General view of the NASCAR logo. David Yeazell-Imagn Images

NASCAR makes huge announcement in anti-trust case between teams, NASCAR

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 9:20 PM ET

A Dec. 1 trial date is set in the anti-trust case between 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR, but both the teams and sanctioning body appear to be open to a settlement.

Per Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, NASCAR called for a settlement before the December trial in a court filing on Monday.

.@NASCAR in a new court filing tonight has called for an order "directing the parties to participate in a judicial settlement conference to be convened by the Court and appointing a judicial officer, such as the magistrate judge ... to preside over the settlement conference."
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) October 6, 2025

"Following the hearing, one of 23XI's owner stated, 'We've always been open to a settlement. This is an area where the parties are actually in full agreement. NASCAR would also like to resolve this case prior to trial."

.@NASCAR has called for a settlement: "Following the hearing, one of 23XI’s owners stated, 'We’ve always been open to a settlement. Always have been.' .. This is an area where the parties are actually in full agreement. NASCAR would also like to resolve this case prior to trial."
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) October 7, 2025

More details on the anti-trust case

23XI Racing co-owner and NASCAR Cup Series team driver Denny Hamlin said he was open to a settlement at Pocono Raceway in June. Less than a month later, however, Hamlin said in a news conference at Dover Motor Speedway that during the trial on Dec. 1, "all will be exposed."

NASCAR's statement in the filing comes a little over a month after the courtroom battle between the sanctioning body and the teams turned nasty, with revealing text messages between 23XI Racing and NASCAR leadership being revealed.

It's now been over a year since 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports sued NASCAR and the France family over a dispute in the charter deal that NASCAR presented teams with for the 2025 season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: