The recent charter agreement has sparked significant debate within the NASCAR community, splitting team owners into opposing camps. While most have complied with NASCAR’s deadline, some owners have quietly voiced their frustration, feeling like the decision was pushed on them without enough room for negotiation. Among the quiet murmurs of discontent, 23XI Racing—co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin—stands as the lone, vocal opposition, refusing to sign the new charter agreement.

This bold move by 23XI Racing could either ignite much-needed dialogue about the growing concerns in NASCAR or backfire spectacularly. On one hand, their refusal to comply could force NASCAR to reconsider its unilateral approach and bring everyone back to the negotiation table. On the other, it risks severe consequences, including the potential cancellation of their charter, which would deal a massive blow to their two talented drivers, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. Losing their charter would throw 23XI’s entire future into question.

Meanwhile, other team owners seem to have accepted NASCAR’s terms, seeing the potential benefits of the deal—resources, financial backing, and stability—as outweighing NASCAR’s one-sided tactics. For them, it’s a game of give-and-take, and the rewards appear to justify swallowing the bitter pill of a lopsided agreement. As the dust settles, all eyes are on 23XI to see if their gamble will pay off or if it will mark a turning point in NASCAR’s power dynamics.

Michael Jordan’s team left alone to fight an arduous battle

Despite Front Row Motorsports being the other team to not sign the charter agreement with NASCAR, the situation between NASCAR and 23XI Racing is particularly vulnerable. Michael Jordan’s co-owned are vocal about getting a better position on the negotiation table with NASCAR. The Florida-based sanctioning body is in no mood to deliberate the issue further with any team, be it 23XI Racing. Therefore, the situation has escalated into a standoff with the future of the racing team looking more uncertain than the agreement being re-negotiated.

For other teams too, going all out against NASCAR is not even an option. While 23XI Racing has been relatively new to the NASCAR racing scene. It is expected that Michael Jordan’s entourage will handle any legal matters that may appear. However, not everyone in NASCAR is as powerful as Michael Jordan. In fact, for most of the racing teams, being at odds with NASCAR straight away means putting the future of the racing team in some serious jeopardy. Justin Marks, the co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, is one such team owner. Even though he is not entirely happy with the deal, Marks acknowledges the fact that Ross Chastain‘s famed team has limited options.

Sharing his thoughts on the entire row over the new charter agreement on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Justin Marks had this to say, “You know if the day doesn’t come when finally, somebody goes like we are done here. We’ve taken as long as we need. It will never come. The negotiations will never end. So me personally, as we continue to have the conversation, I would. Ready and be anticipating the day when NASCAR said this is it, we’re done. We have addressed all these issues. You know we won’t move on the same thing you want us to. We’ve agreed to 90% of this, 75% of this. Time to get this thing done. And the day came last week. You know, I sort of knew. It came at the back of my mind that NASCAR really wanted to put this thing to bed before going to the playoffs.”

Additionally, Marks also had some strong remarks about team owners who are trying to voice out their concerns even after they’ve signed the agreement. He also talked about the positives as the Trackhouse Racing owner takes a stand contradictory to 23XI Racing. Justin further added, “It’s hard. You know how I feel about it. There are things in the agreement that I really like that are gonna be very, very helpful to us. There are things in the agreement that are different in the way I would’ve ended up. They’re gonna be some challenges and I think it’s just both sides trying to get the best deal for them.”

Talking about the outlook of his team on the new charter agreement, Marks further added, “You know there is a lot of consensus in the group. This is probably where we are gonna end up. So we have to make some decisions.”For Trackhouse, you know I look at it and we didn’t get everything we wanted. But we got something we wanted. At the end of the day, the agreement is something I can build a business around. We can embark on the future. Embrace what it is and everything in it and go on ahead.”

While Trackhouse Racing has come out in open support of the new charter agreement. 23XI Racing’s position on the matter is now increasingly becoming their bone of contention with NASCAR racing.

23XI demands re-negotiations with NASCAR

With most teams finally signing the charter agreement with NASCAR, the future of 23XI Racing looks uncertain. The team wrote a letter to NASCAR on the deadline day which read, “23XI’s position, as stated in a letter to NASCAR, is that we did not have an opportunity to fairly bargain for a new charter contract. We notified NASCAR what issues needed to be addressed, in writing, at the deadline. We are interested in engaging in constructive discussions with NASCAR. To address these issues and move forward in a way that comes to a fair resolution while strengthening the sport we all love.”

Interestingly, NASCAR has abstained from commenting ever since the standoff-like situation with 23XI Racing came into being. A team’s failure to sign a charter can lead to several scenarios arising. This includes the loss of the concerned teams’ charter which negatively impacts the appearance of a team and the share of TV revenue. Additionally, without the charter agreement, the teams are then forced to compete for the open spots that are available for every race.