CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A settlement has been reached in the NASCAR antitrust trial, guaranteeing permanent charters and ending the trial Thursday morning.

NASCAR and the teams suing them – 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports – reached a settlement Thursday morning. Judge Kenneth D. Bell told them it was “the right thing to do” and said the settlement will benefit everyone in NASCAR and is something people will be happy with.

This means the case has been settled and the jury has been dismissed.

“As a part of this deal, we’re going to have evergreen charters that are going to be available, forever,” teams’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler said to the media.

NASCAR issued this joint statement with the teams:

“NASCAR, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports are pleased to announce a mutually agreed-upon resolution that delivers long-term stability and creates the conditions for meaningful growth for all teams in a more competitive environment.

This resolution reflects our shared commitment to maintaining a fair and equitable framework for long-term participation in America’s premier motorsport, one that supports teams, partners, and stakeholders while ensuring fans enjoy uninterrupted access to the best racing in the world. The agreement allows all parties to move forward with a unified focus on advancing stock car racing and delivering exceptional competition for our fans.

With this matter now resolved, all parties look forward to working together, alongside all chartered race teams, to deliver world-class events, dynamic sponsorship and partner activation opportunities, and continued growth for generations to come.

As a condition of the settlement agreement, NASCAR will issue an amendment to existing charter holders detailing the updated terms for signature, which will include a form of “evergreen” charters, subject to mutual agreement. The financial terms of the settlement are confidential and will not be released.

What all parties have always agreed on is a deep love for the sport and a desire to see it fulfill its full potential. This is a landmark moment, one that ensures NASCAR’s foundation is stronger, its future is brighter, and its possibilities are greater. We extend our sincere thanks to Judge Kenneth Bell and mediator Jeffrey Mishkin for their professionalism, and guidance throughout this process and to their jury for their time.”

Denny Hamlin statement:

“I’ve cared deeply about this sport of NASCAR my entire life. Racing is all I’ve ever known and this sport shaped who I am. That’s why we were willing to shoulder the challengers that came with taking this stand. We believed it was worth fighting for a stronger and more sustainable future for everyone in the industry. Teams, drivers and partners will now have the stability and opportunity they deserve. Our commitment to the fans and to the entire NASCAR community has never been stronger. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and now it’s time to move forward together and build the stronger future this sport deserves.”

What led to the settlement?

Reports indicated Bell put court into recess right away Thursday morning to discuss a move that would “take an hour of your time but save you several in the long run.”

What led to the settlement is unclear. However, Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris issued a statement Wednesday, expressing frustration over NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps’ text message about Richard Childress that was brought to light because of the trial.

Morris’ letter, expressing deep frustration, made his company the first major sponsor to speak publicly about the case.

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

Silly season in INDY NXT by Firestone continues to ramp up, with several drivers signing contracts to compete in 2026.

The grid is projected to increase to 24 entries, continuing a trend of growing field sizes since the series’ 2023 rebrand. This era has produced the largest fields since 2009.

The 14-race 2025 season averaged 19.4 starters.

Next season, several new teams will be on the grid: Juncos Hollinger Racing, AJ Foyt Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing.

JHR will be a stand-alone team while AJ Foyt Racing has aligned with HMD Motorsports. ECR has partnered with Cape Motorsports.

Cusick Morgan Motorsports is a brand-new team, fielding two cars, also in a joint effort with HMD. Chip Ganassi Racing expands from two cars to four.

As the 2026 INDY NXT season approaches, more announcements are expected in the coming weeks as teams finalize their lineups. With new drivers, team expansions and technical alliances shaping the paddock, the 2026 season promises to deliver one of the most competitive and diverse fields in recent memory.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s been confirmed so far, along with what’s to come.

HMD Motorsports (Jack Beeton, Enzo Fittipaldi, two seats open)

Jack Beeton was the first driver named to the team on Oct. 29. Beeton, 17, from Australia, comes to the series after competing for Prema Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship. He also finished second in points in the Italian F4 Championship and won the Formula 4 South East Asia title.

Enzo Fittipaldi was named on Oct. 30 to join Beeton with the team. Fittipaldi is an Italian F4 champion and FRECA runner-up with the Ferrari Driver Academy. He later advanced to Formula 3 and Formula 2, earning two victories and 13 podiums in F2 as part of the Red Bull Junior Team, with which he remains affiliated as a Red Bull athlete.

In 2025, Fittipaldi broadened his experience, racing in the European Le Mans Series with CLX Motorsport and taking part in NTT INDYCAR SERIES tests with McLaren and Formula E sessions with Jaguar.

Cusick Morgan Motorsports (Nicolas Stati, Juan Manuel Correa)

On Aug. 27, Cusick Morgan Motorsports announced a new two-car effort for 2026, in partnership with HMD Motorsports. The team, established in 2021, previously entered cars in the Indianapolis 500 in 2024 and 2025 in collaboration with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Nicolas Stati was announced Oct. 15 as one of the two drivers. Stati, 16, has competed in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Formula Regional Americas, GB3 Championship, F4 U.S. Championship, F4 U.A.E. Championship and F4 Australian Championship, among others. In 2024, he finished second in the F4 U.S. Championship, falling just 4.5 points short of the title. Stati also was second in the F4 Australian Championship that year.

