23XL Racing, owned by Michael Jordan with co-owner Denny Hamlin and Front Row Racing’s Bob Jenkins, confirmed Wednesday that each has acquired a third charter for the 2025 Cup Series season from Stewart-Haas Racing. The charter, which adds a third car to 23XL Racing’s 2025 roster, will feature young standout Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota full-time. The move has shocked those in the NASCAR community due to an ongoing legal battle sighting 23XL Racing would not sign the franchise’s new charter agreement. The charter comes after the dissolution of Stewart Haas Racing and only sets a minimum performance standard.
The standard states, “If a charter team finishes in the bottom three of the owner standings among all 36 charter teams for three consecutive years, NASCAR has the right to remove the charter. However, the team is ready to move forward with the addition of 3-time Xfinity Series winner Riley Herbst and scratch the lawsuit for now. Herbst joins forces with No. 23 driver Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, driver of the No.45 for 23XL Racing, leaving two 2025 seats open, but it won’t be long before they’re filled, according to NASCAR insiders.
Proposed Teams In Addition to 23 XL Racing
Since 23XL Racing announced that it would join the new NASCAR charter, RFK Racing has decided to follow suit. Wednesday, RFK Racing announced the addition of Ryan Preece, a former Stewart-Haas driver, to the 2025 Cup series roster. Preece will join Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher at RFK in the No. 60 Ford Mustang Darkhorse. President Steve Newmark stated that the team was thrilled to announce RFK’s expansion into the charter and the team’s subsequent growth. The charter secured by RFK to add Preece to their lineup was leased by Rick Ware Racing.
Now Newmark is left to determine who will fill the remaining seat and if the No. 51 or 15 will run in 2025, yet it won’t be easy for Front Row Motorsports. Like 23XL Racing, Front Row Motorsports refused to sign the new charter agreement set to take effect in 2025 but did accept a third charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. The added entry means Front Motorsports has an empty seat to fill, and rumors suggest Zane Smith after losing Michael McDowell to Spire Motorsports in 2025.
Smith ran with the team in the Craftsman Truck Series and secured a championship in 2022. However, it was announced in July that former Stewart-Haas driver Noah Gragson would take McDowell’s place, and veteran Front Row driver Todd Gilliland will now drive the No. 34, leaving Gragson to take the No. 36 or 38. No matter the number Gragson chooses, this still leaves Front Row Motorsports with an empty spot, so the possibility of Zane Smith filling the last seat may come to fruition.
“We’re thrilled to formally and publicly announce our expansion plans and the next step in our evolution at RFK,” said President of RFK Racing, Steve Newmark.
What Happens Now That 32 Teams Have Signed?
With the 2025 Cup Series just a few short months away and despite 23XL and Front Racing’s October, an anti-trust lawsuit against 32 out of 36 charters will be filed. While not happy with the stipulations of adhering to minimum performance standards, 23 XL and Front Row Racing did, however, agree to file an injunction. The injunction allows 23XL Racing and Front Row Motorsports to acquire their third charters without agreeing to the lower performance pursuant to Section 10.3 of the charter.
The deadline for the teams to officially sign the charter expired September 6, so this was their only option. Both teams are pleased with how forthcoming NASCAR has been in working to make adjustments to suit their beliefs. Still, NASCAR states that neither 23 XL Racing nor Front Row Motorsports would need a single charter to compete in the 2025 Cup Series. Regardless of whether they agreed to or raced charterless, both teams have decided that there’s no doubt they’ll be back on the track for the upcoming season.
Running open cars is something that the franchise is used to as 23XL Racing ran No. 67 Travis Pastrana and Front Row No. 36 Zane Smith at Daytona International Speedway in 2023. Even so, 23XL Racing and Front Row Motorsports are confident they can make the charters work for the 2025 Cup Series season. The team stated earlier that they didn’t have enough time to re-negotiate a new charter, but it looks like that has changed. NASCAR has been more than flexible with not only 23 XL Racing but also Front Row Motorsports over the past several weeks, and both teams hope it continues.
“Plaintiffs do not need these Charter Agreements to race, and indeed have stated publicly that they will be racing in NASCAR regardless.”
Final Thoughts
Although an ongoing legal battle continues to fester, 23XL Racing and Front Row Racing have added more charters to their 2025 cup lineup. Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson have been confirmed to fill the empty charter spots. The possibility of Zane Smith returning to Front Row still looms. Yet, the likelihood of what some predict will be a Smith Return to Front Row Racing is not too far-fetched, given their history together. What could be better than adding a 2022 champion back into the mix? Fans are eager for February to see if he will grace the track, but it may be announced sooner, so stay tuned.
