The Price of Control: Expert Claims NASCAR Owes Teams Over $360 Million in Damages

If you’ve spent any time around stock car racing, particularly NASCAR, you know that speed is the only currency that matters. On the track, hesitation costs you positions. In the garage, a slow pit stop can ruin your Sunday. But inside the federal courthouse in Charlotte, where the sport’s future is currently being litigated, the pace has been anything but fast.

In the high-profile antitrust trial pitting 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against the sanctioning body, the latest testimony has dropped a financial bombshell that has everyone in the industry talking. An expert economist took the stand to put a specific price tag on the alleged damages, and the numbers are staggering.

Economist Breaks Down the Financial Damage to NASCAR Teams

Edward Snyder, an economics professor with a history of testifying in major sports disputes, including the infamous “Deflategate”, didn’t mince words on Monday. According to his calculations, NASCAR owes the two holdout teams a combined $364.7 million for alleged anticompetitive practices.

For Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, the calculated damages sit at $215.8 million. For Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports, the figure is $148.9 million. Snyder’s testimony strikes at the heart of the team’s frustration. He argues that the sport operates under a monopoly that effectively suffocates the teams’ ability to earn fair market value.

Using a comparison that likely stings the brass in Daytona Beach, Snyder applied a revenue-sharing model similar to Formula 1. He alleged that while F1 shares roughly 45% of revenue with its teams, the NASCAR model introduced in 2016 offered a meager 25%.

It’s not just about the two plaintiff teams, either. Snyder’s math suggests that across the board, the sanctioning body shorted the 36 chartered teams a collective $1.06 billion between 2021 and 2024. That is money that could have gone into car development, driver salaries, and shop improvements, the lifeblood of competition.

Allegations of a NASCAR Monopoly and Restrictive Practices

The emotional core of this lawsuit revolves around the 2025 charter agreement. You might remember the chaos of September 2024, when teams were handed a 112-page document on a Friday and told to sign it by that same evening. Team owners described it as an ultimatum, a “take-it-or-leave-it” scenario where they felt they had a “gun to their head.”

Snyder’s testimony validated those feelings from an economic standpoint. He told the court that the France family’s organization violates NASCAR’s antitrust laws because they control every lever of power: the tracks, the cars, and the teams.

His argument hinges on exclusivity. The France family and Speedway Motorsports own the vast majority of tracks on the Cup Series schedule. Snyder pointed out that the sanctioning body entered into exclusivity agreements with these tracks, preventing them from hosting rival racing series.

For a team owner, this creates a dead end. If you have a garage full of Next Gen cars and a roster of mechanics, you have nowhere else to race them. You can’t start a rival league because the tracks are locked down. You can’t take your “franchise” to another city. You are stuck in the ecosystem, forced to take whatever revenue slice is offered.

The France Family’s Empire and the Charter System Dispute

The trial has also pulled back the curtain on the France family’s finances, a topic usually shrouded in secrecy. Snyder noted that the sanctioning body holds $2.2 billion in assets and an equity value of $5 billion. Perhaps most eye-opening was the revelation that the France family reportedly took $400 million in distributions between 2021 and 2024.

Snyder drew a parallel to the PGA Tour’s battle with LIV Golf. He argued that the France family has the financial war chest to “pivot and adjust” to threats, much like the PGA did to prevent golfers from defecting. The implication is clear: the money is there to treat the teams fairly, but it’s being withheld to maintain control.

Of course, the defense is pushing back hard. They argue that the Formula 1 comparison is apples-to-oranges and that their own experts will debunk Snyder’s math. They maintain that the 2025 charter offer was fair and that the plaintiffs are simply trying to renegotiate a contract through litigation.

Tensions Rise as Judge Frustrated by Slow Trial Pace

While the numbers are dramatic, the atmosphere in the courtroom is becoming increasingly tense for procedural reasons. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell is visibly frustrated with how slowly the wheels of justice are turning.

The trial is dragging, plagued by late-night filings and lengthy objections. Judge Bell, agitated by motions filed at 2:55 a.m. and 6:50 a.m., began proceedings early on Monday to address the backlog. He’s pushing for a faster resolution, even asking the jury if they’d be willing to stay an extra hour each day to avoid the trial bleeding into a third week.

What’s Next?

For the folks involved, the fatigue is setting in. But the fireworks aren’t over. The plaintiff’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, still plans to call the heavy hitters to the stand: NASCAR Chairman Jim France, Commissioner Steve Phelps, and legendary owner Richard Childress.

Childress is an exciting wild card. He was the subject of derogatory texts among leadership and has previously hinted at legal action. When these titans of the sport take the stand, we might finally see the raw emotion that has been bubbling under the surface of this sport for years.