NASCAR Team Owner Alleges France Blocked Revenue-Sharing, Forced Charter Agreement
CONCORD, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins testified in an antitrust trial Thursday that NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France refused to meet with a group of team owners representing nine charters before presenting the final 2025 agreement, effectively silencing their concerns and pushing through a deal he believes is detrimental to team profitability. Jenkins stated France was simultaneously communicating with other team owners during this period.
Jenkins,who declined to sign the new charter agreement,told the court he has lost $100 million since becoming a team owner in the early 2000s,despite a Daytona 500 victory in 2021. He described France as ”a brick wall” during revenue-sharing discussions and accused NASCAR of using pressure tactics, stating, “They did put a gun to our head and got a domino effect - teams that said they’d never sign saw their neighbor sign.”
The testimony is part of a trial examining allegations that NASCAR’s charter system illegally restricts competition. Jenkins detailed his frustration with both the 2016 and 2025 charter agreements, stating the 2024 extension went ”virtually backward in so many ways” compared to the previous deal, which he initially accepted as “a step in the right direction.” No owners he has spoken with are happy with the new agreement,he added.
Beyond the charter dispute,Jenkins also criticized the cost of the Next Gen car,introduced in 2022 as a cost-saving measure. While initially projected to cost $205,000, Jenkins testified the actual cost is closer to double due to required purchases from specified NASCAR vendors and restrictions on team repairs. “To add $150,000 to $200,000 to the cost of the car - I don’t think any of the teams anticipated that,” he said, adding that the lack of ownership over the car itself is “anti-competitive.”