- NASCAR quietly updates charter-related rules midseason amid antitrust lawsuit from 23XI and Front Row.
- Rulebook revisions allow NASCAR to limit field entries and prioritize open teams via owner points, not speed.
- Changes could undermine legal claims of “irreparable harm” while keeping Reddick and Wallace safely on the grid.
NASCAR has issued a stealth rulebook revision that could alter the trajectory of the 2025 Cup Series season for 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports — all while the sport prepares to crown its first In-Season Challenge winner and faces mounting courtroom pressure.
On Monday, leaked screenshots surfaced online allegedly showing updated language in NASCAR’s Cup Series rulebook, specifically targeting the controversial charter system. These changes surfaced as the legal battle escalates between the sanctioning body and two of its most prominent open-entry teams.
Both 23XI Racing, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports filed a federal antitrust lawsuit arguing that NASCAR’s system unfairly monopolizes team access and puts non-chartered outfits at financial and competitive disadvantage. Their charter statuses were revoked earlier this season.
The new “Open Exemption Provisional Policy” removes the last-resort entry clause and instead grants NASCAR complete discretion to cap the field at 40 cars, as it has in the past. More notably, it redefines how open teams qualify. Instead of relying purely on single-lap qualifying speed, grid spots will now be determined by the Team Owner Points standings if field size becomes an issue.
Up to six open teams can qualify this way, a move insiders say could weaken the lawsuit’s “irreparable harm” argument — namely that losing a charter puts teams at risk of missing races altogether and going out of business.
This change could prove pivotal. Both Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace remain competitive, ranking fifth and 13th respectively in the Owner Championship standings. Their strength means that even as open teams, they are unlikely to be bumped from the grid under this new system.
NASCAR charters come with guaranteed race entry and a share of the sport’s media rights money, valued at $7.7 billion. Open teams receive no such assurances, making them less appealing to sponsors due to their uncertain status.
The change first came into play at Dover, where both 23XI entries made the field. Hamlin, ironically, won the race but declined to comment on the legal situation. Reddick also passed on making a statement. Wallace has previously suggested he may leave 23XI if charter security cannot be regained.
Although the revised rules may keep the likes of Reddick and Wallace safe from DNQs, the financial gap between chartered and open teams remains wide. Whether the new wording will hold up under legal scrutiny when the case goes to trial remains to be seen.
With a $1 million payday on the line at the Brickyard and legal fireworks waiting in December, NASCAR’s handling of this situation could reshape not just the 2025 season — but the future of how the sport is governed.
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