NASCAR prepares for super speedway shenanigans – and potential courtroom drama.
Last weekend’s Round of 12 kickoff race at Kansas Speedway produced another non-playoff winner in Ross Chastain. Chastain has a habit of breaking up the playoff party, from his legendary Hail Melon move at Martinsville in 2022 to his win in last year’s season finale at Phoenix.
This time, he beat another non-playoff driver in somewhat dramatic fashion. Kyle Busch, winless since last year, is trying everything in his extensive playbook to win a Cup race in his 20th straight year. Sunday, he was leading Chastain by around a half second with a mere 33 laps to go when disaster struck. Busch’s Chevrolet lost control and spun while attempting to lap championship hopeful Chase Briscoe, ending Busch’s shot at winning the race. We’re not giving up hope on Busch keeping his streak alive, however – with NASCAR heading to Talladega this weekend, anything’s possible.
Of course, that wasn’t the only drama at Kansas Speedway. All three Penske cars – Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano – experienced hardship, while Kyle Larson wrecked early in the race and Christopher Bell met the wall himself soon after. It remains to be seen how these miscues will impact those teams heading into the cutoff race at the Charlotte Rival in two weeks.
The more fascinating drama is happening off track, however. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, alleging unfair treatment. Jeffrey Kessler, a sports lawyer who has presided over similar cases in other sports, thinks that NASCAR may represent the most egregious sports monopoly he’s ever seen. Under control by the France family since its inception, many insiders believe that NASCAR’s pie keep getting bigger, at the expense of the teams, the fans, and even the sponsors.
This lawsuit comes after nearly two years of tense negotiations relating to TV deals and the charter system, among other issues. Most teams have – reluctantly or otherwise – signed NASCAR’s proposed agreement, but 23XI and Front Row Motorsports have refused, and it looks as though they intend to go to war if that’s what it takes to make a positive change for the future of the sport. This is an especially bold move considering that 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin and 23XI driver Tyler Reddick are currently locked in a battle for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. We’ll have to see how the case – and the championship chase – proceeds next week.
Photo:NASCAR
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