The antitrust lawsuit filed by Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing against NASCAR has had mixed reactions from the racing community. Some feel that the France family has controlled the sport for far too long for their personal gains. Whereas, a section of the community, the veterans of the sport in particular, have sided with NASCAR.

Industry veteran and analyst Larry McReynolds didn’t hold out while sharing his take on the legal battle between the two parties. “Based on what little I know, based on what I hear and what people explain, it just does not sound like it’s going in their favor.” Now this support for NASCAR by the former crew chiefs and drivers is rather confusing, but they seem to have their reasons for it. Veteran driver Rick Mast, while speaking on Kenny Conversation, shared his perspective on why the old-timers are frustrated with 23XI and FRM’s legal battle against NASCAR.

Teams and drivers didn’t have a safety net in the form of charters back in the day

During the 80s and the 90s, the teams had to fight to be a part of the field. Unlike today, multiple entries rolled on the weekend and tried to qualify for the race. More than 40 cars would show on the racetrack that had a sponsor on the hood, but their spot on the grid wasn’t guaranteed. 40-plus entries in the modern era of NASCAR are only limited to crown jewel races like the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.

None of the teams back then had the charter system that would assure them their spot on the grid to start the race. And seeing Michael Jordan and Bob Jenkins quarrel over the fine details of who shall have the bigger piece of the pie has got the old-timers wound up. Sharing the consensus of industry veteran Rick Mast, he shared in-depth reasoning for standing in support of NASCAR.

“We didn’t have a net. We lost a lot of sponsorships because teams failed to make races okay. This thing (charters) came along to protect the teams, really protect the sponsors, but protect the teams, and one of the side benefits was that it was supposed to give the team owners some blue-sky value to their teams.” Mast said while speaking on Kenny Conversations.

He even shared the example of Junior Johnson & Associates and Bud Moore Engineering, who eventually folded due to lack of sponsorship money. “So the charter thing was a benefit to that, and it’s something that we all wanted so bad our whole careers, right? And now it comes along, and NASCAR’s got it, and we’re like, Man, you guys don’t really understand how good you’ve got it right now as compared to the way we had to deal with it.”

It is important to note that NASCAR from the 90s and 2000s had a steady flow of sponsorship money. Drivers made a fortune winning races and championships, and for the most part, the team owners also had it good. The same certainly cannot be said for how things are in 2024.

The charter system isn’t enough to keep the team afloat financially

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Handing out team charters doesn’t necessarily guarantee on-track success or longevity in the sport. We have seen multiple chartered teams leaving the sport for good; Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row, and Richard Petty Motorsports are just a few big names from that list. To make things tricky, NASCAR has consolidated by purchasing International Speedway Corporations and rolling out the Gen 7 car.

Now, the teams have to go to NASCAR’s approved third-party vendors for the parts for their race cars. As far as sponsorship is concerned, things are looking bleak. The domino effect started with M&M’s parting ways with Kyle Busch. This year the likes of Hooters, GEICO, and FedEx have also opted to take an exit door. There was a time when Fortune 500 companies lined up to feature on the race cars, and today teams have to rely on multiple partners to see out the season.

Even the winningest organization, Hendrick Motorsports, hasn’t been able to churn out a profit in the last 10 years. “I don’t think Hendrick Motorsports have made a profit in 10 years. And then you say, why do you do it? Well, it’s because Rick Hendrick loves the sport, he loves the cars, and it’s good branding.” Jeff Gordon revealed this insight. While passion is what drives the teams and drivers to compete, it’s fair to say the current financial system is somewhat broken and needs an overhaul.

Mast acknowledged these concerns but stated that teams will never have a place on the table next to NASCAR. “I get it from that perspective, and owners not making profits. You can’t make money doing it; why the hell are you doing it? Well, a lot of people do it because they love it. I mean, I get all this; I get what 23XI and Front’s trying to do. They’re trying to get more money for the race teams and some of the things, like a little bit more power and more control, and that will never happen, okay.”

Which side of the fence are you on in the ongoing legal dispute between NASCAR and 23XI Racing/FRM?