Among the last-minute filings in the NASCAR antitrust suit are the parties’ massive exhibit lists – documents that preview the evidence each side may rely on at trial.
The teams’ list spans 778 exhibits, and the material condenses into eight major themes. Most items center on charter negotiations, including emails, letters, redlines, and strategy decks reflecting years of back-and-forth between teams, the RTA, and NASCAR leadership. Another large block consists of financial records—team profit-and-loss statements, NASCAR tax documents, valuation models, and shareholder presentations. The file set also includes media-rights materials such as FOX/NBC/WBD term sheets, revenue projections, and internal analyses of distribution economics.
Furthermore, the teams identify sanction agreements across the schedule, Next Gen cost and competition documents, and a library of RTA internal minutes, strategy discussions, and league-creation concepts. Several expert reports and a small number of public articles round out the list.
NASCAR’s defense list is even larger, with 814 exhibits, but it focuses on the same core topics: charters, money, and control. The bulk consists of internal team communications – texts and emails among RTA leaders and owners including Polk, Newmark, Kauffman, Hamlin, Jordan, and Gordon – detailing negotiating strategies, talking points, cost concerns, valuation calculations, and coordinated messaging. NASCAR also spotlights team and league financial records, including consolidated financial statements, sponsorship agreements, driver contracts, and charter purchase/lease deals.
A significant portion covers Next Gen development, cost modeling, vendor discussions, scheduling research, and competition analytics. The list also includes media-rights evidence, tying TV revenue to long-term sustainability, as well as RTA board minutes, decks, survey results, and even alternative-series feasibility studies, which NASCAR appears ready to use to portray the RTA as a coordinated bargaining unit.
The trial is set to begin Monday, December 1 unless the parties settle beforehand. And even if the trial finishes and a verdict is issued, the losing side is expected to appeal, which would likely push the case into next year or beyond.
For previous posts and information, see the 2024 Antitrust Lawsuit page.