FRM owner says 23XI didn't influence him in refusing to sign NASCAR charter deal

In a newly released deposition featuring Bob Jenkins, the owner of Front Row Motorsports, he reveals why he chose not to sign the 2025 NASCAR Charter Agreement. Jenkins is the owner of several fast food and restaurant franchises, but he has also been operating a Cup team since 2005.

While being questioned in a June 27th deposition, he was asked directly if 23XI actively tried to convince him to not sign the deal, and he said no.

Jenkins went on to claim that had 23XI decided not to take a stand against NASCAR, then he likely wouldn’t have either as he didn’t possess the same level resources to fight back.

“I have my own beliefs,” said Jenkins. “I’m a fairly independent guy. And I think they felt similar to how I felt. I did realize I couldn’t take this on on my own. So had they signed, I would have probably had to have signed, and then, just perhaps, sold my charters or got out of the sport at some point.”

This tracks with previous statements from Jenkins, who said last summer: “We just have to be viable … It’s incumbent on the teams to help NASCAR grow the sport but it’s also incumbent on NASCAR to help teams be more viable.”

In that same interview, he noted that there were 19 teams in the charter negotiations for the original 2016 deal, but only seven remain today. “That’s not good odds, you know? If there is a 50% chance of survival in your charter system, you probably need a new charter system.”

Jenkins claims $60 million in losses since charters were introduced

The questions continued from Lawrence Butterman, who is part of the firm defending NASCAR in this lawsuit. He tried to point out that Jenkins “would have made a decent amount of money” if he had sold his charters, which triggered an objection.

When pressed if it would have been possible, Jenkins replied: “It’s not possible that I could recoup what I have spent on cars, and equipment, and people.”

Jenkins claims that he lost $60 million since 2016, and over $100 million in his two decades as a NASCAR team owner.

You can see other snippets from the Jenkins deposition here: