Report: Backlash squashes NASCAR CEO Jim France near deal to fund car in Cup Series this season

Did the Team Penske fallout in IndyCar prevent a scenario in NASCAR where CEO Jim France would field a car in the Cup Series? According to a new report, that appears to be the case.

Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic have put out an article detailing the potential deal Jim France had set up and the reasons for the fallout. There was reporting last year that France wanted to change the charter agreement to allow his family, who owns NASCAR, to buy into a chartered team.

This deal that Bianchi and Gluck sniffed out would have been an open entry for the Sonoma Raceway Cup Series race later this summer. France was set to work with Spire Motorsports to put Jack Aitken, a 29-year-old IMSA driver, in the race. Aitken races for a France-owned team in the sports car series.

While Bianchi and Gluck report that NASCAR and Jim France declined to comment, Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson was open about the deal. It apparently didn’t seem like a problem to Dickerson,

“I didn’t really even think it was that big of a deal,” the Spire co-owner said. “I didn’t even think it was that deep.”

The NASCAR garage wants to prevent a Team Penske-IndyCar situation. Given the controversy that plagued that series and the Indianapolis 500 earlier this month, when it was found that Penske had been using illegally modified parts dating back to 2024, it may be for the best.

Between this report from The Athletic and reports from last year about Jim France wanting to buy into a NASCAR charter, it is clear that the CEO wants to get involved in the sport. However, pushback from the garage has stopped those plans, for now.

NASCAR CEO Jim France wants to field a car – why?

This is where we get into the real issues with a privately owned sports league. What happens when the CEO and owner, Jim France, wants to get involved in competition? On top of the obvious conflict of interest, it couldn’t be a worse time to attempt this, as NASCAR and France are knee-deep in a legal battle with two Cup Series organizations.

Bianchi and Gluck reported that the original plan was to field a Hendrick Motorsports car. However, the four-car limit prevents Hendrick from fielding a fifth car, even an open car. Spire Motorsports has a Hendrick alliance and appeared to be the next best thing.

Many NASCAR fans already believe Hendrick is given special consideration. They are seen as the favorite child in the garage. Whether or not that is true, the perception is already there. Now, if the teams were equal partners in the sport, maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal. If there were a Competition Committee like there is in the NFL, the discussion could be had.

Right now, NASCAR is owned directly by Jim France and his family. And there are many objections to how the sport is being run. Attempting to enter the Cup Series as a team owner rightfully raises questions. The garage doesn’t sound like it wants a Penske-IndyCar deal. For now, it isn’t happening. However, France keeps trying to make it happen. After all, it is his world.