A federal district court judge, Kenneth D. Bell, had previously granted the two teams their long-awaited preliminary injunction. Thanks to this ruling, both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports would enter the Cup Series as chartered teams in 2025. This ruling also confirmed the transfer of the Stewart Haas Racing charter to FRM, as it was blocked by NASCAR given their legal dispute.

NASCAR did try to throw a dice in, trying to delay the transfer of the charters, and filed an emergency motion. However, the court reprimanded the use of these tactics: “NASCAR’s ‘release to race” requirement simply doesn’t pass muster and is likely to be found to violate antitrust law.” This was followed by a ruling that the court wouldn’t tolerate any further delays by NASCAR to transfer the SHR charter to Front Row Motorsports. And it looks like the sanctioning body has finally come through after lifting the embargo on FRM to add a third car to their roster.

Tony Stewart breathes a huge sigh of relief with the charter transfer to FRM

Stewart Haas Racing, despite closing its race team at the end of the 2024 season, got caught up in the lawsuit unnecessarily. Although both 23XI Racing and FRM had purchased a charter each from them, it was NASCAR who had the final say in the transfer to the new owners. The value of charters is estimated to be in the $25-30 million range; the good news for them is that NASCAR has finally lifted the ban and has processed the transfer of the charter. And with this lawsuit, Stewart and his associates couldn’t get a return on their investment.

“FRM has finalized the purchase of our third charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. Announcement on driver, car number, and additional partners will be coming soon.” Jerry Freeze, FRM’s General Manager, shared this update in a statement via social media. Had the team not been able to get the injunction, SHR would’ve found themselves stranded. Either looking to offload these charters on a sale price or field two cars next year. Fortunately, with this ruling, they won’t need to worry about these doomsday scenarios.

Meanwhile, 23XI Racing didn’t file a request in their injunction request, which is why they haven’t been granted their charter. The court stated that 23XI Racing is open to filing a new request, which the judge will consider on its own merits. But given that the precedent has been set, that wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, NASCAR themselves have agreed to transfer the charters to 23XI Racing on the condition that they won’t use it as an argument when they appeal the decision.

However, there’s still a lot of work to do as far as FRM is concerned; they need to confirm the driver that will pilot their new entry. Moreover, details about sponsorship and car number are also yet to be finalized.

Who will drive the third FRM car in 2025?

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Big changes are happening within the team ahead of the next season. Veteran driver Michael McDowell has left the organization and joined Spire Motorsports. Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland will take a more senior role leading the charge for the team in the No. 38 car. To add more muscle to the team’s firepower, they also brought in Noah Gragson, who was on the lookout for a new seat after SHR’s closure.

But, with the team expanding to a three-car setup for the 2025 season, they were on the lookout for a new driver. Without the injunction, all their plans were put to a halt until today, and this has started the conversation on who would be FRM’s third driver. Well, most of the silly season business concluded well in advance due to the SHR’s departure and the lawsuit itself. The likes of Ryan Preece and Riley Herbst were two of the few options for the team to look at, but they’ve also found their new teams.

Preece has joined RFK Racing, who is also expanding to a three-car setup, whereas Herbst will pilot the third entry for 23XI Racing. This leaves Zane Smith as the only good option. Smith was once FRM’s bright young talent, but he switched lanes and joined Trackhouse Racing and Team Chevy. However, with SVG moving into the team and Daniel Suarez signing an extension, he was let go. Now that FRM is in the clear with their third charter, they should be moving quickly and are likely to announce Smith’s return in the Cup car for next year.