NASCAR recovers from early washouts to produce decent racing in season marred by antitrust lawsuit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR opened the season with near washouts in the first two races of the year that could have set the tone for a miserable 2024 campaign.

Instead, the top motorsports series in the United States showed it could be flexible, moving its preseason race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum up a full day to set the stage for an unpredictable year.

There were 18 different winners, including Austin Dillon, who was disqualified from advancing to the playoffs for the aggressive driving that secured his victory. Joey Logano was the controversial Cup Series champion and triggered discussion about the fairness of the playoffs.

NASCAR heads toward the 2025 season with a points-paying Cup Series race outside the United States for the first time in the modern era: A trip to Mexico City, a highlight for the first year of NASCAR's new, 7-year multi-partner television package. It also continues to fight a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one of them owned by Michael Jordan.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps found himself defending the four drivers racing for the title last month and promising to take a look at the format if warranted. He also touted positive television ratings and what worked for the series in 2024.

''It says the sport is resilient and the sport is growing,'' Phelps said.

How it started

In incredible rain.

The third running of the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum was under threat before the teams arrived because of heavy rain headed toward California. With an eye on the radar, NASCAR knew there was no way it would able to race on its scheduled day.

So officials crammed an entire two-day event into one Saturday — a day the Coliseum wasn't even supposed to be open to fans — in an unprecedented move that cost NASCAR dearly in both television ratings and money.

''We did something we had never done before. We pulled a race up a day, and we raced on Saturday night,'' Phelps said. ''Got crushed in the ratings, right? Saturday night is the lowest-rated day of the week, but it was the right thing to do.''

Rain also postponed the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was rain shortened — that one ruined Kyle Larson's shot to complete the Indy 500-Coke 500 double. The Chicago street race was also interrupted by rain, making three of the biggest events of the season dampened by weather.

And yet, Phelps noted that NASCAR had climbed out of 27% ratings hole by the end of the season.

''If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, ‘I will bet you that you can dig out of a 27% hole at the 500 and then two double-digital ratings declines on your next two highest rated races,' I would have said there is no way that's going to happen," he said. ''And we sit here for our Cup races, we are in the positive numbers.''

How they raced

Most of the winners were familiar faces: Larson, with a series-high six wins, and Daytona 500 winner William Byron was among five drivers who scored three victories apiece this season.

Logano, who won his third Cup championship, had only one regular-season victory. But he won three playoff races to become only the 10th driver in NASCAR history to win three or more Cup titles.

There were some surprises, too. Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton won the final two races of the regular season to snag the final two playoff spots in the 16-driver field. It was bittersweet for both.

Briscoe represented Stewart-Haas Racing, which essentially closed at the end of the season. Burton, a first-time Cup Series winner, won in his final season with Wood Brothers Racing.

Dillon earned his first victory in nearly two years with a win at Richmond Raceway that ultimately was thrown out by NASCAR because he wrecked two cars in the closing laps. There are also allegations that Richard Childress Racing bought the setup information on Dillon's car from a Joe Gibbs Racing employee. JGR has refused to comment and no formal complaint has been lodged.

At the penultimate race of the season, with spots in the championship on the line, NASCAR levied heavy fines against multiple teams for cooperating with each other in order to help drivers representing the same manufacturers. NASCAR found it manipulative and said it won't rule out driver suspensions in the future.

The playoffs

NASCAR also won't rule out taking a look at the playoff format after the title was won by Logano, who was technically eliminated from the field after the second round. But when Alex Bowman's car failed inspection following the elimination race, Logano was reinstated and went on to give Roger Penske his third consecutive Cup Series title.

NASCAR was adamant the correct four drivers raced for the title — Logano, regular-season champion Tyler Reddick, Byron and 2023 champion Ryan Blaney — but said it would review the system if needed.

''We are always looking if there are opportunities for us to tweak something,'' said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR chief operating officer. ''We are not the only sport where the best statistical team does not get to the Final Four or the Super Bowl or the World Series. We're not going to go away from playoffs. We read fans and everything. We will, as we always do, we'll absolutely look at what form the playoffs take in the offseason.''

The lawsuit

NASCAR for more than two years was locked in contentious negotiations with the teams over its revenue-sharing model, based on charter agreements. A deal described by the teams as a ''take-it-or-leave-it'' final offer was presented 48 hours before the start of the playoffs in September.

Of the 15 teams that held 36 charters, 13 signed. The two that refused — 23XI Racing, which is owned by NBA Hall of Famer Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by businessman Bob Jenkins — are now suing NASCAR over antitrust claims.

NASCAR has since revoked the charter offers to the two teams, which held two each. The charters guarantee a spot in the field in all 38 races as well as guaranteed revenue. The teams can still compete as ''open'' cars but will not have the same protections. Both teams had agreements to buy charters from Stewart-Haas Racing to expand their organizations to three cars, but NASCAR said it will not honor those transfers.

The teams have asked for a December hearing in search of an injunction to clear the situation up a little bit before the charters expire at the end of this year. NASCAR on Monday asked for the suit to be dismissed outright.

The ramifications are huge but it isn't clear how 23XI and Front Row can or will proceed if there isn't resolution by February. An attorney representing the teams, Jeffrey Kessler, contends the drivers and sponsors can leave both organizations if the cars aren't chartered. And, without the transfer of the SHR charters, expansion is in question even though both teams have hired drivers for 2025.

It's a messy fight that will likely linger until a judge either reaches a decision or a settlement is made — and nobody knows if that will be before the preseason Clash, which will be held for the first time at Bowman-Gray Stadium in North Carolina on Feb. 2.

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