In a way, the recently concluded antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR and 23XI Racing transformed numerous facets of the teams. NASCAR’s decision to address the requisite demands of teams and grant charters permanently to NASCAR outfits, from negotiating profit-sharing percentages, while potentially sparing the two organizations, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, from expulsion had they lost the lawsuit, among countless other ramifications. However, Tyler Reddick recently stated that the settlement of the lawsuit failed to alter anything inside the garage, particularly.
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When the lawsuit was filed in 2024, just before the playoffs commenced, Denny Hamlin appeared noticeably tense, and to some degree, that anxiety manifested in his performance as well. Apparently, he made a point of not transmitting that mindset into his Airspeed garage, so the performance of his drivers and crews remained unaffected.
That’s why when Reddick appeared for a video call interview discussing the atmosphere of the 23XI Racing garage following the antitrust lawsuit settlement, he remarked, “It sounds a bit cliché, but a lot of people here just stayed locked in during that period. I’m sure you want me to say, like, ‘Oh, man, like people are jumping for joy. And, it’s just a totally different environment now.'”
“I think it just speaks to how locked in the men and women here at Airspeed are. Certainly, it’s nice that it’s all behind us now. But yeah. I wish I could say ‘Oh yeah it’s totally different. It’s gonna make it’s gonna make a huge difference for us.’ It’s not the case. Everyone seems just as locked in. So, it is nice it’s behind us though like from that standpoint. It’s done, and it’s in the past.”
Tyler Reddick fielded some questions (including from myself) about the 23XI/FRM vs. NASCAR lawsuit, how he kept up with it, and its aftermath.
He said that the environment at Airspeed has been pretty stable, but “certainly it’s nice that it’s all behind us now” and he was happy… https://t.co/pBiFnjcUKq pic.twitter.com/anZnuWEjyt
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) January 30, 2026
Meanwhile, the lawsuit undeniably rescued the careers of Reddick and his teammate, Bubba Wallace. Had 23XI Racing lost its antitrust battle against NASCAR, both Reddick and Wallace likely would have forfeited their guaranteed starting positions in races and faced potential contract terminations.
Without charters, the organization’s No. 23 and No. 45 cars would have become open entries, meaning they would have been forced to qualify for each race on merit. If more than 40 cars attempted to qualify for a race, one or more of the 23XI cars could miss the event entirely.
As open teams, they would have collected significantly less purse money and a smaller share of other revenues than chartered teams, which would have impacted their overall compensation and the team’s financial viability.
And on a higher level, had the team lost the lawsuit, team owner Michael Jordan might have shuttered the operation, as he was prepared to exit the sport if the fight for permanent charters proved unsuccessful. That would have left both drivers without a team, their futures uncertain and prospects bleak.
So, while the #45 driver and the crew might contend that the lawsuit didn’t necessarily affect the organization’s internal operations, a considerable weight was lifted off their shoulders when NASCAR agreed to the settlement.
