Wonder why
NASCAR wouldn't want anybody to hear this one... In case you missed it with everything else going on, there was big news in the NASCAR world this week. Two race teams, 23XI Racing (which is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin) and Front Row Motorsports, filed an
antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its owners the France family, accusing the sport of being an illegal monopoly. The litigation stems from a disagreement between the teams and the sanctioning body over a proposed charter agreement for 2025. For some background, NASCAR introduced its first charter system back in 2016, which would grant a set number of charters (currently at 36) that would guarantee teams would be able to compete in every Cup Series race. The thinking behind the system was that it would provide stability for teams when it comes to selling sponsorship: Cars would be guaranteed a spot in the race, so it would be easier for their teams to find a sponsor when there was no risk that they wouldn't qualify for the race. But that original agreement expires after this season (after being extended in 2020), and teams have been working to negotiate a new agreement that would provide a greater share of television revenue to the race teams, among other improvements that they were seeking to help improve their own financial stability. Of course NASCAR pushed back on many of the requests by teams, giving them an increased share of the TV revenue but not meeting the number that some team owners (like 23XI Racing team owner Denny Hamlin) claims is necessary for teams to break even. And the proposed agreement presented by NASCAR also reportedly included a non-disparagement clause, preventing the teams from publicly criticizing the sanctioning body, as well as a provision that allowed NASCAR itself to own charters and run their own teams. There's been a lot of back and forth, including criticism of NASCAR in the media, but eventually NASCAR presented team owners with what they said was their best deal and gave them an ultimatum: Sign it before the playoffs start, or we'll take your charters. Well the playoffs started last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and 13 of 15 NASCAR teams decided to just bite the bullet and sign the agreement, although many of them didn't exactly sound thrilled with the deal they got. But while a majority of the NASCAR teams decided to fall in line, there were two that held out: 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, leading up to the filing of the lawsuit this week.
In their complaint, the teams accuse NASCAR and CEO Jim France of "unlawful monopolization of premier stock car racing in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams."
The teams cite NASCAR's ownership of many of the tracks at which it races, as well as requirements that teams buy their parts from suppliers chosen by NASCAR, as proof that the sanctioning body has a monopoly on the sport of stock car racing.
According to the lawsuit:
“The France family and NASCAR are monopolistic bullies. And bullies will continue to impose their will to hurt others until their targets stand up and refuse to be victims. That moment has now arrived.” NASCAR hasn't responded publicly to the lawsuit, but in the meantime, the attorney for the two race teams has been making his rounds to explain their position and plead his case in the media. The teams are represented by Jeffrey Kessler, who is one of the most prominent antitrust lawyers in the country and has won major battles against the NFL, the NCAA and the US Soccer Federation. And after the lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, he appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio with host Dave Moody to explain the case and answer questions. Now, I won't get into what he said, because that's not really the point here. But what was more interesting was that after the interview aired, it was removed from the channel's website and no longer available to listen to on demand. The remainder of the show was posted online, but only Kessler's interview was conspicuously missing: https://twitter.com/Toby_Christie/status/1841902056291897719 Fans quickly began calling out the station, Moody, and even NASCAR for having the interview removed. (It's not clear whether NASCAR had any part in having it taken down, but it's pretty obvious why they wouldn't want anybody to hear it). And one of those who blasted the radio station for censorship was Denny Hamlin. The 23XI owner and NASCAR driver took to Twitter to call out the media for their bias: https://twitter.com/dennyhamlin/status/1841881063846552121 There hasn't been any explanation from Sirius, Moody or NASCAR for why that single portion of the show is missing from the channel's website. But luckily, the internet is forever so it's pretty easy to find if you're interested in listening to what Kessler had to say: https://twitter.com/MattWeaverRA/status/1841911223752777743 Regardless, it's a bad look for everybody to try to bury interviews that you don't like, and doesn't help the perception that NASCAR is a monopoly and controls everything related to the sport - including the media.
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