’ve got to be in a position that’s as close to the wall as you can be but be down in the box. That’s where he was.

“But he was standing looking down pit road and he’s two tires wide, which is half a pit box. And Ty Gibbs is trying to get in and get close to his fueler. The boxes are short, so you’ve got to kind of use up the box behind you to get yourself pointed in the right direction.”

Petty said that the crew members have to adjust to a small pit box. He added:

“People get bumped, people get moved, people have to adjust. And I think it’s just the timing. It’s the perfect storm here. Ty had to be in his pit box, had to get in straight. When you’ve got a short pit box, the only way to get in your pit box straight and close for fueling and give the tire guys room is to come in the back door, to come in that back line completely straight. And when you see Ty come in, he comes through the 6’s box and into his box straight.

“No, I don’t have an issue with what Ty did. Now, I don’t really have an issue with what the tire carrier did either because he’s a little upset. He should have maybe kept his tire out of the way.”

The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR’s final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit.

The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits.

Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week’s race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year.

NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing “a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction” and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams “to present a proposal to resolve this litigation.

“We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We will defend NASCAR’s integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere.

“We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.”

Later Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a scheduled court date in North Carolina over their fight for a charter. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026.

RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing