Fresh off the courtroom on Thursday, the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit has just been settled. The major wins for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row are that they can now enjoy their charters permanently and even have a stake in 1/3rd of the intellectual property revenue. As it ends NASCAR’s ‘monopoly’ and opens up opportunities, Spire Motorsports is the first one to grab it.

Spire Motorsports prepare their debut in Kyle Larson’s HLR Series

The team has announced its entry into Kyle Larson’s High Limit Racing in the 2026 season, along with its Cup Series entry. The lawsuit settlement has made the teams more financially stable, so this surely helps them.

Sprint racing is set to be a new turf for Spire Motorsports in the 2026 season. High Limit Racing, co-owned by Kyle Larson and his brother-in-law, Brad Sweet, is highly anticipated owing to the challenge it provides. Understandably, entering two completely different racing series can be a financial strain on teams, but would that be the case with Spire?

NASCAR’s lawsuit settlement has allowed the team to make its Charters “evergreen.” This will make the Charters higher in value and give the teams more financial stability to keep racing in the Cup Series. This is positive news for Spire as they prepare for their debut in the dirt.

“Going on the road with High Limit is like a dream come true and to do this with people I have deep respect and appreciation for makes it even better,” Spire Motorsports’ co-owner, Jeff Dickerson, said.

24-year-old Giovanni “Gio” Scelzi is set to pilot Spire’s entry in Kyle Larson’s series. He is the son of former NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car champion Gary Scelz. Scelzi has proved his competitiveness, having won multiple races at the national level.

NASCAR was never too happy with its drivers and teams participating in other racing series. While no written rule stopped teams from running in other series, the reaction coming from the Superstar Racing Experience was solid proof. However, that wouldn’t be the case after the lawsuit’s settlement.

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How will the teams benefit from the lawsuit settlement?

23XI and Front Row Motorsports filed the joint antitrust lawsuit in October 2024 after not signing the Charter Agreements. They claimed monopolistic practices from NASCAR, and one of their primary ask was for the Charters to be made permanent.

There seemed to be quite some resistance from the defendants initially, but a little over a week into the trial, NASCAR agreed to a settlement. The exact details of the same weren’t made public, but one thing is for sure: the teams will benefit from this.

As mentioned, the Charters will be made “evergreen,” meaning the teams can keep them indefinitely. Not only does this increase their valuation, but it also gives NASCAR less control over them. Moreover, there are expected to be changes in the revenue that teams will earn from the media rights deal, keeping them more financially stable.

Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin were the main faces representing the teams in the courtroom. The duo, who together own 23XI Racing, are responsible for changing the fundamentals of the sport, all for the teams.

With this financial stability, teams can now look into other investments. As for Spire, they will soon be heading into the dirt, leaving a strong trail in Kyle Larson’s HLR Series.