NASCAR stood on the opposite side of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports in the courtroom just a month and a half ago, locked in an antitrust battle that laid bare tensions within the sport. The lawsuit framed the sanctioning body and the teams as adversaries fighting over power, money, and control. Yet after NASCAR chose to settle the dispute outside the courthouse, the dynamic seems to have shifted fast.
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It looks like the relationship between them has not just stabilized, it has even evolved, with both sides now tied together through an expanded partnership that includes a new sponsor, Hardee’s. For NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace, it’s not a shock, though.
Reflecting on the situation, Wallace framed it through his lived experience. “Hardee’s took place of McDonald’s and they’re going to be Bubba Wallace’s sponsor, a million dollars or so, but they’re sharing the sponsor with NASCAR,” he said on his show.
“I’ve heard stories of people suing each other and going to dinner because they say when you go to the courthouse, can you imagine having a fight with your wife and saying, ‘Let’s go to court and settle this?'” Wallace added.
“I know a couple people, I know a driver and car owner that were suing each other and were still going to dinner. So 23XII sues NASCAR, and now they’re sharing Hardee’s as the sponsor cuz Hardee’s is like the official sponsor of NASCAR. When you grow older like me, you’ll realize that people can MF each other and go and put their arm around each other. It’s the craziest damn thing.”
“Coffee with Kenny”
WHAT? @NASCAR & 23/11 share a sponsor)
Kurt Busch and record @DAYTONA 24 crowd pic.twitter.com/sTgas5rsez
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) January 23, 2026
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed suit against NASCAR, alleging monopolistic practices, issues with charter agreement negotiations, financial imbalance between teams and the league, and broader structural concerns about how the sport operates in 2024. The case escalated into a legal battle, resulting in eight days of testimony. Despite the hostility, the settlement opened the door for a reset.
But now the shift has become more visible with Hardee’s entering the picture. The fast-food brand is ready to serve as the primary sponsor for Bubba Wallace’s car at 23XI Racing while also stepping in as NASCAR’s Official Quick Service Restaurant through a multiyear agreement. The alignment places Hardee’s in a dual role, linking a team that had just challenged the sport in court with the sanctioning body it sued.
What appeared irreparably fractured during the lawsuit proved more flexible once the legal dust settled. After days of testimony in a courtroom fight, with the settlement, both sides moved swiftly to restore a working relationship. For 23XI Racing to compete at the highest level and for NASCAR to continue expanding its commercial footprint, cooperation mattered more than ongoing resentment.
That’s why the Hardee’s deal materialized from that shared understanding. With McDonald’s exiting as a primary sponsor, 23XI Racing needed a new cornerstone partner. At the same time, Hardee’s sought a reentry into NASCAR through a competitive, high-visibility team. The overlap created an opportunity that served both interests.
