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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Has Run Out of Solutions for NASCAR Charter Issue: ‘I Am Tired of This'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gowtham Ramalingam | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 11:27 AM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most influential individuals in NASCAR, and his opinions are much respected in all circles. Seldom does he not have an idea that would resolve conflicts within the sport. But even he doesn't know how the sanctioning body and 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports are going to put an end to the ongoing charter dispute.

NASCAR and the teams are currently at a crossroads ahead of the December 1 trial. While both parties are willing to settle the matter ahead of the date, they can't seem to come to an agreement over who must mediate the settlement talks. The sanctioning body wants a new judge to take up the role, while the teams want the existing mediator to continue.

This clash is something that has frustrated Junior to a great extent. He said on the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, "I am on the boat that absolutely wishes this would get settled soon. I am... everybody is tired of this. I don't know what it would take to make both sides happy. I think everybody has got their heels dug in. There's some pride and ego involved."

The field goes through turn 11 during the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NASCAR was the first to come out and say that it was willing to reopen settlement talks once again after the failed attempt in August. This appeared to be a showcase of goodwill, but Junior believes that it did so just to change the public perception in its favor and tell the message that it is open to peace if the terms it dictates can be accepted.

How Junior’s Hopes Got Crushed by 23XI Racing

For a while after NASCAR extended its hand, Junior had gotten his hopes up, thinking that it would be a step in the right direction to sort things out. But the response that 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports filed blew out the flickering candle he held.

He said, "You see 23XI's response, and it doesn't sound like they can even agree on how to come to terms with a conversation to settle, right? Not only can we not agree on the lawsuit and a settlement, we can't agree on how to have that conversation."

A work stoppage or strike in a large-scale sports operation, such as the Major League Baseball, would spell big trouble and cause severe damage. Junior put those detrimental effects on the same line as what NASCAR is experiencing currently because of this utter fiasco that is running in the court.

"As unfun as that is to talk about, it's definitely what's happening in the sport today," he declared with a grim face. In its most recent filing on Friday night, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports underplayed what the promotion called a "massive" increase in payment to teams.

It noted that the said increase will not even keep up with inflation over the life of the charter agreement and that it is a lower figure than the average per charter payment that was offered back in 2022. What's certain is that the spiral keeps spinning out of control with each passing day and every response the parties deliver.

23XI/FRM in filing tonight: "What NASCAR bizarrely calls a 'massive' increase in payments to the teams will barely keep up with inflation over the life of the 2025 Charter Agreement and is less than the average per charter payments that NASCAR offered the teams in October 2022."
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) October 10, 2025

If all this does come down to December 1, the existing structure of NASCAR might change, and it might not be in a way that either party is completely satisfied with.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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