RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A three-judge federal appellate panel indicated Friday it might overturn an injunction that allows 23XI Racing, co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and veteran driver Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports to race as chartered teams in NASCAR this season while the two teams sue the stock car series over alleged antitrust violations.

NASCAR attorney Chris Yates argued the injunction, granted in December by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina, forced the series into an unwanted relationship with unwilling partners, and that it harms other teams because they earn less money.

Yates said the district court broke precedent by granting the injunction, saying the “release” clause in the charter contracts forbidding the teams from suing is “common.” He argued, essentially, that the teams should not have the benefits of the charter system they are suing to overturn.

Overturning the injunction would leave the two organizations able to race but without any of the perks of being chartered, including guaranteed weekly revenue. They would also have to qualify at every Cup Series event to make the field, which currently has only four open spots each week; 23XI and Front Row are each running three cars in Cup this season.

Judges Steven Agee, Paul Niemeyer and Stephanie Thacker, at multiple points during the 50-minute hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District, pushed back on the argument made by plaintiff’s attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who accused NASCAR of being a monopoly.

“There’s no other place to compete,” Kessler told the judges, later noting that overturning the injunction would cause tremendous damage to the two teams, which could lose drivers and sponsors. “It will cause havoc to overturn this injunction in the middle of the season.”

The teams filed the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR on Oct. 2 in the Western District of North Carolina, arguing that the series bullied teams into signing new charters that make it difficult to compete financially. That came after two years of failed negotiations on new charter agreements, which is NASCAR’s equivalent of franchise deals.

23XI – co-owned by Jordan, Hamlin and Curtis Polk, a longtime Jordan business partner – and Front Row Motorsports, were the only two out of 15 charter-holding teams that refused to sign new agreements in September.

The charters, which teams originally signed before the 2016 season, have twice been extended. The most recent extension runs until 2031, matching the current media rights deal. It guarantees that 36 of the 40 available spots in weekly races will go to teams holding charters.

The judges expressed agreement with Yates’s argument that the district court had erred in issuing the injunction allowing the teams to race, because it mandated they sign the NASCAR charter but eliminated the contract’s release.

“It seems you want to have your cake and eat it, too,” Niemeyer told Kessler.

At another point, the judge pointedly told Kessler that if the teams want to race, they should sign the charter.

Yates contended that forcing an unwanted relationship between NASCAR and the two teams “harms NASCAR and other racing teams.” He said that more chartered teams would earn more money if not for the injunction and noted that the two teams are being “given the benefits of a contract they rejected.”

Kessler argued that even if the district court’s reasoning was flawed, other evidence should lead the circuit court to uphold the injunction. Niemayer disagreed.

“The court wanted you to be able to race but without a contract,” he said.

A trial date is set for December and Agee strongly urged the sides to meet for mediation — previously ordered by a lower court — to attempt to resolve the dispute over the injunction.

“It’ll be a very interesting trial,” Agee said with a wry smile.

The prospect of successful mediation seems unlikely. Yates told the judges: “We’re not going to rewrite the charter.”

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

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Dennis Hauger’s near-perfect season in INDY NXT by Firestone continued Friday morning, as he led the opening practice for the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Hauger was quickest at 1 minute, 14.2484 seconds in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global. Series rookie Hauger has won both races this season from the pole and has been quickest in every session but one practice at the season opener in March at St. Petersburg, Florida.

SEE: Practice Results

“Good start to the day,” Hauger said. “I feel like we still have some room for improvements, but overall it’s looking strong all session. Looking forward to seeing how it goes in qualifying.”

Series veteran Callum Hedge was second at 1:14.6287 in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports machine. Salvador de Alba ended up third at 1:14.7679 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car of Andretti Global.

Rookie Lochie Hughes was the third Andretti Global driver in the top four with his best lap of 1:14.8332 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championships car. Caio Collet rounded out the top five at 1:14.8453 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

The 50-minute session ended with slightly under three minutes to go after contact between veterans Myles Rowe and Josh Pierson in Turn 7 of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.

Rowe exited the pits in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car parallel with the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine of Pierson. The two ended up racing side by side through the first six turns of the circuit before Rowe nosed ahead. Pierson tried to dive under Rowe in Turn 7, and the two cars made side-by-side contact and slid into the grass.

Pierson accepted blame for the incident on the team radio after returning to the pits.

Up next is qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET today (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), which will set the starting grids for both 35-lap races this weekend. Race 1 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET tonight, live on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Pocono Raceway retains its spot as the best NASCAR track as USA TODAY releases its 10BEST Readers’ Choice travel awards, placing the Tricky Triangle at No. 1 for the second consecutive year.

