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Steve Phelps Takes the Stand as Judge Accelerates NASCAR Antitrust Trial

Phelps testified that teams’ initial $720 million annual demand would have bankrupted the series.

Overview

  • Plaintiffs’ economist Edward A. Snyder told jurors NASCAR owes 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports $364.7 million and underpaid charter teams by $1.06 billion from 2021 to 2024.
  • NASCAR’s attorneys pressed Snyder on his comparisons to Formula 1 and his statements about exclusivity and non‑compete practices, signaling a broader challenge to his methodology.
  • U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell extended daily court hours and urged the plaintiffs to finish their case, aiming to start NASCAR’s defense as early as Tuesday.
  • Phelps described two years of difficult talks, said a hoped‑for $1.2 billion media deal came in at $1.05 billion, testified teams now receive $431 million annually, and reiterated the France family’s refusal to grant permanent charters.
  • Plaintiffs still plan to call Richard Childress and NASCAR chairman Jim France, as discovery has highlighted derogatory texts about Childress, while NASCAR readies witnesses including Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske.