The charter lawsuit between NASCAR, 23XI, and Front Row Motorsports continues to develop, gaining newer angles to it. Until now, the fresh update was about how NASCAR pushed for a fresh mediator to negotiate with the teams, but they sharply resisted that move and stated that they want to continue with their existing mediator, Jeffrey Mishkin.

Now, NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell is the newest entry in the scene. Like all of us, O’Donnell is fed up with the drama too. Speaking with Dale Jr, he chimes in his own and NASCAR’s inner voice on the trial, signaling their firm stance on the dispute and shedding the false ‘monopoly’ accusation on them.

“We don’t want a lawsuit,” says O’Donnell

About the dispute, Dale Jr, without beating around the bush, directly asked Steve O’Donnell the clear question all of us want to, which is, “How can we make this go away?”

O’Donnell responded, “I would say… I can’t get into too many details, but what I can say is, we didn’t bring a lawsuit. We don’t want a lawsuit. I spent 30% of everyday working on a lawsuit versus talking to fans and getting the sport going, which is really tough.”

O’Donnell’s words show the side-effect the ongoing lawsuit is causing on NASCAR’s leadership. He’s spending one-third of day on this, the same time and resources he could have used to uplift the sport in other ways.

“We filed something yesterday and we asked for the court to set up a mediation. The reason we did that is because we had a mediation in New York. I can’t get into the details. We don’t want to be in court, don’t get me wrong, we’ll defend ourselves and the sport to no end.”

As per him, NASCAR isn’t acting on it like an aggressive move, but rather as a defensive necessity. They would do anything to protect the integrity of the charter system, and at the same time, find a middle ground or a resolution that allows the sport to continue smoothly.

“We want to see this go away, so our next step is to try and get in front of a judge in Charlotte and say, ‘Hey! What can we do to make this go away?’ That’s our goal, still not sure what the other side wants. We don’t believe that’s a case of a monopoly, it’s a contract dispute which it is what it is. Our goal is to make this thing go away and get back to racing.”

So the question we all ask is the same one O’Donnell is asking, waiting desperately for this to end for everyone, and for good.

By framing the issue as a contract dispute and rather as a monopoly case, he’s emphasizing on how for NASCAR, this is about stressing that the existing rules are already fair enough, and they’re not engaging in any anti-competitive behavior.

His intent to approach a judge for mediation also shows NASCAR’s willingness to find a practical solution to minimize the damage for everyone as soon as possible.

O’Donnell on the charters’ importance

While 23XI and Front Row have taken NASCAR to court over charter disputes, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell has emphasized that the organization wants to avoid the whole court drama.

Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download, O’Donnell stressed the importance of the charter system, saying, “Now, we’ve seen the value grow for teams, which is awesome… If it goes away, that’s not a win for NASCAR—that charters went away. We support charters. We’ve got 13 teams that signed up with them.”

O’Donnell highlighted that the charter system guarantees teams a grid spot and a steady stream of revenue, generating over $1.5 billion in equity value for its members since its introduction in 2016.

“You know, it’s being positioned that NASCAR wants the charter system to go away. You know, Jim France—the one thing about Jim is—the charter system is in place and said, ‘I will live by whatever we signed.’ He had a choice, right? He could have said, ‘You know, we don’t want charters in the future.’” O’Donnell said, defending the charter and NASCAR’s stance.

With a mediation scheduled for October 21 and the summary judgment hearing set for October 23, the dispute is set to reach a critical phase. O’Donnell’s comments make it clear that NASCAR is focused on resolving the matter quickly while preserving the integrity of its charter system.

For now, we can only wait to see what the next twist in this ongoing debate will be.