The NASCAR Antitrust Trial between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR moved into its fifth day, bringing more direct and detailed testimony from NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell.
His time on the stand gave jurors a clearer look at how the sport handled charter talks, how it views competition from other racing series, and what happened during key negotiation moments with team owners.
Competition Questions in the NASCAR Antitrust Trial
A major part of the defense’s questions centered on showing that NASCAR does not block other series. As Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch.com reported, attorney Chris Yates pointed to a letter Tony Stewart and SRX sent to NASCAR saying the series was not trying to be a threat. Yates also mentioned the CARS Tour and co-owner Kevin Harvick, noting that both NASCAR and the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Dalton Hopkins reported that O’Donnell was asked if teams can run full or almost full seasons without a charter. He pointed to JTG Daugherty Racing and Gaunt Brothers Racing as past examples. He also listed charter owners active in other series, including Justin Marks and Gene Haas. O’Donnell confirmed that JR Motorsports and Andretti Autosport, working with Honda, showed interest in buying charters.
Charter Negotiations, Cost Caps, and Financial Claims
Matt Weaver of Motorsport reported that O’Donnell said team views were split on cost caps. He said about half the garage supported the idea, while bigger teams like Hendrick, Gibbs, and Penske “may not be enthusiastic.” He added that a cost floor would push spending up for teams running under the minimum.
Matt Weaver also reported O’Donnell’s reaction to the team’s four-pillar plan. He said it would be a $720 million hit. “I was pretty shocked because our broadcast deal was 800-something,” he said. “We didn’t see a path forward to grow the sport.”
O’Donnell also compared numbers with IndyCar. He said IndyCar teams get 25 percent of revenue, about $2 to $2.5 million per entry. During re-examination, attorney Jeffrey Kessler said IndyCar’s TV deal works out to about $8 million per entry. “I think that’s 700 percent of 8 Kessler said.” O’Donnell replied, “Okay.”
SRX Concerns, Public Funding, and End-of-Day Moments
Hopkins reported that O’Donnell acknowledged city support for tracks like Bowman Gray Stadium and Phoenix Raceway. Kessler then asked whether the CARS Tour was a “premier stock car series.” O’Donnell said it was a “touring series,” and Judge Richard E. Myers II added it was “not a premier racing series.”
Kessler raised SRX again, pointing to the earlier non-threat letter. O’Donnell said he became concerned when Chase Elliott raced in SRX with “the same sponsor and same number,” which he saw as a possible intellectual property issue.
O’Donnell also agreed that teams would be worth more with permanent charters and confirmed that Gaunt Brothers Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing could not keep racing without one. Hopkins reported that O’Donnell said NASCAR Chairman Jim France “and the board” rejected the teams’ revised charter terms.
Matt Weaver added that O’Donnell called his meeting with 23XI’s Curtis Polk “the most difficult meeting I’ve had” in NASCAR and said he sometimes vented in emails and notes.
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