Motorsports

NASCAR Teams 23XI And Front Row Must Qualify On Speed, For Now

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 01: 2024 Regular Season Champion, Tyler Reddick, driver of … More the #45 Upper Deck Toyota, poses with Curtis Polk, 23XI Racing co-owners, NBA Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota, after the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at […]

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2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 01: 2024 Regular Season Champion, Tyler Reddick, driver of … More the #45 Upper Deck Toyota, poses with Curtis Polk, 23XI Racing co-owners, NBA Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota, after the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 01, 2024 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

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The NASCAR charter war took another dramatic turn Thursday as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of NASCAR, overturning a lower court’s decision that temporarily granted 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports the right to compete as chartered teams in 2025.

In short: NASCAR wins this round. The two teams that dared to sue the sport they compete in have now lost their guaranteed place in the field—again.

According to the ruling, the December 18 decision by a lower court that handed each team three charters for the 2025 season—including one each purchased from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing—has been vacated. That means no automatic starting spots, and no guaranteed slice of NASCAR’s multi-billion-dollar media rights pie. Not unless 23XI and Front Row can convince the court to reconsider.

The teams have 14 days to petition for a rehearing. Failing that, the judgment becomes final 21 days from now—on June 26, just two days before the Cup Series hits the newly rebranded EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. A symbolic gut punch? Perhaps. But also a logistical nightmare for two multi-car operations with Daytona-sized ambitions and no guaranteed starting spots.

This is only the latest twist in a legal saga that started last October when 23XI and Front Row filed a lawsuit against NASCAR, arguing that they were unfairly shut out of charter ownership despite purchasing charters from Stewart-Haas Racing. When the Dec. 18 ruling gave them the green light, it looked like they’d successfully stuck it to the establishment.

But NASCAR quickly appealed that ruling, calling it “fraught with errors, both legally and factually” in a Feb. 12 brief. When oral arguments were heard on May 9, early indications hinted that the appellate judges were skeptical of the teams’ position. That skepticism has now translated into a full reversal.

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ForbesNASCAR Countersues 23XI And Front Row As Charter War EscalatesBy Greg Engle

NASCAR’s charter system, which functions like a franchise model, guarantees certain teams a spot on the starting grid and a share of media revenue. But the current system also hinges on participation in the NASCAR Charter Agreement. When 23XI and Front Row declined to sign the most recent iteration of that agreement, NASCAR took the position that they had forfeited any charter-related benefits—even for charters they claimed to own.

The Dec. 18 ruling temporarily rewrote that narrative. Now, the appellate court has rewritten it again.

The decision throws another wrench into 2025 plans for both teams. Without charters, their drivers must qualify on speed each week. Sponsorship deals become trickier. And any illusion of stability in the garage has been vaporized by legal fumes.

As it stands, 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, which expanded aggressively by acquiring SHR assets, now find themselves staring at the same uphill legal road they thought they’d already climbed. It’s unclear whether they will file for a rehearing or take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

In a statement, Jeffrey Kessler, attorney for 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, said the teams were “disappointed” in the ruling but remained confident heading into their December 1 trial date.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps,” Kessler said. “This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for December 1. We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

What is clear: NASCAR has reclaimed the high ground—for now. And with the next round of Charter Agreements expected to shape the sport’s financial future for a decade, the battle lines are only getting deeper.

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Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City | Sports

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June 18, 2025

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Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City | APG State News

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June 18, 2025

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Spire Motorsports Drops The Hammer on Carson Hocevar for Mexico City Remarks

What’s Happening? Carson Hocevar has been penalized by Spire Motorsports, his own team, following controversial comments about Mexico made during a live stream on Twitch ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City. Hocevar has been fined $50,000 and will be required to complete mandatory cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training. The fine will be […]

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2 hours ago

June 18, 2025

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What’s Happening?

Carson Hocevar has been penalized by Spire Motorsports, his own team, following controversial comments about Mexico made during a live stream on Twitch ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City.

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Spire hits Carson Hocevar with internal penalty, massive fine for Twitch stream Mexico City comments

Carson Hocevar has been internally disciplined by Spire Motorsports for offensive comments he made about Mexico on a Twitch stream ahead of last week’s race in Mexico City. Spire released a statement on Tuesday outlining the disciplinary measures and Hocevar has now responded to the penalty. Hocevar was fined $50,000. The proceeds will be donated […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 18, 2025

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Carson Hocevar has been internally disciplined by Spire Motorsports for offensive comments he made about Mexico on a Twitch stream ahead of last week’s race in Mexico City. Spire released a statement on Tuesday outlining the disciplinary measures and Hocevar has now responded to the penalty.

Hocevar was fined $50,000. The proceeds will be donated to three organizations that serve Mexican communities. The driver of the No. 77 car will also be subject to mandatory cultural sensitivity and bias awareness training.

“These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports’ core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel,” Spire’s statement read. “Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk’ in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport.

“Carson Hocevar’s recent comments made during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR. He has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud.”

Shortly after Spire announced the penalty, Hocevar responded via his Twitter account:

Whoa everybody, the truth is the truth. I said something that not only was wrong, I said it without even laying my own two eyes on CDMX or turning one lap in an actual race at an amazing facility that welcomed me with open arms and I go and say that? Thank you for the support… https://t.co/yYUITkEoOV

— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) June 18, 2025

Hocevar had previously noted that he thought Mexico was “such a s**hole,” going on to question the country’s infrastructure, its safety and more in a live stream on Twitch ahead of this weekend’s race. He walked back those comments in a tweet on Sunday evening.

“Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan,” Hocevar wrote. “When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard about Mexico City from people who more than likely also had never been here.

“Now that I’ve actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I’ve ever seen, my opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments, by the race I ran, and I may have to move here to hide out from Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) anyway.”

His last line will certainly earn him some laughs from the fans. Hocevar was berated and threatened after the race by Stenhouse after a prior dust-up on the track.

Joking about it will certainly help ease the tension, especially because Stenhouse vowed too “beat his ass once we got back in the States.” In any case, it’s clear Carson Hocevar feels differently about Mexico now.

“Count this as another lesson for me in a season I’ve learned so much,” Hocevar wrote in conclusion. “Don’t believe everything you hear without seeing it yourself. If anyone should give anyone or any place the benefit of the doubt it’s me. I’m sorry Mexico City. Consider me an ally going forward and an example of getting off Twitch and seeing things with my own two eyes.”

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Spire Motorsports punishes Carson Hocevar for derogatory comments about Mexico City

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Spire Motorsports fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a live stream as NASCAR raced there last weekend. Hocevar walked back the comments Sunday night with an apology and the 22-year-old admitted it was the first time he’d ever been outside the United States […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 18, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Spire Motorsports fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a live stream as NASCAR raced there last weekend.

Hocevar walked back the comments Sunday night with an apology and the 22-year-old admitted it was the first time he’d ever been outside the United States and believed all the negative things he’d read and heard about Mexico City.

“I am embarrassed by my comments,” he posted in a lengthy apology.

Spire also ordered Hocevar to attend cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.

Spire said the $50,000 fine will be donated in equal portions to three organizations that serve Mexican communities:

Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross).

Un Kilo de Ayuda, a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development in rural communities.

Fondo Unido México (United Way Mexico), which funds local NGOs that improve education, health, and housing in 22 Mexican states.

“These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports’ core value of RESPECT, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel,” the team said in a statement. “Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk’ in how we speak, compete, and serve the communities that welcome our sport.

Spire said it informed NASCAR of Hocevar’s penalties and that it satisfied the sanctioning body’s requirements.

“Together we remain committed to showcasing NASCAR’s global growth, celebrating the passionate Mexican fanbase we experienced firsthand last weekend, and ensuring every member of our organization treats hosts, competitors, and communities with dignity,” Spire said.

“We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.”

Carson Hocevar drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

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