When Brian France tangled with the law back in 2019, things looked shaky for NASCAR. Who would take up Bill France’s mantle? That’s when Jim France stepped up. And he’s done so much for the sport ever since. Len Wood of Wood Brothers Racing said it best. “Kind of the funny thing about it, you could be walking around and look, well, there’s Jim over between the haulers or over on pit road. He’s everywhere, and he’s not in disguise or anything; he’s just Jim. He’s visible, but he doesn’t stand out. Not flashy, by any means.” And his impact has been clear. Remember the $7.7 billion deal he brought NASCAR? And the gimmicks he’s brought: the promoter’s caution, tire variations, and even the open exemption. This time, however, he isn’t getting any love.

As word spread through the NASCAR garages that Jim France was preparing to fund a Cup Series car at Sonoma, unease began to spread among teams and executives. Though the entry would be funded by Spire Motorsports and not by France’s IMSA team, the implications were hard to ignore.

Athletic’s Jeff Gluck posted a tweet on X, reporting on Jim France’s change of plans. “Jim France was down the road with plans to fund a Cup Series car at Sonoma, which would have seen the NASCAR CEO partner with Spire, Hendrick and Chevy. The deal fell apart shortly after @TheAthletic began working on a story about it. W/ @Jordan_Bianchi,” wrote Jeff.

It’s not the first time NASCAR would have put down its own entry in a racing series. Just two years ago, they partnered with Hendrick Motorsports, putting a Chevy ZL1 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the time, fans loved the idea of putting American cars in European circuits. However, the idea of competing against the very person to oversees the sport did not sit right with the others. NASCAR has long avoided letting its own leadership own Cup Series teams during recent times, a tradition that is rooted in the sport’s need to remain fair and credible for the fans. But France’s plans, including a Chevrolet-powered Spire car, supported by Hendrick Motorsports and driven by his own IMSA driver, Jack Aitken, seemed to have crossed the line for many.

Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson confirmed the plans but insisted that the car would not be fielded by France’s team directly. Dickerson emphasized that France was not seeking any special treatment from the deal and that the deal was structured like any normal customer entry. “I didn’t really even think it was that big of a deal. I didn’t even think it was that deep.” 

Ultimately, the backlash proved too strong to be ignored, and the plan was pulled. But, the criticism might have been more evident due to recent controversies in the IndyCar involving Roger Penske‘s team, Team Penske’s violations of the IndyCar rules ahead of the Indy 500 race last week, wherein, equations were raised against Roger Penske being as credible or truthful as publicized due to his involvement in multiple legal infringements of IndyCar rules and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, both of which are owned by him.

While the France-backed Spire entry is no longer happening at Sonoma, it could come together for another Cup race later in the season. After Sonoma, two other road-course races remain on the Cup Series schedule, at Watkins Glen and at the Charlotte Roval. Neither of these races conflicts with Aitken’s IMSA schedule, so what will be Jim France’s next plan of action?

For now, France has a different problem to deal with.

How one race win landed Jim France in a lawsuit

The bad times just do not seem to end for the NASCAR CEO. The legal consequences of the fateful 2021 Talladega win for Xfinity driver Brandon Brown have now stretched over nearly four years, and NASCAR finds itself facing scrutiny once again, this time from the cryptocurrency world. But when the ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ chants started, there were some unpleasant slogans around Former President Joe Biden. As a result, Brown lost sponsors, and that’s when LGBCoin was started. It was a cryptocurrency started as a joke, but after the controversy erupted, so did its value. While it was initially approved by NASCAR, they withdrew their support, reportedly causing losses for the cryptocurrency worth millions.

In June 2024, the LetsGoBrandon.com Foundation, the entity behind LGBCoin, filed an amended lawsuit against Jim France and NASCAR claiming “defamation, promissory estoppel, and breach of contract.”

As journalist Bob Pockrass reported by sharing a tweet on X, saying, “Florida judge ruled case can go to trial for LGBCoin promissory estoppel (relying on a promise) claim for damages to its market value that it claims resulted from NASCAR initial OK of sponsorship. Judge tossed breach of contract & defamation claims.” For Brown, the damage was both personal as well as professional.

In a 2021 interview, Brown said, “This whole Talladega race win was supposed to be a celebration, and then it was supposed to be something that I was able to use to move up, and I really wanted to capitalize on that. But with this meme going viral, it was more of, I had to stay more silent, because everybody wanted it to go on to the political side. I’m about the racing side.” His attempt to separate racing from politics was ultimately futile, and the NASCAR vs LGBCoin battle is far from being over.