Juan Manuel Correa was announced on Oct. 24 as his teammate. The American-Ecuadorian driver made nine starts in the INDYCAR development series in 2025 with HMD Motorsports, with a best finish of third on the streets of Detroit. Correa, 26, brings extensive experience in Formula 3, Formula 2 and IMSA to the new Cusick Morgan team.

AJ Foyt Racing (No. 4 Nicholas Monteiro, No. 14, Alessandro De Tullio)

AJ Foyt Racing extends its program into the INDY NXT by Firestone. The team will field a two-car effort backed by a strategic alliance with HMD Motorsports.

Allesandro De Tullio was the first driver named on Nov. 5.

In 2025, Italian-American De Tullio, 19, completed his first full season in the USF Pro 2000 Championship, finishing fourth in the overall standings. The previous year, De Tullio made six starts in the same series while also capturing SKUSA Winter Series titles in both X30 Pro Senior and KA Senior classes. His background also includes a full season of competition in USF Juniors.

Nicholas Monteiro (photo, above) was named as his teammate on Nov. 14. The Brazilian-American, Monterio, 20, made his INDY NXT debut with HMD Motorsports on Aug. 10 in the Grand Prix of Portland. He raced in USF Pro 2000 from 2023-25.

The addition of an INDY NXT by Firestone program marks AJ Foyt Racing’s second foray into the developmental ranks. In 2002, A.J. Foyt IV won the first INDY NXT by Firestone championship. Ed Carpenter drove for the team in 2003 and won the Freedom 100, the Series’ inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

ABEL Motorsports (No. 12 Max Garcia, No. 48 Jordan Missig, No. 99 Myles Rowe, Collin Kaminsky)

Myles Rowe returns for a third full-time season in the series, his second with ABEL Motorsports and should be among the championship favorites. That move was announced on Sept. 5.

Rowe, 25, continues driving the Force Indy No. 99 after earning his first two career victories in the INDYCAR development series in that car in 2025. Rowe amassed an impressive nine top-five finishes, five podium finishes and oval victories at Iowa Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway in his first season with ABEL Motorsports in 2025. He became the first Black driver to win in the series with his Iowa victory. Georgia native Rowe climbed to INDY NXT in 2024 with HMD Motorsports after winning the 2023 USF Pro 2000 championship.

Max Garia, 16, joins ABEL after winning consecutive championships in the USF2000 Championship in 2024 and USF Pro 2000 Championship in 2025. He was named on Sept. 15 for that ride.

Jordan Missig was named on Oct. 8 to return to his second full-time season with the team. Missig scored six top-10 finishes and finished ninth in points last season.

Collin Kaminsky was announced Oct. 21 to round out of the four-car outfit. Kaminsky returns to ABEL Motorsports after spending 2024 competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series and 2025 launching a new business.

Illinois native Kaminsky, 26, made his INDY NXT debut in 2023, producing three top-10 finishes in a limited schedule of eight races.

Andretti Global (No. 26 Lochie Hughes, No. 27 Seb Murray, No. 28 Max Taylor, No. 29 Josh Pierson)

Andretti Global aims for its eighth INDY NXT championship, including a third straight after winning in 2024 and 2025 with Louis Foster and Dennis Hauger, respectively, both of whom graduated to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Can Lochie Hughes follow suit? The 2024 USF Pro 2000 champion returns for a second season.

He is joined by Seb Murray, who was announced on Sept. 30 to replace Salvador de Alba in the No. 27 entry. Murray (photo, above) earned two top-10 finishes as an INDY NXT rookie with Andretti Cape INDY NXT in 2025, with a best result of fifth at the second race of the doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He was fastest in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Oct. 27.

Andretti Global added Max Taylor, naming him on Oct. 14 as the driver of the No. 28 entry. The 2025 season saw the 18-year-old New Jersey resident compete full-time in the USF Pro 2000 Championship and make six INDY NXT starts. Taylor completed his rookie USF Pro 2000 season with one win, four podiums, nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in 18 races. The American driver also gained valuable experience while competing in a partial INDY NXT season this year, collecting one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes. Most recently, Taylor competed in the Donington Park Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the 2025 GB3 Championship, where he scored top-10 finishes in every race of the tripleheader weekend.

Taylor made his open-wheel racing debut in 2023 when he competed in the USF Juniors Championship, rounding out his rookie season with one win, three podiums and six top fives, finishing sixth in the Championship that year. During this time, he also competed in partial seasons in the USF2000 Championship (11 starts) and the Formula 4 United States Championship (three starts), where he scored four top 10s in USF2000 and had a best race finish of sixth place in Formula 4.

Josh Pierson was named to the fourth seat on Oct. 21, replacing James Roe in the No. 29 entry.

Pierson,19, from Portland, Oregon, has competed in the INDYCAR development series for the last three seasons, making his debut in 2023. This year was his most successful season in INDY NXT, as he collected two podium finishes and 11 top-10 results, finishing sixth in the series standings with HMD Motorsports.

Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR (Nikita Johnson, one seat open)

Ed Carpenter Racing announced on Oct. 24 a partnership with Cape Motorsports to join the INDY NXT field in 2026. Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR will field two entries in INDY NXT, the developmental series of INDYCAR.

Nikita Johnson was named in one of its two planned entries on Sept. 23. This is the first full season in the INDYCAR development series for Florida native Johnson, 17, who made three INDY NXT starts in 2025 with HMD Motorsports. Johnson finished second in the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024 and second in the USF2000 championship in 2023.

In advance of his full-season USF Pro 2000 effort in 2024, Johnson jumped to the series at the end of the 2023 season and triumphed at Circuit of the Americas to become the youngest race winner in USF Pro 2000 history, at age 15.

The second seat remains open.

Chip Ganassi Racing (all four seats open)

CGR rejoined INDY NXT in 2025 for the first time since 2007, fielding Niels Koolen full-time and splitting the second seat between Jonathan Browne and Bryce Aron. The team will expand to four full-time entries in 2026. All seats are currently unfilled for a team still searching for its first series victory.

Juncos Hollinger Racing (both seats open)

After pausing its INDY NXT program in early 2025, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced its return to INDY NXT on Sept. 8 with a two-car effort. Both rides remain open.

The team earned two INDY NXT championships, in 2015 and 2017. The team also recorded 18 wins, 18 pole positions and 51 podium finishes in INDY NXT competition between 2015 and 2021.

What’s Happening?

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have settled their antitrust lawsuit filed against NASCAR, bringing this long-running saga to an end 434 days after it began.

UPDATE: 11:15 AM EST

Following the the finalization of paperwork, the antitrust lawsuit is over, with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reporting that Judge Bell was optimistic about the terms of the agreement, saying, “This is going to be great for the entity NASCAR, the industry NASCAR, the teams, the drivers, and as you have so often said yourselves, ultimately the fans.”

Per multiple reports following Judge Bell’s review of the settlement, both the plaintiffs and defendants, including 23XI Racing co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France, and members of each side’s legal teams, are interacting with each other cordially. Specifically, several accounts claim that Hamlin and France hugged during this time.

The terms of the agreement in full are unknown, though NASCAR and the teams agreed that the teams will once again receive their six combined charters, and, per a press release from all parties, NASCAR will supply the teams with “a form of ‘evergreen’ charters, subject to mutual agreement.”

On the courthouse steps, Jordan, an NBA legend who somewhat played the face of the teams during this trial, said that cooler heads prevailed, with the sides realizing they needed to settle for the betterment of the sport, which led to the settlement of this lawsuit.

“In all honesty when you get to the finish line sometimes you have to think, not just for yourself, but you got to think about the sport as a whole, and I think both parties got to that point, and we realized that we could have an opportunity to settle this and we dove in and we actually did it.” — Michael Jordan

NASCAR reached a settlement Thursday of the bruising antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series by two of its race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan.

“Today’s a good day,” Jordan said as he waited in the gallery for attorneys to announce the deal. Details were not immediately released.

The settlement came on the ninth day of the trial before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who set aside motions hearing for an hour-long sidebar. Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, emerged from a conference room at the end of the hour to inform a court clerk “we’re ready.” Kessler then led Jordan and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin, as well as Front Row owner Bob Jenkins, to another room for more talks.

“I’m pleased to say that the parties have positively settled this matter in a way that will benefit the industry going forward,” plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler said, according to The Athletic.

23XI and Front Row filed their lawsuit last year after refusing to sign agreements on the new charter offers NASCAR presented in September 2024. Teams had until end of day to sign the 112-page document, which guarantees access to top-level Cup Series races and a revenue stream, and 13 of 15 organizations reluctantly agreed. Jordan and Jenkins sued instead and raced most of the 2025 season uncharted.

Both teams said a loss in the case would have put them out of business.

Bell told the jury that sometmes parties at trial have to see how the evidence unfolds to come to the wisdom of a settlement.

“I wish we could’ve done this a few months ago,” Bell said in court. “I believe this is great for NASCAR. Great for the future of NASCAR. Great for the entity of NASCAR. Great for the teams and ultimately great for the fans.”

All teams felt the previous revenue-sharing agreement was unfair and two-plus years of bitter negotiations led to NASCAR’s final offer, which was described by the teams as “take-it-or-leave it.” The teams believed the new agreement lacked all four of their key demands, most importantly the charters becoming permanent instead of renewable.

The settlement followed eight days of testimony in which the Florida-based France family, the founders and private owners of NASCAR, were shown to be inflexible in making the charters permanent.

“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” Jordan said to the jury. “I sat in those meetings with longtime owners who were brow-beaten for so many years trying to make change. I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole. I felt as far as the sport, it needed to be looked at from a different view.”

When the defense began its case Wednesday it seemed focused more on mitigating damages than proving it did not act anticompetitively.

An economist earlier testified 23XI and Front Row were owed over $300 million in damages.