CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR argued in its latest court filing that Michael Jordan is suing the stock car series to earn a permanent charter that no other teams possess, and that neither 23XI Racing nor Front Row Motorsports has suffered any harm by racing as “open” entries.

NASCAR also indicated in its 34-page response filed late Monday that it has buyers interested in the six charters that have been set aside as a federal judge decides if the two teams can have them back for the remaining 11 races of this season. NASCAR is prepared to immediately begin the process of allocating the charters elsewhere.

These latest arguments are part of the ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI and Front Row against NASCAR in a fight over charters, which are essentially franchise tags. Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, and 23XI, owned by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, were the only two organizations out of 15 not to sign extensions on new charter agreements.

All the teams were fighting to have the charters made permanent during more than two years of extension negotiations, but NASCAR refused and its final offer was simply through 2031. Front Row and 23XI won a temporary injunction to be recognized as chartered as the case heads toward a Dec. 1 trial date.

The injunction was eventually overturned, appealed by the teams and U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell will hear arguments Aug. 28 on the matter. Front Row and 23XI, as “open” teams, do not receive the same financial percentages as chartered teams.

A rule book change in July after the chartered status was stripped from the two organizations ensured that the six cars aren’t in danger of not qualifying for a race; starting spots are guaranteed to the 36 chartered cars in every 40-car field.

“Mr. Jordan has said he wants to use the litigation to grant him a permanent Charter that no other team has,” NASCAR alleged.

Front Row and 23XI have maintained they will continue to race even if they must do so as open teams. NASCAR has argued that when the two organizations did not sign the extensions they lost all rights to charters and the sanctioning body should be free to move them.

“Plaintiffs’ theoretical inability to obtain Charters post-trial also does not justify NASCAR from selling or transferring Charters, because Plaintiffs do not have Charters now because of their own strategic choice,” NASCAR said in its filing. “Plaintiffs had multiple opportunities to acquire 2025 Charters, and they squandered them.”

NASCAR also argued that a court cannot order the private company into a partnership with teams it is not interested in doing business with. Another argument by NASCAR is that 23XI and Front Row have not been harmed by not being chartered because their drivers have not left the team and the rule change protects them from missing races; Tyler Reddick of 23XI has clauses in his contract that he can leave if his car is not chartered.

Additionally, NASCAR said it pays teams a higher percentage than even Formula 1 does and that its payout structure to teams proves it is not a monopoly because it was increased first by 28% in the 2016 charter agreement, and then by 62% in the 2025 agreement.

“NASCAR pays Teams more than even Formula 1 as a percentage of profit,” NASCAR said. “Plaintiffs ignore the pay raises the Teams received. Instead, they focus on a text during negotiations for the 2025 Charter that said an internal version of the May 2024 draft contained ‘zero wins’ for Teams.

“Plaintiffs ignore that the actual May 2024 draft proposed to Teams carried forward the biggest win for the Teams — a massive pay increase — that was set out in the December 2023 draft. It also gave Charter holders an opportunity to obtain any improved extension terms NASCAR offered to third parties and increased Teams’ ability to receive investor funding, among other benefits.”

NASCAR filed their response to the preliminary injunction requested by 23XI and Front Row Motorsports on Monday, ahead of the scheduled Aug. 28 hearing. Denny Hamlin believes we’re going to see some ulterior motives in short order.

The 23XI Racing co-owner took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to throw some shade at NASCAR. Hamlin believes we might see NASCAR try to distract the general public from the lawsuit.

“This is where a schedule would come out to divert your attention,” Hamlin posted. Evidently, the 44-year-old believes NASCAR is going to try and control the narrative after their latest filing.

Alas, Jeff Gluck of The Athletic broke down NASCAR’s response, as the sport’s governing body opposes the team’s preliminary injunction requested on several fronts. Gluck stated that NASCAR believes there’s no irreparable harm to the teams because they’re running as Open cars, and no driver has left the team. Additionally, there’s been no danger of them failing to qualify for a race yet.

Moreover, NASCAR even took a bit of a shot at Hamlin’s business partner in NBA legend Michael Jordan. Per Gluck, they’re claiming that he “wants to use the litigation to grant him a permanent Charter that no other team has.”

Suffice to say, it doesn’t feel like both parties are on the same page, but that hasn’t hindered Hamlin or 23XI Racing in 2025. The veteran wheelman has four wins on the year, while 23XI’s Bubba Wallace was victorious at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this summer.

One caveat is last season’s regular season champion in Tyler Reddick is without a win, but he’s come close. He’s still slated to make the playoffs at the moment, as long as he doesn’t have a disastrous result at Daytona International Speedway this coming weekend.

Regardless, Hamlin, Jordan and 23XI, along with FRM, are fighting for what they believe to be right. They haven’t backed down, and NASCAR hasn’t either. Which side wins out in court remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a bit of a seesaw battle at the moment.

The latest filing from NASCAR will cause a stir, as they make some pretty heavy accusations against Hamlin’s team. In response, the driver won’t stay quiet, and that’s a good thing for fans of the sport.

