A federal district court judge, Kenneth D. Bell, recently issued a long-awaited preliminary injunction for two racing teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (FRM), enabling them to enter the Cup Series as chartered teams in 2025. This ruling also authorized the transfer of the Stewart Haas Racing (SHR) charter to FRM, which had previously been blocked by NASCAR due to a legal dispute. NASCAR attempted to delay the charter transfer by filing an emergency motion, but the court criticized this move, stating that NASCAR’s “release to race” requirement was likely a violation of antitrust law. The judge made it clear that further delays would not be tolerated, and NASCAR was eventually forced to lift the embargo on FRM, allowing them to add a third car to their lineup.
The decision came as a major relief for Tony Stewart, as SHR had been involved in a lawsuit after selling charters to both 23XI Racing and FRM. While the value of the charters is estimated to be between $25 and $30 million, the legal complications had delayed the process. The lifting of the embargo by NASCAR allowed the transfer to finally go through, relieving Stewart and his team of any further concerns about their investment. FRM’s General Manager, Jerry Freeze, confirmed the completion of the third charter purchase from SHR, and promised that an announcement regarding the driver, car number, and additional sponsors would follow soon. Had the injunction not been granted, SHR might have faced a difficult situation, either needing to sell the charters at a loss or field only two cars in the upcoming season. Fortunately, with the ruling in their favor, these concerns were put to rest.
In contrast, 23XI Racing has yet to receive their charter, as they did not include a request in their injunction filing. The court stated that 23XI is welcome to submit a new request, which will be evaluated independently. NASCAR has agreed to transfer the charters to 23XI Racing but emphasized that this agreement cannot be used as leverage in any future appeals.
As for FRM, while the legal hurdles are now cleared, there is still much work to do before the 2025 season begins. One of the main tasks is confirming the driver for the third car, as well as finalizing sponsorship details and the car number. The team has undergone significant changes, with veteran driver Michael McDowell leaving to join Spire Motorsports, while Todd Gilliland will take a more prominent role driving the No. 38 car. They also brought in Noah Gragson, who was seeking a new seat after SHR closed.
With the team expanding to three cars, the search for a third driver had been put on hold until the injunction was settled. Many options had already signed with other teams, such as Ryan Preece, who joined RFK Racing, and Riley Herbst, who will drive for 23XI Racing. This leaves Zane Smith as the most likely candidate. Smith, a former FRM prospect, had moved to Trackhouse Racing and Team Chevy but was let go after SVG joined the team and Daniel Suarez signed a contract extension. Now that FRM is free to proceed, they are expected to quickly finalize Smith’s return to the Cup Series for the 2025 season.
