“I will not stop fighting for you and what is right.”

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have taken NASCAR to court. The antitrust lawsuit started on Monday with the first day of the trial.

Denny Hamlin is the co-owner of 23XI Racing along with Michael Jordan. Hamlin took the stand earlier in the week.

After a lengthy time at the stand, Hamlin simply stated, “I’m good” as he walked out of the courthouse.

Hamlin was then advised by his lawyers not to tweet…

Richard Childress is considering legal action against NASCAR he was called a ‘redneck’

Denny Hamlin comments

“My lawyers dont want me to tweet, Or X or whatever this is, but they are asleep,” Denny Hamlin stated via X on Wednesday

He added, “I just wanted to tell you that I love you guys and I will not stop fighting for you and what is right.”

Judge Bell anticipated the trial to last two weeks. However, after the first week and the lengthy cross-examinations, the judge now expects the trial to go on for three weeks.

Noting the holiday season, Bell stated, “I would have a full blown riot.”

Mark Martin is worried about the NASCAR lawsuit hurting the sport

Links

NASCAR | 23XI Racing | Front Row Motorsports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Retired NBA great Michael Jordan took the stand at the landmark NASCAR antitrust case and testified Friday that he has been a fan of the stock car series since he was a child, but felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes in a business model he sees shortchanging teams and drivers risking their lives to keep the sport going.

Jordan testified before a packed courtroom for an hour. His celebrity drew quips from the judge and even a defense attorney as he outlined why the team he co-owns, 23XI, had joined Front Row Motorsports in going to court against the top auto racing series in the United States.

“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” the soft-spoken Jordan told the jury. “I sat in those meetings with longtime owners who were brow-beaten for so many years trying to make a 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.”

Jordan’s highly anticipated appearance followed dramatic testimony from Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of race team owner Joe Gibbs, about the chaotic six-hour period in which teams had to sign an extension or forfeit the charters that guarantee revenue week to week throughout NASCAR’s 38-race season.

“The document was something in business you would never sign,” said Heather Gibbs, who is also a licensed real estate agent. “It was like a gun to your head: if you don’t sign, you have nothing.”

Charters are the equivalent of the franchise model used in other sports and in NASCAR, it guarantees every chartered car a spot in every race, plus a defined payout from the series. The system was created in 2016, and during the two-plus years of bitter negotiations on an extension, teams begged for the renewable charters to be made permanent for revenue stability.

When NASCAR refused to make them permanent and gave the teams six hours in September 2024 to sign the 112-page extension, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports were the only two organizations out of 15 to refuse. They instead filed the antitrust suit and the trial opened Monday to hear their allegations that NASCAR is a monopolistic bully. 23XI is co-owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row is owned by fast food franchiser Bob Jenkins.

Jordan testified that 23XI bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28 million, even with all the uncertainty.

“I’m pretty sure they know I love to win,” the six-time NBA champion said. “Denny convinced me getting a third driver improved our chances to win, so I dove in.”

Like other witnesses this week, Jordan described a NASCAR that refused to discuss options or potential changes to the charter system, which he supports. He was asked why 23XI didn’t sign the extensions last fall.

“One, I didn’t think it was economically viable. Two, it said you could not sue NASCAR, that was an antitrust violation, I felt. Three, they gave us an ultimatum I didn’t think was fair to 23XI,” Jordan said, adding: “I wanted a partnership and permanent charters wasn’t even a consideration. The pillars that the teams wanted, no one on the NASCAR side even negotiated or compromised. They were not even open-minded to welcome those conversations, so this is where we ended up.”

Jordan referred to the NBA business model, which shares approximately half its revenue with players, far more than NASCAR.

“The revenue split was far less than any business I’ve ever been a part of. We didn’t think we’d ever get to what basketball was getting but we wanted to move in that direction,” he said. “The thing I see in NASCAR that I think is absent is a shared responsibility of growth as well as loss.”

Jordan said he owns 60% of 23XI and has invested $35 million to $40 million in the team. Jenkins testified earlier this week that his team has never turned a profit since launching his NASCAR team in the early 2000s and estimates he’s lost $100 million, even while winning the Daytona 500 in 2021.

Heather Gibbs earlier told the jury how she became co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing the day after her husband, Coy, unexpectedly died in his sleep the same night their son, Ty, won NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series championship in 2022. Coy Gibbs had moved into a leadership role with JGR following the death of his older brother, J.D., in 2019.