Time will tell what the final decision is, but Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are trying to hold their ground. We’ll see if they’re successful in the end.

The departure of Xfinity and arrival of O’Reilly Auto Parts marks a pivotal shift for NASCAR’s secondary series. After 11 years of partnership, fans are wondering if the beloved “Fast as Xfinity Internet” catchphrase will be replaced with something equally memorable. The NASCAR President hints that something special is brewing for 2026.

Will O’Reilly Auto Parts Create a New Driver Catchphrase?

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell made the formal announcement on August 18, revealing that O’Reilly Auto Parts will become the title sponsor of what will be known as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series beginning January 1, 2026. This transition ends Xfinity’s remarkable 11-year run as title sponsor, a partnership that began in 2015.

When asked about potential catchphrase programs similar to Xfinity’s popular “Fast as Xfinity Internet” initiative, O’Donnell offered an intriguing response.

“It’s interesting — Xfinity did a great job with that and we’ve certainly passed that along to O’Reilly in terms of what we can do with the drivers and industry,” he explained. “So, not sure yet exactly how that will look and feel but certainly something to build on there.”

.@NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell on if O’Reilly Auto Parts will have a new catchphrase incentive program for drivers next year like @Xfinity‘s “Fast as Xfinity Internet” line: “Xfinity did a great job with that, and we’ve certainly passed that along to O’Reilly.” pic.twitter.com/zEdJnrKDg0

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) August 18, 2025

The Missouri-born automotive retailer brings impressive credentials to the partnership. Founded in Springfield, Missouri, in 1957, O’Reilly Auto Parts has grown from a single storefront into an industry powerhouse. Today, the company operates more than 6,400 locations across 48 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.

The operation is supported by 31 distribution centers and employs over 92,800 team members dedicated to top-tier customer service. O’Reilly Auto Parts becomes the fourth title sponsor in the series’ history, following Anheuser-Busch, Nationwide, and Xfinity.

The partnership extends beyond simple title sponsorship. Cross-promotional initiatives and brand integrations will collaborate with The CW Network, the exclusive broadcaster of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

A bold new chapter is about to be written.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series becomes the NASCAR @OReillyAuto Parts Series starting in 2026. pic.twitter.com/djqon33he1

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 18, 2025

O’Reilly’s connection to NASCAR runs deeper than this new partnership might suggest. The brand has maintained a history of race sponsorship spanning multiple series across different years, making this title sponsorship a natural evolution of their motorsports involvement.

MORE: Fans Reject NASCAR’s New Xfinity Rebrand With Hilarious Reactions

O’Donnell emphasized the cultural alignment between the two organizations. “Like the great sport of NASCAR, O’Reilly Auto Parts was born in America and built on the hard work and drive of passionate people,” he said. “This new partnership allows us to continue to fuel that passion for the next generation of NASCAR’s stars and fans while celebrating the journey we’ve been on together for decades.”

With O’Reilly’s extensive retail network and NASCAR’s dedicated fanbase, the 2026 season could introduce innovative ways to connect drivers with supporters across the country.

Getty Images

Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing aren’t afraid to make changes this season to get ready for 2026

NASCAR‘s Trackhouse Racing has fired two key members of its competition department, Heavy Sports has learned from unnamed sources who asked not to be identified.

Tony Lunders, chief operation officer, and Gary Putnam, director of shop floor operations, have been fired, according to the sources. Both were longtime members of the NASCAR industry for several teams.

Trackhouse Already Announced Changes for 2026

Last month, Trackhouse announced they were moving on from driver Daniel Suarez at season’s end. Team Co-owner Justin Marks shared reasons why after the Chicago Street, won by his driver Shane van Gisbergen.

“When we mapped out our three-year and our five-year plan and the sponsorships and everything that we’re trying to accomplish over the next five years of the company, we just got to a point where we felt like that relationship had borne a lot of fruit for us,” Marks said. “But it, was time to move on.”

This is Suarez’s fifth year with the team. He has two victories in 305 NCS starts with the first taking place at Sonoma in 2022, and the second was last year in Atlanta. The 33-year-old native of Monterrey, Mexico has made the Playoffs twice, doing so with the two aforementioned wins.

When the change was announced, Suarez and Marks both said it was amicable.

“I have known about this for a while,” Suarez said on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. “I’m actually a little bit relieved that this is out and people know about it, and we can talk about it, and we can move forward with future plans and continue to work. I’m excited for whatever comes next.”

He is currently 29th in points and would need a win at Daytona this Saturday to break into the Playoffs. No replacement for Suarez has been officially named. But, with Xfinity Series championship contender Connor Zilisch already under contract with the team, look for him to take over the No. 99 ride.

Trackhouse Looking to Be a Continuous Contender

Speaking of Daytona and the Playoffs, Trackhouse has two of its drivers locked in for the post-season championship battle. Ross Chastain of the No. 1 Chevrolet team, and van Gisbergen of the No. 88 team.

Chastain made it in by winning the prestigious 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. It was his sixth-career victory and fourth straight year he has won a race to make the Playoffs with Trackhouse.

