Every day draws NASCAR and its teams closer to the dreaded deadline on November 10 when the ten-year charter agreement drawn in 2015 expires. Several rounds of negotiations later, the parties are yet to reach a consensus heading to the season’s fourth race at Phoenix, and president Steve Phelps has provided a much-needed update as to where things stand.
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He told NBC Sports on Saturday that negotiations were actively on and that the teams desired to get things done, the same as the promotion. Phelps said after acknowledging the differences with the teams, “What I do know is that it’s going to be a fair deal, and it’s going to put our teams in a better financial position, a path to profitability, for sure.”
Phelps continued that NASCAR’s existing proposal was already drafted to increase the enterprise value of teams and that they were in a “good place” to finalize matters. Though Phelps’ recent words are optimistic and throw a sliver of light in an otherwise dark room, when or how the agreement will be settled remains a question.
The recent word as per Jayski was that NASCAR was offering to extend the charter agreement by 7 years – concurrent with the new media deal. Teams are however, pushing for a permanent presence on the grid along with additional revenue from the media deal. A middle ground could be reached should the teams be willing to meet a set list of requirements that guarantee permanency.
NASCAR snubs Race Team Alliance’s request to meet
The Race Team Alliance had organized a meeting during the Daytona weekend to discuss the charter deal, but NASCAR had failed to show up for it. With teams then choosing to retain their anti-trust lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler, there has been no comment about NASCAR’s seven-year extension offer.
The teams are currently sticking together with a self-appointed negotiating committee taking the lead on things. The committee includes Joe Gibbs Racing President Dave Alpern, RFK Racing President Steve Newmark, 23XI Racing’s Curtis Polk, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon.
With the negotiating window already expired and the current agreement ending in less than a year, teams are technically open to holding talks with other racing series and joining them in 2025.
Despite the gloomy outlook that the situation provides, Phelps’s recent update can be taken as a positive step toward a resolution.
