Judge Bell Threatened NASCAR Lawyers with Severe Punishments over Court Rule Breach

NASCAR lawyers got a mouthful from charter lawsuit judge for using personal chat that was forbidden in the third day of trial.

Judge Bell Threatened NASCAR Lawyers with Severe Punishments over Court Rule Breach

Steve Phelps (Via IMAGO)

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The trial for NASCAR‘s charter lawsuit against 23XI Racing and FRM started on 1st December this year. Since the beginning of the trial, multiple shocking things have come to light, and neither party seems to have a clear lead for now. During Day 3 of the trial, NASCAR recieved a stern warning from Judge Bell, who is overseeing the entire legal battle between the sport and the teams.

On Day 3 of the charter lawsuit trial, NASCAR’s legal attorney was questioning FRM’s owner, Bob Jenkins. During the questioning, a specific quote from Jeff Dickerson was put forth by the defendant’s attorney. Ahead of the beginning of the trial, some things were declared off-limits, and using them during the legal battle was banned for both parties. However, NASCAR breached this rule by quoting Dickerson.

Moreover, the quote from Dickerson was unrelated to Front Row Motorsport’s NASCAR business and, hence, was irrelevant to the proceedings of the charter lawsuit. Though the court and Judge Bell did not penalize NASCAR for this action, they have still been given a stern warning.

The defendant party can risk serious consequences if they breach any other pre-defined rules in the coming days of the trial. Up until now, the 23XI Racing co-owner, Denny Hamlin, has been brought up for questioning, where he asked to plead the fifth when asked about his 2025 NASCAR season.

Further, Scott Prime and Bob Jenkins have come up for questioning, and NASCAR isn’t answering any questions from the plaintiffs’ side just yet. However, in the coming days, the defendant must ensure that they adhere to the rules if they want to continue having an upper hand in the case, which they seem to already have.

What were the questions asked of Bob Jenkins during Day 3 of NASCAR lawsuit trial?

Bob Jenkins is certainly one of the more successful team owners in NASCAR with Front Row Motorsports. Despite their massive profits and influx of money as compared to the previous years, they still set out to pursue a legal battle against the sport’s monopolistic ways. As such, among other things, Jenkins was questioned about the losses he and his team endured before the charter system was announced in 2016.

NASCAR's Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan
NASCAR’s Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan (via Getty images)

This proved that Bob Jenkins was losing money with FRM much before the charter system was put in place. Moreover, the fact that FRM’s sponsorship raised substantially from $3.5 million in 2016 as compared to $8.5 million in 2023 was also brought up. Though Jenkins claimed that the charter system caused losses to the team, this fact was a complete contrast to what he initially said.

In addition to this, FRM is seeking $140 million in compensation for the losses in revenue since the charter system was challenged. NASCAR revealed that the team only gave 8.5% of the cut to the drivers and kept the rest for themselves. Moreover, some drivers were gaining a seat at FRM after paying massive sums of money, despite the pinnacle of stock racing having an ‘open market’ of drivers.

The trial is certainly shaping up to be extremely exciting and surprising. Many shocking things have come to light, and as the case proceeds, many more things are supposed to be revealed to the public. Hence, it will be interesting to witness how the case ends and in whose favor. For now, no one is the clear leader following the multiple rounds of questioning.

Also Read: Kenny Wallace Slams Dave Moody and Larry McReynolds for Silence on NASCAR Lawsuit