What should be expected from the 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports vs. NASCAR antitrust suit now that all signs point towards a trial?
That’s right. The latest rendition of Rich People Are Mad at One Another just dropped.
And the result was a little bit more than interesting, so long as you read between the legalese.
Before diving in, you need to understand and appreciate the fact that this was realistically one of the last chances that both sides of this case will come together in order to discuss the possible avoidance of a trial in December, a trial that has the potential to change the way the sport operates as we know it.
In another summary judgment hearing on Oct. 23, the attorneys of NASCAR and 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports met to discuss the possibility of such a judgment. The two parties held similar meetings over the course of the previous two days and they had looked promising, with both sides finally admitting that a settlement might have been on the table.
You might have noticed that “have been” in my previous sentence. That’s more than intentional. For instance, in a pretty upfront way, the teams’ attorney, who had been openly behind reaching a settlement agreement, said that this case will in fact be going to trial on Dec. 1.
Phones were not allowed in the courtroom, so we have little way to know exactly what was said. However, the rhetoric from the teams’ side has now been turned up to 10, and that does not indicate that the judge in the case will make a ruling anytime soon. In fact, the judge in the case has been clear that he does not want to rule in a summary judgment, so as to not taint the jury if an eventual trial were to take place.
However, Matt Weaver of Motorsport noted that the judge gave legitimate pushback to NASCAR’s legal arguments, citing that NASCAR had individual team meetings and negotiations despite the fact that the organization claims it was restrained due to the teams’ efforts to form a united front among the other NASCAR Cup Series organizations.
In addition to all of this, the teams claim that NASCAR functions as a monopoly in the sport of stock car racing. However, NASCAR argues that it does not have a monopoly and believes that, from a legal standpoint, racing at large is its own market entirely. Essentially, NASCAR, Formula 1, the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA and others all compete for a share of that market.
The judge also pushed back on this point, according to Weaver’s reporting, citing that when going to look for any sort of racing content online, they are separated. He made a joke about the matter regarding economists, as both parties brought in separate economists to corroborate their own arguments. This happens in court all the time, but if you read between the lines, it doesn’t sound ideal for NASCAR in terms of a monopoly on what the teams call premier stock car racing.
If I were to make a prediction, I’d say every single NASCAR fan across the country should mark their calendars for Dec. 1. And they should be prepared for it to get nasty.
After four teams in eight years, is Spire Motorsports the last landing pad for Daniel Suarez?
The NASCAR career of Daniel Suarez has always been an interesting one. Since winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship nearly a decade ago (that’ll make you feel old), he has been the wheelman for four different Cup teams.
Now he’s inked a deal with a fifth. It was announced earlier this week that Suarez will pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in 2026. The Monterrey, Mexico, native will replace Justin Haley.
Suarez hasn’t done a whole lot of winning in his Cup career. In fact, he’s currently 28th in driver points and will more than likely finish the year without a win. It took him more than a few years to pick up his first win in the Cup Series, and he has only managed one more win since, at EchoPark Speedway in 2024.
Historically, if a driver in a car that is arguably a top-20 ride in terms of equipment routinely finishes toward the bottom of points, that driver won’t last long. Suarez is different, though, because wherever he goes, money follows. For instance, Freeway Insurance is already signed on to become his primary sponsor when he makes the transition over to Spire.
Funding is king in the 2025 NASCAR hierarchy, and Suarez has plenty of it. But that funding has to have its limits, right? Suarez hasn’t been able to put it together at Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing (although we can’t fault him there as nobody could) and now Trackhouse Racing, which continually churns out competitive cars.
Spire has great momentum going with the likes of Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar already in the fold. As far as talent goes, it’s set on both the veteran and young driver front. Suarez will become what is essentially the third-most intriguing driver on a three-car team, but that doesn’t matter for Spire. It wants the funding he brings.
All that is fine and dandy, but I’m here to tell you this: Even if Freeway sticks around for the next few years, if Suarez can’t truly add to his resumé in the Cup Series sooner than later, it might be back to the Xfinity or lower series for the former second-tier series champion.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t try to fight his teammate.
Is electing not to penalize Austin Hill the right or wrong move?
This week, many waited with some intrigue to see if NASCAR would elect to penalize Austin Hill for flipping off fans at Talladega Superspeedway who were making the same gesture at him during his Xfinity victory celebration.
There’s absolutely no debating that it happened, because it was photographed from both angles.
At the very least, some expected Hill to get another slap on the wrist, which would have been understandable. After all, his reputation tends to proceed him.
However, no penalty was announced. It’s business as usual.
This doesn’t bother me all that much. In the heat of competition, it probably felt good for Hill to get that off his chest, as the group was apparently heckling him for quite some time. In that situation, I don’t know if I would have done anything different, but I’m not paid a hefty amount of money to represent several companies and drive racecars.
As a result, this most recent showcasing of Hill’s personality and fan interactions will do the exact same thing his previous ones have done: endear him to his own fans while making him a bit of a pariah to others. Instances like this are a large part of the reason why many Cup teams haven’t come calling; he can’t be trusted with that large of a brand.
Is it the wrong move to not penalize Hill for this? Probably so. Then again, he’s been handed far worse penalties than he would have received for this already just this year. At some point, NASCAR is going to just let him be himself, and if he wants to be a career Xfinity driver, I’m sure NASCAR is content to let that happen.
But what happens if he doesn’t just flip off a fan but also gets into a real confrontation? I hope we never have to find out, and I’m sure if you were to ask Hill that question, he’d say the same thing. But haven’t stranger things happened?
How much would a good performance change Justin Bonsignore’s NASCAR fortune?
Joe Gibbs Racing announced earlier this week that William Sawalich will miss this weekend’s Xfinity race at Martinsville Superspeedway due to the rookie driver still experiencing concussion-like symptoms from his crash at Talladega last weekend.
His replacement for the weekend? Four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore, who has made several starts for JGR over the course of the last two seasons. In 2025, he’s finished as low as 36th and as high as 12th at Iowa.
The 37-year-old is slated for eight races this year, barring a start at Phoenix Raceway. Has he done enough to warrant another handful of starts in 2025?
As of right now, no. If he were a project or development driver, sure, but at 37, it’s hard to convince others that his best days behind the wheel are ahead of him. However, he has the chance this weekend to reverse that effect. With a solid finish, Bonsignore could make an impact at JGR in 2026 and beyond.
It’s a big weekend for the New York native, to say the least. It could be the difference in starting 10 races next season or three.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for TopSpeed.com, an AP Wire reporter, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host and master's student at Mississippi State University. Soon, Tanner will be pursuing a PhD. in Mass Media Studies. Tanner began working with Frontstretch as an Xfinity Series columnist in 2022.