NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: The Great American Getaway 400 Presented

By VISITPA.com

The Place: Pocono Raceway

Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Paved Tri-oval

The Date: Sunday, June 22

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

The Purse: $11,055,250

TV: Amazon Prime, 1:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 400 miles (160 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 95), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Explore The Pocono Mountains 250

The Place: Pocono Raceway

Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Paved Tri-oval

The Date: Saturday, June 21

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,651,939

TV: CW, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 250 miles (100 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 100)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Next Race: MillerTech Battery 200

The Place: Pocono Raceway

Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Paved Tri-oval

The Date: Friday, June 20

The Time: 5 p.m. ET

The Purse: $782,900

TV: FS1, 5 p.m. ET

Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 200 miles (80 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 80)

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The pit crew for Denny Hamlin works on the car during a pit stop in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge urged NASCAR and two of its teams, including one owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, to settle their increasingly acrimonious legal fight that spilled over into tense arguments during a hearing on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina grilled both NASCAR and the teams — 23XI Racing, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins — on what they hoped to accomplish in the antitrust battle that has loomed over the stock car series for months.

“It’s hard to picture a winner if this goes to the mat — or to the flag — in this case,” Bell said. “It scares me to death to think about what all this is costing.”

23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations that refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it offer from NASCAR last September on a new charter agreement. Charters are NASCAR’s version of a franchise model, with each charter guaranteeing entry to the lucrative Cup Series races and a stable revenue stream; 13 other teams signed the agreements last fall, with some contending they had little choice.

The nearly two-hour hearing was on the teams’ request to toss out NASCAR’s countersuit, which accuses Jordan business manager Curtis Polk of “willfully” violating antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in negotiations. NASCAR said it learned in discovery that Polk in messages among the 15 teams tried to form a “cartel” type operation that would include threats of boycotting races and a refusal to individually negotiate.

One of NASCAR’s attorneys even cited a Benjamin Franklin quote Polk allegedly sent to the 15 organizations that read: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing the teams, was angered by the revelation in open court, contending it is privileged information only revealed in discovery. Kessler also argued none of NASCAR’s claims in the countersuit prove anything illegal was done by Polk or the Race Team Alliance during the charter negotiation process.

“NASCAR knows it has no defense to the monopolization case so they have come up with this claim about joint negotiations, which they agreed to, never objected to, and now suddenly it’s an antitrust violation,” Kessler said outside court. “It makes absolutely no sense. It’s not going to help them deflect from the monopolizing they have done in this market and the harm they have inflicted.”

He added that “the attacks” on Polk were “false, unfounded and frankly beneath the dignity of my adversary to even make those type of comments, which he should know better about.”

NASCAR attorneys said Polk improperly tried to pressure all 15 teams that comprise the RTA to stand together collectively in negotiations and encouraged boycotting qualifying races for the 2024 Daytona 500. NASCAR, they said, took the threat seriously because the teams had previously boycotted a scheduled meeting with series executives.

“NASCAR knew the next step was they could boycott a race, which was a threat they had to take seriously,” attorney Lawrence Buterman said on behalf of NASCAR.

Kessler said outside court the two teams are open to settlement talks, but noted NASCAR has said it will not renegotiate the charters. NASCAR’s attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.

Bell did not indicate when he’d rule, other than saying he would decide quickly.

Preliminary injunction status

Kessler said he would file an appeal by the end of the week after a three-judge federal appellate panel dismissed a preliminary injunction that required NASCAR to recognize 23XI and Front Row as chartered teams while the court fight is being resolved.

Kessler wants the issue heard by the full appellate court. The injunction has no bearing on the merits of the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in December. The earliest NASCAR can treat the teams as unchartered is one week after the deadline to appeal, provided there is no pending appeal or whenever the appeals process has been exhausted.

There are 36 chartered cars for the 40-car field each week. If 23XI and Front Row are not recognized as chartered, their six cars would have to compete as “open” teams — which means they’d have to qualify on speed each week to make the race and they would receive a fraction of the money guaranteed for chartered teams.

Discovery issues

Some of the arguments Tuesday centered on Jonathan Marshall, the executive director of the RTA. NASCAR has demanded text messages and emails from Marshall and says it has received roughly 100 texts and over 55,000 pages of emails.