His teammate of van Gisbergen set the NCS garage on its ear by winning four races in his first full-time season, all at road courses, this year. The native of Auckland, New Zealand will make his first Playoff appearance starting at the tricky Darlington Raceway, commonly referred to as the Lady in Black.

Formed in 2020 by Marks, Trackhouse solidified themselves as a full-time team when he bought the NASCAR portion of Chip Ganassi Racing during the 2021 season. This gave the team a shop and ready-to-race inventory. Rolling into 2022 with two charters and Chastain and Suarez as it’s drivers, Trackhouse started winning.

They continued that each season adding another charter last year for van Gisbergen to bring him on full time.

Tim Packman Tim Packman is a journalist for Heavy.com covering NASCAR. He grew up around the short tracks of Western New York watching his dad, stepdad and step brother race. His uncle was the head starter at many area tracks and member of the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.

Tim’s passion for racing took him to the announcer’s tower and writing program stores for multiple tracks in the area. In 2000, he moved to Mooresville, NC to become an award-winning journalist for NASCAR.com. He took a job with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as the team’s Communications Director and was part of two Daytona 500 wins and two NASCAR Championships.

The announcing experience led to becoming a Pit Reporter and News Director for MRN Radio. A return to the team side at Richard Childress Racing as the Director of Corporate Communications took place, which also included another Championship.

From 2015 to 2018, Tim returned to where his career began in 1994 – Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway – as the Track President. He earned Short Track Promoter of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

Upon returning to NC, he joined The Garage Shop as Communications Director and host of it’s Podcast and MAV-TV docuseries “Legacy of Speed” talking about Land Speed Racing at Bonneville, and other places.

Tim has hosted two other Podcasts, namely “Pub Table Racers,” and wrote three books. One was with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison titled, “Bobby Allison, a Racer’s Racer” and two Children’s books, “Funny Dan the Race Car Man” and “Petey the Pace Car.”

He also served in the US Navy. More about Tim Packman

Earlier this year, reigning Supercars champion Will Brown made a splash with his second-ever NASCAR Cup Series appearance at the Chicago Street Race, piloting the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing while following in the footsteps of former rival Shane van Gisbergen. 

The 27-year-old Australian champion, fresh off his 2024 Supercars title, brought $500,000 in sponsorships to fuel his debut, only to have the event end prematurely in a multi-car wreck that left him 39th while Van Gisbergen went on to claim victory.

Brown’s injury-filled outing could have been the end of his NASCAR crossover, but instead, Kaulig Racing swung back with an olive branch.

In a video posted to Kaulig’s official X (Twitter) account, Brown recounted receiving a career-changing message: “They emailed me after, they did say at the end of the event, ‘this isn’t the way we want to finish’. … They emailed and said, ‘No we’re going to get you back over… run me, put all the same sponsors back on, and give them their coverage.’”

Brown’s gratitude for Kaulig’s gesture was clear. He praised team leadership and thanked them, saying: “It’s great of them because they didn’t have to do it… I was stoked when I got that email, and they said, ‘You can come over and do this.’”

Sign up to our NASCAR newsletter here.

That outreach sets the stage for Brown’s upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at the Portland International Raceway.

The event, scheduled for late August, will see him back behind the wheel, this time in the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro, with his Australian backers still featured prominently.

Brown’s return carries more than just redemption — it’s a chance to repay faith and exposure for his sponsors, whose investments hinged on his NASCAR incarnation. “I kind of felt like when I got back, I did all of that and got all the sponsors onboard… I’ve done all that effort and I’ve got nothing,” Brown remarked.

DON’T MISS

“Now with them saying I’m going over to do Portland, I’m like, well, it’s all for something. It’s brought another opportunity to go over and race, so looking forward to that.”

For Kaulig Racing, a team with growing ambitions across NASCAR’s top tiers, welcoming Brown back is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. His Supercars title and openness to embracing the NASCAR challenge fit their role in bringing international talent into the series.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule is already leaking out, and at the same time, NASCAR is openly considering changes that could reshape the lower series and eventually Cup itself. Eric Estepp sat down with NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell to get answers straight from the top, and the conversation touched on everything from Cup drivers racing more in Trucks and Xfinity, to possible playoff format experiments, and even engine and power unit changes for the future.

• Should Cup drivers be allowed to make more Truck and Xfinity starts, and would that actually help young drivers develop?
• Is NASCAR really planning to test new playoff formats in the lower series before bringing them to Cup, and would that confuse fans or make for better drama?
• How serious is the discussion about increasing horsepower, softer tire compounds, and even different power units for different manufacturers?
• With the Xfinity Series gaining momentum thanks to the CW and O’Reilly Auto Parts, is this the start of a brand-new era for NASCAR’s second tier?

There’s a lot to unpack here. From Dover losing ground to North Wilkesboro gaining a points race, to the balancing act of letting big names like Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott dabble more in the feeder series, NASCAR is clearly in the middle of some big decisions. Eric breaks it all down and reacts directly to O’Donnell’s answers, leaving plenty of questions about what the sport will look like over the next few years.

Watch Also