23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports Face Charter Challenges Ahead of Dover and Indianapolis Races
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports will enter this weekend’s race at Dover Motor Speedway and the following week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Open teams, following a ruling from a U.S. District Judge denying their request for a temporary restraining order to prevent NASCAR from revoking their charters. The judge’s decision, which emphasized that the teams "failed to establish irreparable harm," now places both organizations at risk of competing without guaranteed spots in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, with no more than 40 teams on the entry list, they are assured of racing this weekend.
Since the start of the season, both teams had operated as charter entries after initially securing a preliminary injunction in December. Although the recent ruling did not address their new request for a preliminary injunction to retain charter status for the remainder of the year, Judge Kenneth Bell confirmed that NASCAR assured the court that the charters would remain unsold until a decision on the injunction is made.
"We are disappointed that the court declined to grant 23XI and Front Row Motorsports a temporary restraining order," stated Jeffrey Kessler, lead counsel for the teams. He expressed confidence that their forthcoming motion for a preliminary injunction is "legally warranted and necessary."
Kessler further noted, "The court made it clear it is only denying the temporary restraining order because NASCAR has agreed to preserve our charters until the preliminary injunction can be decided…We remain focused on competing this weekend and continuing our playoff push."
As the situation develops, both teams remain vigilant in challenging what they describe as NASCAR’s monopolistic practices, affirming their commitment to the sport and its competitive integrity.