Because Gibbs had lost both his sons and had built the team as a legacy for his family, his daughter-in-law took an active role in the organization and personally participated in negotiations for the charter extensions. When NASCAR made its final offer at 6 p.m. on a Friday night with just hours to sign, the agreement did not include permanent charters. Gibbs testified that the organization was devastated.

“Everything was going so fast, the legacy of Coy, the legacy of J.D., everyone at JGR was very upset,” she told the jury. She said her father-in-law called NASCAR chairman Jim Franc,e pleading for a resolution.

“Joe said, ‘Jim, you can’t do this,'” she said. “And Jim was done with the conversation.”

Heather Gibbs said she had to leave to take her son to a baseball game in Chapel Hill and left worried about her father-in-law, who was 84 at the time.

“I left him sitting in the dark, listening to his blood sugar monitors going off,” she testified. “We decided we had to sign. We can’t lose everything. I did not think it was a fair deal to the teams.”

Joe Gibbs is both a Hall of Fame NASCAR owner and NFL Hall of Fame coach. He led the Washington football team to three Super Bowl titles and JGR has won five Cup Series championships. JGR has 450 employees, charters for four Cup cars and relies solely on outside sponsorship and investors to keep the team afloat. The team will mark its 35th season next year and Gibbs told the jury that JGR needs permanent charters to protect its investment in NASCAR.

“It’s the most important point, a permanent place in their history books,” she testified. “It is absolutely vital to the teams for us to know we have security, it can’t be taken away, to know what we’ve invested in is ours.”

Teams told NASCAR they were fighting for financial survival

On Thursday, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell testified that teams approached the sanctioning body in early 2022 asking for an improved revenue model, arguing the system was unsustainable.

O’Donnell was at the meeting with representatives from four teams, who asked that the negotiating window on a new charter agreement open early because they were fighting for their financial survival. The negotiating window was not supposed to open until July 2023.

O’Donnell testified that in that first meeting, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, now vice chair of Hendrick Motorsports, asked specifically if the France family was “open to a new model.”

Ben Kennedy, great-grandson of NASCAR’s founder, told Gordon yes.

But O’Donnell testified that chairman France was opposed to a new revenue model.

Both sides speak of financial difficulties

The extensions that began this year upped the guaranteed money for every chartered car to $12.5 million in annual revenue, from $9 million. Hamlin and Jenkins have both testified it costs $20 million to bring a single car to the track for all 38 races. That figure does not include any overhead, operating costs or a driver’s salary, and Jenkins admitted he doesn’t spend that much.

NASCAR has argued it has made huge improvements for the teams as it works to grow the sport. O’Donnell testified that NASCAR lost $55 million in the three years it held a race on the downtown streets of Chicago, and $6 million when it raced in June in Mexico City. But he said those events were critical in widening viewership and signing Amazon as a media partner.

“It was a strategic investment because if not for that, Amazon would not have become a broadcast partner,” he testified.

Odds and ends

Judge Kenneth Bell admonished both sides over the slow pace of the trial, which was initially expected to take two weeks. Kessler said he didn’t anticipate wrapping up the teams’ side until the middle of next week.

NASCAR plans to call Roger Penske as a witness. Penske, who is reluctant to testify, has said he’s only available next Monday. Christopher Yates, lead attorney for NASCAR, asked that Penske be allowed to testify that day but Kessler objected because it would disrupt the flow of his presentation.

Bell sided with Kessler and told NASCAR to figure it out with Penske because “federal trials are an inconvenience.”

The judge also said stretching the trial to three weeks is not acceptable, and while he’s hesitant to step in to push the pace along, he urged both sides to counsel their witnesses to stop being “reluctant to answer even the most harmless questions.”

Performance Racing Industry (PRI) announced the debut of the PRI Paddock, a new activation at the grand entrance of the 2025 PRI Show at the Indiana Convention Center, Dec. 11-13. Continuing a long-standing PRI tradition, the centerpiece of the experience will be the show’s iconic hanging car, event organizers stated in a press release. This year’s car is the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster driven by four-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Antron Brown.

The Paddock includes a stage featuring live interviews and standout vehicles representing the breadth of racing disciplines at the show, including a BMW M4 GT3 EVO from SRO GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, a Honda Civic from SCCA Time Attack, a TRAD PRO4 custom off-road truck from Amsoil Champ Off Road, a Schnee-Lawson Sprint Car from the High Limit Racing Series, and a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano from Formula Drift. PRI says this reflects its commitment to supporting the entire racing community, from grassroots competitors to professional teams and manufacturers, while connecting attendees with the industry leaders and innovators shaping motorsports.

