NASCAR icon Tony Stewart seems to be on a path to distance himself from NASCAR racing. One of the reasons that led him to shut down Stewart Haas Racing was the charter agreement. In a recent interview, Smoke turned against NASCAR and labeled the charter deal as a “joke.” He made his stance clear that he is an old-school guy when it comes to racing, and he wasn’t going to sign up for the new charter agreement.

It looks like NASCAR has heard the reservations and complaints made by their former superstar driver. Instead of going defensive in their stance and trying to tackle Tony Stewart’s argument, the sanctioning body has made Smoke a proposal. Even after his exit from the sport, NASCAR president, Steve Phelps invited Smoke to work with them.

NASCAR didn’t take Tony Stewart’s criticism to heart

Tony Stewart and SHR were one of the worst-hit teams in terms of track performance and financial backing. After the departure of their star driver, Kevin Harvick, they were in a state of limbo. Busch Light and other big sponsors found new homes. Whereas, there were question marks if SHR would retain its OEM partner Ford. Well, all of this did take a toll on the owners, especially Stewart, who then wasn’t willing to ink a new agreement, which could see him on the bitter end of the stick.

However, despite his exit and reservations surrounding the charter agreement, NASCAR is open to hearing out Smoke’s concern and is willing to work with him. “Steve Phelps also says even with Tony Stewart selling his Charters, that #NASCAR would welcome Stewart to be involved or around the sport as long as he wants to be around.” Toby Christie shared this update on X. Stewart also shared the example of how things have gone downhill with 23XI Racing and FRM suing NASCAR. According to him, this was the perfect time for him to take an exit from the sport.

Stewart Haas Racing was one of the premier NASCAR racing teams in the last decade. With two championship wins and a regular appearance in the final 4, they were essentially part of the Big 4 equation. Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske were the other three. However, the team hasn’t been able to transition well in the Next Gen era, and crippling finances left no choice for Smoke but to pull the plug on his race team.

Speaking of charters, there is a possibility that Tony Stewart’s charters that 23XI Racing and FRM bought are under serious concern. Especially after the court denied the preliminary injunction plea to allow them to run as chartered organizations in 2025.

What’s next for the SHR charters?

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were expanding to three-car operations from 2025 onwards. But, having declined to sign the new charter agreement and suing NASCAR on anti-trust grounds, there was always a doubt whether the sale of the two charters would go through. NASCAR has already decided to start planning for the 2025 season with only 32 charters. Also, NASCAR has the final say in the transfer of ownership rights of the charters, which hasn’t gone green in 23XI and FRM’s case.

To make matters worse, the court denied the team’s appeal for the preliminary injunction. “At this time, Plaintiffs have not met their burden as required for a preliminary injunction. Should circumstances change, Plaintiffs may file a renewed motion for preliminary injunction.” This was the statement shared by Bob Pockrass on X.

NASCAR can take over the control of these charters, and there is a possibility that other teams would be able to purchase them. This is still a hypothetical situation given that 23XI Racing and FRM can both file and appeal to this verdict. For 23XI, the prospect of racing as an open team is incredibly threatening. Not only does it risk sponsorships, but the team also has its star driver Tyler Reddick on the line. According to Michael Jordon’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, Reddick can terminate his contract if there is no charter.