'We remain open to a settlement': Judge orders key conference in NASCAR lawsuit

Alex Zietlow, The Charlotte Observer on Oct 8, 2025

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A judicial settlement conference has officially been ordered by the court in the NASCAR lawsuit, marking a potential step toward resolving the sport-consuming legal battle prior to a December trial.

There will be a judicial settlement conference set for 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 before District Judge Kenneth D. Bell, court documents published Wednesday show. The conference will take place in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte.

This notice comes two days after NASCAR submitted a motion for such a conference between itself and plaintiffs 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports attorney Jeffrey Kessler in a statement wrote that the teams “welcome Judge Bell’s decision to bring all parties together to engage in a meaningful resolution.”

“We remain open to a settlement that genuinely benefits the sport and its fans,” Kessler continued. “The goals my clients have raised are clear, and the teams have affirmed them in their own declarations. From the outset, our objective has been unwavering: to secure lasting stability and growth for every team, their employees, and the sport. It’s time for all parties to step up and deliver.”

This is the latest milestone in an antitrust lawsuit that began all the way back in October 2024, when 23XI Racing — owned by sporting icon Michael Jordan and Cup racing star Denny Hamlin — and Front Row Motorsports joined in on a lawsuit that asserted that NASCAR was a monopoly.

The legal battle has continued for over a year. Such stints in the legal battle have included previous mediation attempts — specifically via efforts with a private mediator, former executive vice president and chief legal officer of the NBA, Jeffrey Mishkin. None have yielded a resolution.

NASCAR made this particular motion for judicial settlement conference mere days after releasing a bunch of statements from high-profile team owners and other Cup Series dignitaries advocating that both parties of the lawsuit must move to resolve their legal dispute while keeping the charter system intact. The charter system, after all, guarantees certain teams entry into each race and thus a guarantees slices of each race’s purse, among other perks.

“This is an area where the parties are actually in full agreement,” Monday’s filing from NASCAR stated, referring to the desire to settle the issue prior to trial, which will begin Dec. 1. “NASCAR would also like to resolve this case prior to trial and believes that the parties should be able to reach a reasonable resolution with the assistance of a neutral judicial officer.”

The Oct. 21 judicial settlement conference will take place two days prior to the newly “reset” hearing on a motion for summary judgment filed by NASCAR’s countersuit against the teams.