It’s fair to say that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ lawsuit against NASCAR is a challenge to the status quo. Both teams have accused NASCAR of being monopolies and are set to file a preliminary injunction next week, after which the sanctioning body has two weeks to respond. In some ways, the showdown was inevitable, especially after two years of intense negotiations yielded little compromise from both parties. That was until 13 teams signed the sanctioning body’s final proposal under the most bizarre circumstances.

RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski was one of them. While the NASCAR garage is keeping a close eye on the proceedings, the 40-year-old racing veteran has distanced his team from the lawsuit ahead of the playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Brad Keselowski is rather focused on growing the sport

The lawsuit could significantly reshape NASCAR, a sport long dominated by the France family. However, this time, NASCAR faces a strong challenge from an unusual alliance. Both sides are fiercely determined, making a settlement unlikely and a courtroom battle more probable. This case could lead to major changes, for better or worse, depending on the outcome.

When asked by FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass about what he likes the outcome of the lawsuit to be, Brad Keselowski candidly replied, “I just want peace. What I want is for our entire industry to become laser-focused on growing the sport and to have incentives that connect to where we all win when that happens.”

Distancing himself from any form of rebellion against NASCAR, the RFK Racing co-owner responded to Pockrass’ question about being pressured into signing an agreement by saying, “That’s open to a thousand different ways of interpretation. Always going to be fighting for a piece of the pie, the reality is we want to grow the sport as a whole. I know that’s where my head’s at. I can’t control anything else that happens outside my own world, but I can do whatever small part possible to grow NASCAR and motorsports as a whole. That’s where my focus is.”

Under the 2025 charter agreement, Brad Keselowski and his team, along with 12 others, are restricted from joining 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports in their anti-trust lawsuit against NASCAR. Keselowski’s remark about being “happy” with the agreement could hint at the limited options available to team owners, as NASCAR reportedly gave them a take-it or leave-it deal that would revoke their charters if they refused to sign.

As he signed the charter agreement the RFK Racing co-owner had reportedly said, “We want to run NASCAR for a long time to come and signing the charter agreement is a statement to our commitment to doing just that. We’ve got great plans for the sport and excited to see that continue on for quite some time.”

For teams that signed, like Keselowski’s, staying neutral and observing from the sidelines may indeed be the wisest approach. They face little risk, as they stand to benefit no matter the lawsuit’s outcome. If 23XI Racing and FRM prevail, all teams might secure better terms, and if NASCAR wins, the existing agreement still protects their interests. It’s a win-win situation, allowing these teams to remain impartial without compromising potential gains.

Richard Childress couldn’t risk losing his charters either

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NASCAR set a hard midnight deadline right before the start of the opening Cup Series playoff race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, demanding team owners sign the multi-year charter extension or risk losing their charters. With charters valued between $30 and $50 million, the stakes were high, and the risk of losing such a significant investment forced many owners to sign the agreement to protect their positions in the sport.

Brad Keselowski wasn’t the only team owner who voiced his opinion about the charter agreement. Claiming that they were pressured to agree with NASCAR’s terms, Richard Childress said, “We didn’t have a choice to sign them. It was just, ‘You sign it or you lose your charters.’ I couldn’t take that gamble, period. And I know a lot of owners I talked to felt the same way. I’ll put it like this: If you want to race, you race in their park if you want to race NASCAR.”

As per the new agreement, teams received a sizable increase in money because of the multi-billion dollar media deal signed by NASCAR. While the sport looks to reduce its dependency on sponsorships and get a bigger slice of the pie, many of the demands made by owners were left unfulfilled.

One of which was the need for permanent charters to protect the investments that were being made to remain competitive on the racetrack. However, the sanctioning body was not interested in offering permanence, forcing teams to settle for what was on the table.