NASCAR wants all texts between Marshall and 55 people from 2020 through 2024 that contain specific search terms. Attorneys for the RTA said that covers more than 3,000 texts, some of which are privileged, and some that have been “deleted to save storage or he didn’t need them anymore.”

That issue is set to be heard during a hearing next Tuesday before Bell.

___

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

Jeff Gordon, currently serving as vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, has launched a series of innovative plans aimed at significantly increasing NASCAR’s appeal to women. With these Jeff Gordon strategies to attract female NASCAR fans, the sport could soon see a fresher and more inclusive community, setting the stage for new generations of spectators and racers.

Innovative Sponsorships Targeting New Demographics

Leading the charge for change, Jeff Gordon is advocating for partnerships with non-alcoholic beverage companies to expand the sport’s reach. By aligning with trending brands and boosting their presence in retail spaces, Gordon is not only aiming to capture the interest of young male fans but is deliberately focusing on drawing more women into the excitement of NASCAR races. This diversification strategy demonstrates how changing sponsorship can help foster a welcoming atmosphere for all audience segments.

Increasing Visibility Through Charismatic New Drivers

Gordon underlines the power of visibility and relatability in connecting with potential fans. While NASCAR already features women throughout its organization, from marketing to engineering to pit crews, Gordon believes that the faces of the sport need to reflect its future. He maintains that putting “young, interesting, and good-looking” drivers at the heart of racing can greatly aid engagement, a model observed in other global motorsport series.

Enhancing Driver Recognition Inspired by International Models

Taking cues from Formula 1’s widespread popularity, Gordon stresses the importance of making NASCAR drivers recognizable beyond the race track. He points to the progress made by the series’ Netflix documentary, “NASCAR: Full Speed,” yet acknowledges that more work is needed to introduce these athletes to wider audiences, similar to the impact of F1’s documentary series, “Drive to Survive.” This approach, he argues, can help create personal connections between viewers and racing stars, ultimately bringing new supporters into the fold.

Understanding the Shift Toward a New Generation of Stars

The landscape of NASCAR is evolving, marked by the retirement of legendary drivers and the rise of emerging talents. Gordon emphasizes the need for patience as the sport nurtures its next generation of stars, signaling confidence that a new era of icons will capture the imagination of audiences worldwide and continue the legacy of NASCAR excellence.

Emphasizing the Live Event Experience

Despite the rise of digital media, Gordon champions the irreplaceable thrill of attending a live NASCAR event. He insists on the undeniable impact of the “atmosphere and energy” present only on race day, maintaining that firsthand experiences at the track are crucial for turning casual spectators into dedicated fans, thereby increasing viewership and international interest.

NASCAR’s Vision for the Future

With international ambitions and a renewed focus on inclusion, Jeff Gordon’s proposals set out to not only revolutionize NASCAR’s demographic landscape but also secure its reputation as a leading force in motorsport entertainment. As the series embraces these new strategies, the industry watches closely to see how NASCAR’s relationship with its audience—especially women—may fundamentally transform.

Kaz Grala has agreed to compete in a three-race deal with Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 26-year-old will run three road course races later this year, driving the No. 24 Toyota Supra for the team.

Grala’s first race will be the Chicago Street Course on July 5th. He will also run at Watkins Glen on August 9th and the Charlotte Roval on October 4th. Overplay Games will serve as the primary sponsor, fully backing the effort.

Through the first part of the 2025 season, Grala has been absent from the grid, but he has plenty of experience. Grala ran 24 of the 36 Cup races on the schedule in 2024, running most of those races with Rick Ware Racing.

He last raced in the Xfinity Series in 2023 where he ran full-time with Sam Hunt Racing, so this is a bit of a reunion for the two. Along with 31 career Cup starts and 77 career Xfinity starts, he also has 51 starts in the Truck Series. He actually won the 2017 NASCAR Truck Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway (where he became the youngest winner in Daytona history), which is his only win in one of the three national levels of the sport.

Grala is a solid road racer, earning a top ten in his Cup Daytona as a fill-in driver for Austin Dillon, which came at the Daytona Road Course. Of his seven top fives in the Xfinity Series, four of them also came at road courses.