Jordan and the 23XI Racing team he co-owns refused to sign the deal Friday night.
Front Row Motorsports, a much smaller organization, surprisingly took the same stance as high-powered 23XI.
23XI and Front Row are the only two current chartered organizations that did not sign extensions that run through 2031.
Because of a non-disparagement clause NASCAR added to the latest offer, almost none of the teams that signed are willing to talk on the record about the negotiations and how they eventually gave up on three of their critical demands.
23XI is largely represented in the charter fight with NASCAR by co-owners Denny Hamlin and Jordan confidant Curtis Polk, who arrived at Atlanta with two typed pages of notes he read to reporters to explain why the team did not take NASCAR’s offer.
Polk described the fight with NASCAR as “David facing Goliath,” with NASCAR essentially threatening to eliminate the charters if the deal wasn’t accepted by midnight.
He said other teams “may have felt pressured and compelled to sign the agreement under significant duress.”
The agreement was reached less than 48 hours before NASCAR’s playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and multiple teams told The Associated Press they felt pressured to take what was presented as a “take it or leave it final offer” with the clock ticking on a deadline to sign.
