Front Row's Bob Jenkins testifies he was 'very hurt' by NASCAR negotiation tactics

After Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, took the stand for the first two days of testimony in 23XI and Front Row Motorsports' antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, it was co-plaintiff Bob Jenkins' turn to take the stand Wednesday in Charlotte.

Jenkins, the sole owner of Front Row Motorsports since 2005, detailed how NASCAR pressured team owners to sign the updated charter with minimal time to review the terms.

Jenkins, who had a three-car team during the 2025 NASCAR season, also declared none of his seasons as a NASCAR team owner have ended in a profit, sharing that he has lost an average of $6.8 million per season -- including $8 million during 2022.

Yet he testified he has been willing to keep funding a team because of his love for the sport. He felt compelled to join the case alongside Hamlin and Jordan when he was bothered by NASCAR telling teams they would need to cut costs -- considering he has consistently operated at a deficit.

Front Row Motorsports and 23XI raced this past season without a charter, the NASCAR-built system that assures teams of certain guarantees, financial and otherwise. The two teams refused to sign the updated charter agreement in September 2024.

Jenkins testified that he was "honestly very hurt" by a "take-it-or-leave-it-offer" from NASCAR that allowed teams just six hours to review the 112-page document before a midnight deadline on Sept. 6, 2024.

He asked for an extension but testified that NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps informed him negotiations were closed and the charter copy was only for review purposes at that point.

"Joe Gibbs felt like he let me down by signing," Jenkins testified. "Not a single owner said, ‘I was happy to sign it.' Not a single one."

And yet, Jenkins understood why the other 13 team owners felt compelled to "blindly sign" the document when it was presented with a remarkably quick deadline.

"Some of these owners have $500-$600 million facilities, long-term sponsors. They couldn't walk away from that," Jenkins testified.

NASCAR attorney Lawrence E. Buterman doubted Jenkins' claims of the money he has lost as a team owner, accusing him of hiding figures that could make Front Row's finances appear more sustainable.

Buterman also questioned why Front Row pays drivers just 8.5% of the 25% NASCAR pays in team revenues.

Jenkins defended the practice by saying the costs of NASCAR team ownership are unlike any other sport.

"You don't wreck a $350,000 basketball," he said.

--Field Level Media