“Racing is at the heart of everything we do, and the 2025 PRI Show brings that energy front and center with the debut of the PRI Paddock,” said Michael Good, PRI president. “This is about creating an experience that reflects PRI’s role as the hub for innovation and collaboration in motorsports. The Paddock strengthens our strategy to connect the entire racing community, from racers and teams to manufacturers and fans, while showcasing the creativity and passion that drive the industry forward.”

The PRI Paddock Celebrates All Aspects of Racing for All Three Days of the Show 

Throughout all three days of the PRI Show, the PRI Paddock stage will host driver appearances, industry conversations, expert interviews, and opportunities for fans to interact with some of the most influential voices in motorsports, noted the release.

“The PRI Paddock gives attendees an unforgettable first impression of the show,” said Karin Davidson, PRI show director. “With live interviews and standout vehicles, fans and industry professionals can connect, learn and celebrate all aspects of racing.” 

PRI Paddock Interview Schedule

Thursday, Dec. 11

• 9:30 a.m. – Michael Good, president of Performance Racing Industry (PRI)
• 10:00 a.m. – Bill Bader, president and owner of Summit Motorsports Park
• 10:30 a.m. – Cindy Sisson, executive director of Women in Motorsports North America
• 11:00 a.m. – Melanie White, CEO of Hellwig and SEMA board of directors chair
• 11:30 a.m. – Kim Pendergast, CEO of Magnuson Products
• 12:00 a.m. – John Doonan, president of IMSA
• 1:00 a.m. – Glen Cromwell, president of NHRA
• 1:30 p.m. – Ty Flannery
• 2:00 p.m. – Adam LZ, Formula Drift driver, content creator, car builder and entrepreneur

Friday, Dec. 12

• 9:30 a.m. – Mike Spagnola, president and CEO of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and Performance Racing Industry (PRI)
• 10:00 a.m. – Greg Zipadelli (Zippy), crew chief and team executive of Port City Race Cars
• 10:30 a.m. – Kyle Fickler, director of business development at ProCharger
• 11:00 a.m. – Gaige Herrera, NHRA driver
• 11:30 a.m. – Wes Buck, founder/editorial director at Drag Illustrated
• 12:00 p.m. – Doug Lane, president and owner of Motor State Distributing, and Curt Spalding, division manager of Allstar Performance
• 1:00 p.m. – Nelson Gill, owner and founder of ACC Performance
• 1:30 p.m. – Lyn St. James, former racer, co-founder and president of Women in Motorsports North America
• 2:00 p.m. – Davey Hamilton Sr., former race car driver and founder of the King of the Wing Sprint Car Series, and Davey Hamilton Jr., former racer, founder and owner of the Open Wheel Showdown

Saturday, Dec. 13

• 10:30 a.m. – Vivian Campbell, ARA Rally driver, RC2, Car 964, musician
• 11:00 a.m. – Jason Vansickle, vice president of curation and education at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and Dan Rosenau, restoration manager at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
• 11:30 a.m. – Brian Mabutas and Nick Pedroza, founders of Eat Sleep Race

PRI also recently announced that motorsports track operators, promoters and sanctioning body leaders will have a dedicated headquarters area set up to conduct business, learn from industry leaders and grow their professional networks at the 2025 PRI Show.

JR Motorsports announced today that Champion Irrigation Products, Inc., an industry pioneer in irrigation solutions, will join the organization during the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season as a primary partner for three races with Carson Kvapil and the No. 1 Chevrolet, beginning with Darlington Raceway on March 21, followed by Talladega on April 25^th and Phoenix on October 17^th. Additionally, Champion Irrigation will be featured in several associate placements on the No. 1 throughout the season.

“We are thrilled to bring Champion Irrigation to the JR Motorsports family in 2026,” said JRM CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller. “As an existing fixture in motorsports we are excited for the opportunity to help them make the leap into the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and are looking forward to a successful season for Champion Irrigation with Carson and the No. 1 team.”

Champion Irrigation was founded in 1937 on the Pejsa brothers’ breakthrough invention of the irrigation anti-siphon valve. That same innovation still anchors the company today and serves as a reminder of its commitment to supporting growth in every sense of the word.

With this new partnership, Champion Irrigation is entering an exciting new chapter as it expands beyond residential irrigation and moves into commercial, agricultural and drip irrigation offerings. Together, we are setting the stage for broader reach, stronger visibility, and continued innovation.