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Dalton “DT” Widner may be the third most famous celebrity from his former high school, Knox Gibbs in Corryton, Tennessee, but on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway he’ll be one of the most popular drivers on the track when the Overdrive Monster Truck Series invades The Last Great Colosseum.

Widner, who drives the popular Jurassic Attack truck, attended the nearby Tennessee high school famous for producing country music stars Kenny Chesney and Morgan Wallen, but Widner, who played  high school football there and then college football at UNC-Charlotte, says he’s just a regular guy.

“Morgan Wallen and Kenny Chesney are way, way up here, and I am way, way down here,” Widner said with a grin recently during a preview event for the Bristol Monster Truck event. “I’m just a lucky guy who gets to do what I love for a living.”

And this weekend, for the first time, he will get to do it in front of his hometown family and friends. A few years ago. Widner was up in these same grandstands watching Monster Trucks do their stunts. Now, he will be behind the wheel of one of the behemoths.

“I will probably have 40 or 50 people up in the stands pulling for me,” Widner said. “I’m excited to be a part of the show and finally perform for people who have never seen me before.”

Widner, 25, says the path to the cockpit for Monster Trucks can be a long one. After volunteering to help, he was able to go fulltime with a team five years ago. He then became a backup driver and eventually was able to become a full-time driver.

“There’s not really a straight path for it,” Widner said.” When I was starting out I started volunteering for teams. Trying to have a little presence in the industry. I worked as a volunteer guy. In college, I got a job offer to do it fulltime and eventually got a spot to drive and have been doing it now for four years.”

If you are looking for him on the track, Widner will be the one driving the truck with horns. His 10-foot tall, 2,000- horsepower machine is designed after a dinosaur. While it’s a favorite with the kids, he says don’t let the playful appearance fool you, it’s got some real bite.

“It’s pretty wild,” said Widner, who also has driven Kamikaze, Velociraptor and Wrecking Machine. “It’s like riding your favorite roller coaster, but you are in control of it. It took me about a year to get all of the different stunts down, but I can do them all now. It’s a lot of fun to drive.”

He says his days as a football player at the D1 level in college also come in handy, especially from the mental side of things.

“It helps me not focus on who I am going up against,” Widner explained. “ There are a lof of the greatest drivers here and there’s a little pressure that comes along with it. What I bring from football helps me because I don’t worry about who is across from me and I just do my thing and control what I can control.”

Widner says while driving the truck is his passion, it’s also great to be able to try to inspire as many kids in the audience as possible.

“Just showing kids that if you have a dream and want it bad enough you can do it,” Widner said. “I fought my way up to be able to do it. I’m living proof that it’s possible.”

In addition to Widner, many of the most popular Monster Trucks in motorsports compete with the Overdrive series. Those who are expected to join Widner and compete tomorrow afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway include:

Block Head driven by Daron Basl of Salem, Oregon

Dirt Crew driven by Jerry Beck of Lafayette, Ind.

Cyber Attack driven by Jared Smith of Lafayette, Ind.

Tail Gator driven by Tim Jones of Saint James, Mo.

Vendetta driven by Mike Christensen, Ogden, Utah

Bad News Travels Fast by Brandon Derrow, Elkton, Va.

Colossus driven by Elliott Miller, Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Virginia Giant driven by Cliff Vowell of Fairfax, Va.

Bad Company driven by John Gordon of Hiram, Ga.

Smashosaurus driven by Tripp Jones of St. James, Mo.

Dirt Crew Dozer driven by David Olfert of Shaw, Oregon

The Track Party Experience kicks off when gates open at 2 p.m. and runs until 5 p.m. Fans will be able to walk the track and enjoy a meet and greet session with the drivers. The Track Party Experience, which includes a driver autograph session, is only $5 per person added to your original ticket cost.

While the Track Party Experience is going on, the popular Monster Truck Ride Experience, available to all ages, will offer the ride of a lifetime to anyone with the courage to crawl up inside a behemoth Monster Truck. The Monster Truck Ride Experience will be available to guests from 2-5:45 p.m. at an additional cost of $20 per ride, per guest. For an additional extra $5 ($25) you can head to the Fast Pass line, where you will be able to get your ride in quicker by skipping the long line for the general $20 ride.

The big show begins at 6 p.m., so you and your clan will want to head to your seats to enjoy some high-flying action from the biggest, loudest and most acrobatic Monster Trucks on the planet.

Tickets start at $29 for adults and tickets for children 11 and under start at $15. A Family 4-Pack General Admission package is $84.95. To purchase tickets for the Overdrive Monster Trucks series please visit BristolMonsterTrucks.com.   

Overdrive Monster Trucks Bristol Motor Speedway, Saturday May 10 (schedule):

Gates Open: 2 p.m.

Track Party: 2-5 p.m.

Monster Truck Rides: 2-5:45 p.m.

Show Starts: 6 p.m.

BMS PR