Insider Claims Teams Have Lost Their Leverage for Charter Negotiations After the New Media Deal

Published 01/19/2024, 2:13 PM EST

When will the charter negotiation deal take place? Well, no one knows for sure. The only thing that is known for now is that NASCAR has held its ground firm and with the influx of the $7.7 billion TV deal, they are the ones who hold the edge if a charter restructuring deal takes place. The likes of Hendrick Motorsports, RCR, JGR, and Team Penske think that the current charter deal does not fare them well and they would try everything in their means to get NASCAR to renegotiate the terms and TV revenue split.

NASCAR has reasons to stay firm on its ground, a few being they are the ones who own the iconic race tracks, and they bring in the TV deals while pouring in other important resources. Teams in their bid to get a better pie of the piece have been firm on their demand and the tug of war has resulted in deadlock and extension of the negotiations. Sharing his two cents on the whole scenario, former NASCAR driver Landon Cassill believes that even if both parties don’t agree and teams do boycott the race, it’s a win-win situation for NASCAR as they have already pocketed the TV-Media rights deal.

Landon Cassill shares the doomsday scenario of how things will unfold if teams boycott racing

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The recent delay in the negotiation means the tussle will be stretched right until next year’s Daytona 500 race. Even if NASCAR and the team do not strike a deal that meets both parties’ demands, NASCAR will be the one to have the last laugh. At least that is what Landon Cassill believes could happen in a doomsday scenario where the teams do not show up on the racetrack. Cassill speaking on the MoneyLap show on YouTube said, “I don’t know what leverage the teams have. I think they did have some leverage back when the TV deal was not done.

“This was their strategy to somehow get the networks to force NASCAR to have an agreement with teams before the networks would sign the deal(…) I’m not a doomsdayer, I’m not trying to be cynical but if I look to the doomsday scenario, a month away from Daytona and there’s no agreement and it looks like teams will seriously boycott Daytona. What do you think would actually happen?”

For NASCAR holds the majority of power in terms of owning the racetracks and the TV deals, they could very well muster up a line-up of new teams if need be and Cassill believes it is NASCAR who holds all the winning cards in their hands, “NASCAR is capable of calling a driver like Chase Elliot and saying, ‘If Hendrick breaches their contract with you, we will still provide a place for you to race and pay you to do it’… If we’re talking about all this, face-off and in my belief, in that moment NASCAR wins”.

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Thankfully, all this is a hypothetical situation that Cassill was talking about. But there have been instances where drivers did boycott a NASCAR race and guess what who won in that tussle?

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The worst NASCAR race ever of 1969 at Talladega

Bill France in 1969 was adamant about pushing beyond the boundaries and went on to build the largest oval track in Alabama, and since then racing has never been the same. However, in the inaugural race at the Talladega 500 on September 14, 1969, The Professional Drivers Association led by Richard Petty boycotted the race. The reason for the boycott? The track had a 33-degree bank, coupled with a hot temperature and treacherous surface which caused the tires of cars to fall in practice.

Representing the NASCAR body back then, Bill France did not heed any arguments made by the drivers suggesting the drivers to not drive fast. So the boycott did happen and guess what, Bill France went ahead with the race. So you do see the shades of how things could maybe pan out in case of boycott for the charter negotiations. In the end, NASCAR will most likely have its way. Although in the initial phase, they might face the brunt of the decision. But in the longer run, they will come out on top.

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What do you make of this tussle between the teams and NASCAR over charter negotiations? And do you think any team will boycott racing in NASCAR ever again? Do let us know below in the comments.

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Written by:

It was the Fast & Furious movies that acted as my gateway to the world of cars and motorsports. Later, as I completed my undergrad in Journalism, I learned how to channel my thoughts and opinions, which only helped me kick-start my career as a sportswriter. Having written multiple copies for the Scottish Daily, I am now looking to expand and contribute at EssentiallySports as a NASCAR writer, informing, enlightening, and entertaining the fans with my stories.

Edited by:

Abhishek Ramesh

Insider Claims Teams Have Lost Their Leverage for Charter Negotiations After the New Media Deal

Landon Cassill shares the doomsday scenario of how things will unfold if teams boycott racing

The worst NASCAR race ever of 1969 at Talladega

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