Much has been said and written about the NASCAR charter agreement today. It’s Brad Keselowski stating his opinion. As a co-owner of RFK Racing, Keselowski is dousing some of the more intense charges made in the media right now. All of the Cup Series charter holders, with the exception of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, were said to have signed a contract with NASCAR today. 23XI even issued a statement regarding the situation.
Additionally, it was said that teams were “coerced and threatened” with the possibility of losing their chart
ers if they failed to sign by Friday night, NASCAR’s deadline. Brad Keselowski talked about it after qualifying today.
According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Keselowski stated, “Certainly respect their [23XI, FRM] decision-making ability.” The owner-driver of RFK went on. “You know, we thought it was appropriate to make a deal and go forward for ourselves.” He disputed the idea of the “threat” or “forced” narrative that has emerged today.
“Well, I’m not sure where that’s coming from exactly. While “forced” is a strong word, there comes a point at which resolution of these issues is crucial. We’re happy with the better economics and the direction that the media environment has taken.
“We’re happy to see the sport continue, as you may know, as it currently depends on the media rights agreement to survive. There’s no avoiding that. You can see the dominoes falling behind the broadcast rights deal that was finalized this winter, which was a huge deal for the sport, but don’t forget what the first domino is.
In regards to charter discussions, Brad Keselowski
23XI Racing has been vocal during these discussions. Curtis Polk and Michael Jordan are aware of how other major sports leagues run their operations. For the benefit of the teams, they are attempting to introduce some of that to NASCAR.
