NASCAR is currently caught in a whirlwind of controversy as the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports went to trial this week. A jury has been seated, and both parties have been presenting their cases. Former driver Kenny Wallace has now spoken up and explained how NASCAR put itself in this difficult position.
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Wallace believes that the formation of the Race Team Alliance, or RTA, is the core reason for all the chaos that followed. The alliance is a collaboration between all the Cup Series team owners and was created to fight for their collective well-being. Wallace said that the group was initially focused on practical matters, such as obtaining fuel more cheaply by buying in bulk.
Over time, the RTA began requesting meetings with NASCAR and started asking for more. This is when the conversation around a charter system began, and NASCAR agreed to it simply to keep the teams satisfied. What the sanctioning body did not realize at the time were the complications it would bring. A series of unintended consequences soon followed, and NASCAR eventually became frustrated with the situation.
Wallace noted, “NASCAR really messed up when they started the charter system. They should never have done it because when you start things like this, now people are going to go ‘We don’t like this.’ So, NASCAR and RTA started working together, and NASCAR got tired of the charter system contract. So, NASCAR said, ‘Alright. This is our last offer. Take it or leave it.”
This corner that NASCAR pushed the team owners into was enough to subdue the majority. The billionaires like Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick just wanted the headache to end and agreed to sign the new agreement. The others, or Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, in particular, weren’t willing to just roll over and submit. In response, they sued NASCAR, and all the drama happened since.
He continued, “So, as time went on, they said, ‘Okay, we’re going to sue you because you’re telling us we have to sign the charter. We don’t want to sign it. And by the way, we’re going to operate as if we’re a charter team.’ Pretty ballsy of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports. So, my friends, that’s how we got here.”
So, is the RTA the beginning point of this entire story? If NASCAR views it that way and prevails in this courtroom battle, the alliance could be broken up for good. But if not, more extreme outcomes await the stock car racing world.