“JRM was an easy choice as a partner to help Champion Irrigation reach its future goals, JRM’s practice of honoring legacy and innovating for the future is a natural fit with Champion Irrigations business and cultural philosophy. JRM’s focus on the Fan and Champion Irrigations focus on the Customer align perfectly and we are excited to reach new heights together”

 Jim Kapparos Chief Marketing Officer

Be sure to catch Kvapil and the No. 1 Champion Irrigation Chevrolet for their first of three primaries at Darlington on Saturday, March 21 on the CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

JRM PR

MOORSEVILLE, N.C. — The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts silly season is in full swing with Anthony Alfredo, Derrike Cope and Austin Green making moves.

Viking Motorsports Expands to 2 Entries

Viking Motorsports will expand to two entries next season, signing Anthony Alfredo for a full-time NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride in 2026 in their new No. 96 Chevrolet.

The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in the second division of NASCAR since his departure from his NASCAR Cup Series ride with Front Row Motorsports in 2021. 2026 will be his fifth straight NOAPS season with five teams.

Now, Fast Pasta will have a teammate for the first time since his part-time schedule for RCR back in 2020.

Alfredo will be joined by crew chief Josh Graham. Graham sat on top of the box for Alfredo during his stint at Our Motorsports in 2024.

Graham comes up from the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing program in the Craftsman Truck Series entry to reunite with his former driver once more.

“I’m really excited to be working with Josh again… him and I certainly punched above our weight with a smaller program,” Alfredo said.

Alfredo is confident this program can break into the playoffs. Viking Motorsports recently strengthened its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing for 2026, a move that could elevate the team’s performance.

As Hendrick Motorsports’ current test and simulator driver, Alfredo will have plenty on his plate next season if the team’s competitiveness takes the expected step forward.

Cope Family Racing and Stanton Barrett Motorsports Join Forces

Cope Family Racing and Stanton Barrett Motorsports will merge for the upcoming 2026 O’Reilly Series in the newly numbered No. 30 entry.

CFR previously raced the entire 2025 NOAPS season with drivers Leland Honeyman Jr. and Thomas Annunziata finishing 31st in the standings while collecting a season-best finish of 12th with Honeyman Jr. at EchoPark Atlanta.

In a joint press release, Derrike Cope said, “Kevin Cope and I are excited about forming this alliance with SBM…We have made great strides acquiring race cars to be ready for Daytona and the first part of the year, including being reunited with veteran crew chief George Church.”

Church has over 400 career NASCAR starts on top of the box, most recently working for Cope in the Cup Series with the now defunct StarCom Racing.

The new co-owner, Stanton Barrett, commented, “I am excited to have the opportunity to partner with CFR and continue the long history of SBM.”

Barrett and his team were fixtures in the series from 2001–2008. They returned periodically with select starts in the years since.

No sponsorship or driver announcements for the 2026 campaign have been made yet but the groundwork is clearly being laid for a full-scale return.

Austin Green Full-Time Finally

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series road course standout Austin Green will race full-time in the series in 2026, Peterson Racing announced Friday.

Green will drive the team’s No. 87 Chevrolet full-time in the NOAPS in 2026 with technical support from Richard Childress Racing. The technical partnership with RCR is new for 2026 and, according to the team, will strengthen their established relationship with ECR Engines. 

Peterson has fielded cars for Green in 21 NOAPS races since 2024. Green has excelled, earning two top-five finishes, eight top-10s and an average finish of 18.8 with the familiar yellow paint scheme with red numbers.

On road courses and street courses, Green earned two top-fives, seven top-10s and an average finish of 11.6 in 12 starts on the track types. 

Motorsport is a world where milliseconds matter. A fraction of a second can separate the champion from the pack, and behind every high-performance machine on the grid lies a long chain of engineering decisions, prototyping stages, and component optimization. As racing evolves, so does the technology that powers it—and nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of precision machined parts and Rapid Prototyping.

From F1 and IndyCar to NASCAR and endurance racing, elite teams are now relying on advanced manufacturing capabilities to push the limits of speed, safety, and aerodynamic performance. The days of slow machining cycles and trial-and-error fabrication are fading. Today, the racing industry is fueled by an engineering ecosystem built on faster iterations, tighter tolerances, and smarter production workflows.

In this article, we’ll explore how a new wave of advanced manufacturing is shaping the future of race car development—from concept design to track-ready performance.

The Need for Engineering Speed in Motorsports

Racing teams don’t have the luxury of long production schedules. New parts need to be tested, redesigned, optimized, and installed in record time—especially during a competitive season.

Every race weekend introduces new data points:

• aero inefficiencies
  
• heat-related component failures
  
• higher cornering loads
  
• unexpected vibrations
  
• driver feedback

To stay ahead, teams need engineering speed just as much as engine power. That’s where Rapid Prototyping has become a competitive advantage.

Instead of waiting weeks to test a new wing mount or brake duct, engineers can now produce prototypes overnight. Coaches, mechanics, and aerodynamicists get real parts they can mount, inspect, and validate at hyper-speed. And if the part needs modifications? Another iteration can be ready in hours.

This fast feedback loop is reshaping how racing teams attack performance problems.

Rapid Prototyping: The New Backbone of Race Car Innovation

Rapid Prototyping gives race teams the freedom to experiment quickly — and safely. Using advanced 3D printing and low-volume production techniques, teams can generate:

• aerodynamic prototypes
  
• interior cockpit components
  
• cooling channels
  
• steering wheel housings
  
• intake ducts
  
• sensor brackets

And these aren’t just basic plastic models anymore. The materials have evolved to include high-temperature polymers, nylon composites, carbon-infused materials, and in some cases metal-ready prototype structures.

For race engineers, the benefits include:

1. Faster Design Testing

New aerodynamic add-ons, like winglets or bargeboard textures, can be physically tested in wind tunnels the same week they are designed.

2. Better Data Collection

Prototypes help teams quickly validate structural feasibility before investing in full CNC machining runs.

3. Reduced Risk

Teams avoid wasting costly materials by validating fit, airflow behavior, and driver ergonomics during the early stages.

The motorsport industry is built on continuous improvement — and Rapid Prototyping accelerates that improvement cycle.

Precision Machined Parts: Where Performance Meets Perfection

Once a part is ready for final production, teams turn to their most trusted process — CNC machining. The racing world demands parts that can withstand insane loads, extreme heat, violent acceleration forces, and micro-vibrations at over 300 km/h. There is zero margin for error.

This is where Precision Machined Parts come in. These components deliver:

• sub-millimeter accuracy
  
• perfect surface finishes
  
• consistent performance
  
• race-grade durability

Whether it’s a titanium suspension component, an aluminum gearbox housing, or a carbon-fiber reinforced bracket, CNC machining ensures every part meets exact engineering specifications.

In motorsports, precision engineering directly translates into competitive advantage.

Where Rapid Prototyping Meets CNC Machining in Racing

Modern race car development relies on the combination of both processes. Here’s how teams typically use them together:

Step 1: Design & Simulation

CAD modeling, digital crash tests, airflow simulations.

Step 2: Rapid Prototyping

Engineers quickly print physical parts to validate:

• size
  
• ergonomics
  
• airflow
  
• heat resistance
  

Step 3: Physical Testing

Wind tunnel trials, track tests, and stress analysis.

Step 4: Precision CNC Machining

Once validated, the final part is produced using aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, or other race-grade alloys.

Step 5: Installation & Race Day Performance

The part is mounted, calibrated, tested — and eventually trusted at full race pace.

This hybrid workflow is one of the reasons today’s cars are faster, lighter, safer, and more aerodynamic than ever before.

How These Technologies Are Changing Race Day Strategy

It’s not only pre-season engineering that benefits. During a race season, teams often face unexpected challenges:

• a cooling duct cracks
  
• a suspension arm needs reinforcement
  
• the aero package needs tuning for a specific track
  
• a new regulation demands component redesign
  
• a crash damages structural parts

In the past, teams were limited by what they brought to the track. Now, with portable prototyping units and fast-turnaround manufacturing partners, teams can redesign and produce new parts even between back-to-back race weekends.

This capability is reshaping how teams manage reliability and performance under pressure.

A New Era of Race Car Manufacturing

The combination of Rapid Prototyping and Precision Machined Parts is more than just a technological advancement — it’s a competitive weapon. Racing teams that embrace faster production cycles and more accurate components gain:

• improved aerodynamics
  
• reduced vehicle weight
  
• better heat management
  
• stronger structural integrity
  
• more efficient testing programs
  
• rapid incident recovery

Today’s race cars are engineering masterpieces not only because of their engines or electronics, but because of the advanced manufacturing that powers their evolution.

Motorsports has always been a proving ground for technology. Now, modern fabrication is proving itself as one of the most important tools in the race for speed.