Just like the NFL, NASCAR teams operate as independent businesses while competing under one sanctioning body. While the charter system guarantees race entry along with shared revenue, it does not collectively own the league like the NFL does, as the sport is owned by the France family. 

During his recent appearance on the Stacking Pennies podcast, RFK President Chip Bowers was questioned whether NASCAR could follow the NFL’s business model and eventually turn into a franchise. 

"I do. I think the path is there. I think the model is there. It's still a work in progress. I think the difference is, and I think people know it, but maybe they don't, and this is something that I've been trying to wrap my head around, and the timing actually was quite good for me," he said.

Bowers also opened up about how the antitrust lawsuit between 23XI and NASCAR helped teams to step back and come together to figure things out. He added on the podcast, 

"A lot of people ask, you're joining NASCAR in a very dark time. There's this lawsuit, a lot of questions around the future of the sport. And I actually had the exact opposite approach. I think, albeit unfortunate, that you have to go through something like that as a sport; the reality is, it forces everybody to take a step back and figure out, okay, how do we collaborate to do a better job moving forward? These are the dark days, right? And you never see the light until the darkest hour."

While NASCAR continues to remain different from the traditional franchise league, Chip Bowers' comments offer an insight as to what the sports business model could look like down the road. 

As conversations continue to revolve around charter, ownership, and other things, RFK has yet to find its third charter for the upcoming season. 

RFK Racing’s hunt for a third NASCAR charter continues 

At the moment, RFK fields three charters, but in 2027, the No. 60 charter will be going to Legacy Motor Club, as it was on lease from RWR. However, amid this, the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team has spoken about not cutting down the team to just two charters. 

While talking on the same podcast, Chip Bowers has explained the team's approach for the upcoming season. 

"And so when I look at the third charter, I go, 'Look, we want to buy a charter or lease a charter.' Those are our top two options. We will run open because I know in my heart that we're going to do it better than anyone else has ever done it. And I get the luxury of doing it with three really good drivers," he said. 

This is something that the team president has brought up in the past as well, when he was questioned about how the team would tackle the soaring charter prices. 

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason