NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local coalition has filed paperwork to change Nashville’s Metro Charter, which could eliminate the requirement for auto racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and open the door for affordable housing, green space, and environmental protections.

The group Restore Our Fairgrounds submitted a petition Monday to the charter revision commission seeking to remove racing as a mandated use of the property. If successful, the amendment would prioritize green space, affordable housing, workforce housing, and environmental protections for Browns Creek.

“We came together about two years ago. It’s a volunteer coalition of various groups,” said Mike Kopp with Restore Our Fairgrounds.

The coalition has expanded beyond neighborhood associations to include environmental groups, the Civic Design Center and longtime community activists. For years, the Nashville Fairgrounds has been a political battleground, with many neighbors saying racing brings noise, pollution, and limits public access to the property.

“There’s such a need in that part of town for green space, for places for kids to run and play, retail, affordable housing, and workforce housing,” Kopp said.

To move forward, the group must collect enough signatures from registered voters to get the amendment on the November 2026 ballot.

“We petitioned the charter revision commission to change that language. Then the next challenge is we’ve got to secure at least 50, 60,000 signatures of registered voters,” Kopp said.

This marks the second attempt by the same group to change the charter after trying last year.

Kopp emphasized the coalition is not anti-racing but believes there’s a better location for motorsports in Lebanon.

“There is a super speedway just a few miles down the road. They should be doing racing there,” Kopp said.

The debate centers on who gets to decide the future of one of Nashville’s largest public properties.

“It only makes sense to open it up and allow the voters and the people in those neighborhoods to weigh in on that. They should have a seat at the table,” Kopp said.

The group says timing is critical, as they fear the city and Speedway Motorsports could be working toward a NASCAR-style expansion. If the charter amendment is approved by voters, it would give residents the final say on the fairgrounds’ future as early as November 2026.

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Vandy’s band of misfits turns heads with 7-1 start

This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys – young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team’s success has stolen the spotlight – what I love about Steve Layman’s story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, “we all have scuff marks.” This team proves perseverance pays off!

– Carrie Sharp

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — An economist testified in Michael Jordan’s federal antitrust trial against NASCAR that the racing series owes a combined $364.7 million in damages to the two teams suing it over a revenue-sharing dispute.

Edward Snyder, a professor of economics who worked in the antitrust division of the Department of Justice and has testified in more than 30 cases, including “Deflategate” involving the NFL’s New England Patriots, testified on Monday. He gave three reasons NASCAR is a monopoly participating in anticompetitive business practices.

Using a complex formula applied to profits, a reduction in market revenue, and lost revenue to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports from 2021 to 2024, Snyder came up with his amount of damages owed. Snyder applied a 45% of revenue sharing he alleged Formula 1 gives to its teams in his calculations; Snyder found that NASCAR’s revenue-sharing model when its charter system began in 2016 gave only 25% to the teams.

The suit is about the 2025 charter agreement, which was presented to teams on a Friday in September 2024 with a same-day deadline to sign the 112-page document. The charter offer came after more than two years of bitter negotiations between NASCAR and its teams, who have called the agreement “a take-it-or-leave-it” ultimatum that they signed with “a gun to their head.”

A charter is similar to the franchise model in other sports, but in NASCAR it guarantees 36 teams spots in the 40-car field, as well as specific revenue.

Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin for 23XI, along with Front Row Motorsports and owner Bob Jenkins, were the only two teams out of 15 to refuse the new charter agreement.

Snyder’s evaluations found NASCAR was in fact violating antitrust laws in that the privately owned racing series controls all bargaining because “teams don’t have anywhere else to sell their services.” Snyder said NASCAR controls “the tracks, the teams and the cars.”

Snyder repeatedly cited exclusivity agreements NASCAR entered into with racetracks after the charter system began. The agreements prevent tracks that host NASCAR from holding events with rival racing series. Prior to the long-term agreements, NASCAR operated on one-year contracts with its host racetracks.

The Florida-based France family founded NASCAR in 1948 and, along with Speedway Motorsports, owns almost all the tracks on the top Cup Series schedule. Snyder’s belief is that NASCAR entered into exclusivity agreements with tracks to stave off any threats of a breakaway startup series. In doing so, he said it eliminated teams’ ability to race stock cars anywhere else, forced them to accept revenue-sharing agreements that are below market value, and damaged their overall evaluations.

Snyder did his calculations for both teams based on each having two charters — each purchased a third charter in late 2024 — and found 23XI is owed $215.8 million while Front Row is owed $148.9 million. Based on his calculations, Snyder determined NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021 to 2024.

Snyder noted NASCAR had $2.2 billion in assets, an equity value of $5 billion and an investment-grade credit rating — which Snyder believes positions the France family to be able to pivot and adjust to any threats of a rival series the way the PGA did in response to the LIV Golf league. The PGA, Snyder testified, “got creative” in bringing in new revenue to pay to its golfers to prevent their defections.

Snyder also testified NASCAR had $250 million in annual earnings from 2021 to 2024 and the France family took $400 million in distributions during that period.

NASCAR contends Snyder’s estimations are wrong, that the 45% F1 model he used is not correct, and its own two experts “take serious issue” with Snyder’s findings. Defense attorney Lawrence Buterman asked Snyder his opinion on NASCAR’s upcoming expert witnesses and Snyder said they were two of the best economists in the world.

Slow pace of trial

Snyder testified for most of Monday’s session — the sixth day of the trial — and will continue Tuesday. The slow pace has agitated U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who heard arguments 30 minutes early Monday morning because he was annoyed that objections had been submitted at 2:55 a.m. and 6:50 a.m.

He needed an hour to get through the rulings, and testimony resumed 30 minutes behind schedule. When the day concluded, he asked the nine-person jury if they were willing to serve an hour longer each day the rest of the week in an effort to avoid a third full week of trial. He all said all motions must be filed by 10 p.m. each evening moving forward.

Bell wants plaintiff attorney Jeffrey Kessler to conclude his case by the end of Tuesday, but Kessler told him he still plans to call NASCAR chairman Jim France, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps and Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress, who was the subject of derogatory text messages among NASCAR leadership and has said he’s considering legal action.

NASCAR has a list of 16 potential witnesses and Bell said he wanted the first one on the stand before Tuesday’s session concludes.

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Rick Ware Racing will compete under the Chevrolet umbrella in 2026 with a multi-year technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, the team announced Monday.

Ware consistently fielded Ford entries since 2022, however the organization previously fielded Chevrolet entries as well.

“Chevrolet has always set a high bar with its people, its performance and its passion for racing, and partnering with them gives us the resources and support to make real progress on the racetrack,” said team owner Rick Ware. “Teaming up with RCR and ECR provides a foundation we can build on, not just for 2026, but for the future of our race team. We’re proud to be part of the Chevrolet family. The NASCAR Cup Series is the toughest and most competitive series in motorsports, and this is an important move for the long-term growth of our company.

“We’ve won in NHRA, American Flat Track, World Supercross and the CARS Tour, and we want to elevate our NASCAR performance to the level of our other programs.”

RWR will field the No. 51 entry for Cody Ware in 2026. Richard Childress Racing fields two full-time entries for Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch.

The partnership will include the use of ECR Engines.

“Rick and his team have shown a real commitment to growing their program, and we’re proud to support that effort alongside our partners at Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines,” said Pat Suhy, manager, NASCAR Competition for GM Motorsports. “Bringing RWR into the Chevrolet fold is a win for all of us. Their drive to keep improving aligns with our dedication to performance and innovation.”

WEST FARGO — After a turbulent 2025 season that saw his long chapter with Tony Stewart Racing

come to an end,

Donny Schatz has found a new home for 2026.

Schatz, the Minot native and West Fargo-based sprint car champion, has inked a new full-time deal with CJB Motorsports for the 2026 World of Outlaws season.

Schatz’s plans for the upcoming campaign were announced on WorldOfOutlaws.com on Monday night.

David Samson / The Forum

Owned by Chad and Ann Marie Clemens, the Pennsylvania-based CJB will make its return to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series for the first time since 2023 after the team fielded an entry for driver Brenham Crouch on the High Limit Racing Series sprint car tour last season.

CJB will return to the WoO tour with Schatz piloting his signature No. 15 for the team. The 2026 season kicks off with the four-night DIRTcar Nationals at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 4-7.

Schatz and Tony Stewart Racing split in August after a near 18-year partnership that saw the wheelman win eight WoO points championships to go with 234 wins.

In all, Schatz is a 10-time Outlaws champion and has amassed 316 feature victories. The 48-year-old currently ranks as the third-winningest driver in series history as he enters his 30th full-time season in 2026.

Following his departure from TSR, Schatz ran multiple temporary deals to finish out 2025, driving for the teams of Tod Quiring, Dave Lunstra, Kevin Kozlowski and Jason Sides.

At CJB, Schatz will team up with veteran crew chief Barry Jackson. The team has picked up 52 Outlaws victories since its founding in 2005.

David Samson / The Forum

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Every December, BMW M Motorsport invites the customer racing teams from around the world to come together for an awards banquet and to honor championship winning teams and drivers. The driver who scores the most points racing a BMW as a privateer (works drivers don’t qualify) wins the prestigious BMW Sport Trophy, which went to Turner Motorsport driver Justin Rothberg for the second year in a row.

Rothberg had a fantastic 2025 season, winning the SRO GT World Challenge America championship with Robby Foley and also winning the SRO GT America championship on his own. “Super thrilled to be winning the Sports Trophy again this year,” he said. “The BMWs are great race cars and there’s so many talented drivers so it’s an accomplishment I’m proud of. It’s a testament to the great work from all the guys at Turner Motorsport: Will Turner for running such a well-oiled machine, Robby Foley for always putting in great drives and giving me the help and advice I need – and my parents for supporting me and putting me in a position to succeed.”

The team trophy went to FK Performance Motorsport, which became the first team to win the overall standings of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) with the BMW M4 GT4. The team also had a podium finish in the Nürburgring 24-hour race and competed in the ADAC GT Masters series, where they finished second in the standings. The Turner Motorsport team, which won the team trophy last year, finished third behind FK Performance Motorsport and Schubert Motorsport.

BMW was very successful worldwide with customer teams competing in the M4 GT4 EVO and M4 GT3 EVO. In 2025, there were 56 GT3 and 88 GT4 cars competing worldwide, covering over 700,000 kilometers in racing miles and achieving around 180 wins and 250 additional podium finishes across various classes. “It is truly special to welcome our most successful customer racers to Garching, where the heart of BMW M beats,” said CEO of BMW M Franciscus van Meel. “They perfectly embody the DNA of our brand and, with their performances on racetracks around the world, serve as ideal ambassadors. While we celebrate the victories and titles of our works drivers and teams, our emotional connection to customer racing is equally profound. Without it, BMW M Motorsport would not be the same. It is a central pillar of our racing program and will remain so in the future.”

—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy BMW]

Marcus Ericsson will make his third start in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, driving the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the GTD class.

The 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner will share the car with the already-announced trio of Danny Formal, Trent Hindman, and Graham Doyle. Ericsson’s run of even-year Daytona 24 Hours appearances began in 2022 when he drove for the Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac Racing team, then continued in 2024 when he drove for WTR in one of its two Acura ARX-06es.

“I’m super excited to be back racing with Wayne Taylor Racing for the legendary Rolex 24 Hours,” said Marcus Ericsson. “It will be my third time racing the Daytona 24 but the first time for me in the GTD class. I’m joining a great lineup with Danny, Trent and Graham, whom I know quite well already after being to quite a few races with the team in 2025 whilst supporting my brother, Hampus, in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo championship. I’m very thankful to Wayne, Travis (Houge, Vice President and General Manager of WTR) and DEX for the opportunity. I can’t wait to go racing!”

As he enters a critical third season of NTT IndyCar Series racing with Andretti Global, the 2026 Rolex 24 will be Ericsson’s first IMSA start in a Lamborghini GT3 car. But he’ll already have experience with the Huracán GT3 EVO2 after making his first start in the car this past weekend in the Michelin 12H Malaysia in Sepang, where he drove alongside his brother Hampus.

Formal and Hindman took the No. 45 WTR Lamborghini’s first win in July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) and will return for the full season in GTD, with Doyle accompanying them for the five-race Michelin Endurance Cup.

“I am very excited that we managed to sign Marcus for the Rolex 24,” said Wayne Taylor. “He drove for us previously and we know he will be a great addition to the GTD program. We are lucky to have him. Danny Formal, Trent Hindman and Graham Doyle did a great job in 2025, and we feel like we have a really good shot at a podium. We have drivers and crew that have experience with the car and with this event, so we are really looking forward to Daytona.”

“I’m delighted to see Marcus join WTR for this opportunity,” added TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss. “Moves like this reflect the potential of the TWG Motorsports portfolio in creating an opportunity for Marcus to race alongside Danny, Trent and Graham.”