Overview

• U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell rejected 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ request for a temporary restraining order, requiring their cars to compete without charter guarantees at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend.
• The decision concludes the teams’ third legal bid to preserve charter privileges after the Fourth Circuit vacated their earlier injunction and denied a rehearing in June.
• In its July 16 court filing, NASCAR counterclaimed that 23XI and FRM formed an illegal cartel and manufactured evidence to support their preliminary injunction motion.
• Because only 37 cars are entered at Dover, both teams will make the field this weekend but stand to lose guaranteed entries, prize money and sponsorship security if future races exceed the 40-car limit.
• The antitrust lawsuit over NASCAR’s charter system is scheduled for trial in December, and NASCAR has pledged to withhold any charter sales until the court rules on the teams’ injunction, leaving purchases from Stewart-Haas Racing in limbo.