As part of the ongoing 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v NASCAR antitrust lawsuit and countersuit, the teams have motioned the federal judge overseeing the case to issue a judgment on the relevant market.
The short version is that NASCAR has historically been recognized as the same market as other motorsport entities in that the Cup Series is a place for any definition race team to field cars within it.
23XI and Front Row have argued for the better part of the past year that the Cup Series is such a specialized field that teams that compete in it have no other relevant market. In other words, to paint NASCAR as violating federal antitrust laws, they have to prove (amongst other things) that the teams have nowhere else to race within this market.
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The teams want the court to rule that the market is limited to a very specific type of racing organization because that could constitute monopoly power over the market.
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NASCAR will have a chance to respond by October 15 but their argument will no doubt point to previous legal rulings that suggest the market for a Cup Series race team is quite vast.
In previous filings and oral arguments, NASCAR has suggested that 23XI and FRM could simply compete in the IndyCar Series or Formula 1 if dissatisfied with the terms of the charter agreement that dictates the business of Cup Series competition.
23XI and Front Row have asked the court for oral arguments in front of the judge over this matter in advance of the December 1 trial.
See much more at Motorsport.
See all the earlier lawsuit stories on the 2024 Antitrust Lawsuit news page.
Click here to download the redacted filing.
5129247-1–68316