NASCARโข Team Owner Alleges France Blocked Revenue-Sharing, Forced Charter Agreement
CONCORD, N.C. – Frontโข Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkinsโค testified in an antitrust trialโค Thursday that โNASCAR Chairman and โขCEO Jim France refused โคto meet with โa group of team owners โrepresentingโ nineโ charters before presenting โthe final 2025 agreement, effectively silencing their concerns and pushing through a deal he believes isโ detrimental to โขteam profitability. Jenkins โstated France was simultaneously communicating with other team owners during this period.
Jenkins,who โdeclined to sign the newโฃ charter agreement,toldโค the court he has lost $100 million since becomingโ a team ownerโ inโข the early 2000s,despite a Daytona 500โค victory โin 2021. โHe described France as โ”a brick wall”โข during revenue-sharingโ discussions and accused NASCAR of using pressure โtactics, stating, “They did put a gunโ to our head and got a domino effect โ- โฃteams that saidโฃ they’d never sign saw their neighbor sign.”
The testimony is part of a trial examining allegations โthat NASCAR’s charter system illegally restricts competition. Jenkins detailed his frustration with both the โ2016 and โข2025 charter agreements, stating the 2024โข extension went โ”virtually backward in so many ways” compared toโข the previous deal, which โhe initially accepted as “a step in the rightโค direction.” No owners heโฃ has spoken with โฃare happyโข with โthe new agreement,he added.
Beyond the charter โdispute,Jenkins also criticized the cost โคof the Next Gen car,introduced in 2022 as a cost-saving measure. While initially projected โฃto cost โ$205,000, Jenkins testified the actual cost isโ closer to double โขdue to required purchases from specified NASCAR vendors and restrictions on โteam repairs. “To add $150,000 toโ $200,000 to the cost of the carโฃ -โข I don’t โthink any โof the teams anticipated that,” he said, adding โขthat the lack of ownershipโ over the car itself isโ “anti-competitive.”