HE IS LEAVING: Nascar announced that Kyle Larson is Leaving immediately after Facing…..
The legal battle between NASCAR and the two teams that have filed a joint federal antitrust lawsuit took a nasty turn in court on Thursday.
Text messages from NASCAR as well as Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing Team, including NBA legend and co-owner Michael Jordan, as documents related to discovery were revealed per the Associated Press.
Front Row and 23XI filed suit alleging monopolistic practices after the two teams refused to sign extension agreements on charter agreement with the stock car racing giant and CEO and chairman Jim France in September, leading to NASCAR stating they plan to sell off the two charters, which guarantee 36 chartered teams entry into the 40-car field each week.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell claimed that NASCAR’s charter system pay may hang in the balance if a settlement isn’t reached prior to the Dec. 1 trial date.
“Everybody is going to get hurt if this thing goes a certain way,” Bell said on Thursday. “If either party feels certain they’re going to win.
NASCAR executive vice president and chief strategy officer, writing to NASCAR executives, “We have all the leverage and the teams will almost have to sign whatever terms we put in front of them.”
In addition, current NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps wrote that executives simply needed to “pick a date and (teams) can either sign or lose their charters. It is that simple.”
In response, NASCAR claimed the teams were not struggling financially, including introducing messages from Jordan claiming that that his team co-ownership is a hobby but that he can “Only can play but so much golf.”
