It looks like there’s no end to the constant back-and-forth between NASCAR and the Cup Series team over signing a charter extension. Over a year has elapsed since the charter negotiations began, but for some reason, the two parties could never come to terms. And now that only four months are left to settle this affair, NASCAR seems to have upped the ante in their efforts.

Pretty much everyone was engrossed in the heated playoff battle going into the penultimate race at Darlington Raceway last weekend. Although Chase Briscoe winning the Southern 500 was indeed the big highlight of the day, Michael Jordan’s business partner Curtis Polk also made the headlines. He pinned a message on the back of the shirt that read, “Please don’t ask me about my Charter. I don’t want to disparage NASCAR and lose it.”

This reminded everyone of the sad state of affairs between NASCAR and the team owners over the new charter agreement. And going by Sports Business Journal’s report, Polk took a jab at NASCAR after they added an anti-disparagement clause to the charter deal. “They do not want you speaking negatively; that’s a new addition to the charter agreement,” Hamlin said via the Actions Detrimental Podcast show.

Moreover, the governing body is also looking to wrap up the negotiation with its premier teams. This final round of negotiations is expected to start this week before the start of the playoffs in Atlanta. While NASCAR has offered renewed revenue splits aligning with the new TV agreement, the deal between the two parties is far from confirmed.

Adam Stern, who has documented the charter negotiations, shared this update via his X account. “@NASCAR hopes to reach an agreement on a new governing charter system with its premier series teams this week to avoid having the talks spill over into its playoffs, which start this weekend at Atlanta, per sources.” However, the fans certainly didn’t like the stance NASCAR has taken to bend the teams to accept their terms.

Fans paint NASCAR as a villain over stalled charter negotiations

These negotiations are believed to have started last year, and still, there seems to be no definitive end to it. NASCAR certainly doesn’t want to lose its grip over the sport, and a franchise model certainly shakes things up. However, being the big boys as they are of the sport, they could’ve handled these processes better. “How bad is NASCAR at negotiating deals bro.”

Other fans insinuated that NASCAR is intentionally running the clock down so that teams will hit the panic button and accept the deal that is on the table. This would work in their favor, as they hold the leverage after securing a TV deal worth $7.7 billion. “Make no mistake, NASCAR is incredible at it. Look at the TV deals, ratings go down TV deals go way up. They know the teams have no real leverage, and are taking advantage of that running this down to the wire.”

Reacting to the NASCAR new clause about censoring teams or drivers speaking against the governing body, this fan added. “Nascar attempting to censor their teams and drivers is a wild but unsurprising move.”

NASCAR is a family-owned business, and the France family has held a firm grip over its run ever since its inception. However, the mere idea of a franchise model could see them lose their influence and decision-making process. Adding to this argument, a fan replied, “NASCAR is so dumb man. France family clinging to power. Franchises are better for EVERYONE. @stevephelps.”

In a doomsday scenario, the team could even boycott turning up at the Daytona 500 race in 2025. This isn’t the sight either NASCAR or the teams would like to see. As much as the hierarchy has helped shape and elevate the sport to what it is today, the teams have played an equal part in it. It’s just that they want an economically viable structure that helps them keep afloat. Speaking in favor of the teams, another user shared, “Without the Teams & their Race Cars there is no show.”

Given how NASCAR has remained firm, it is likely that the team owners will have to make a compromise. But again, nothing can be said for certain until there is an official word on how things will unfold after 2024.