The purchase prices of NASCAR Cup Series charters have remained closely-guarded secrets since their introduction in 2016. That is no longer the case after hundreds of court documents were unsealed.
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A massive filing on Friday revealed countless details about NASCAR, 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports as these parties prepared for an antitrust lawsuit trial. This filing also showed what each team paid for the charters purchased between 2016 and 2025. As expected, the amounts increased significantly over the years.
For example, the chart shows that Michael Waltrip Racing sold two charters in 2016 — one to Joe Gibbs Racing and one to Stewart-Haas Racing. The listed price of these sales was $1,250,000-3,250,000. These are the only transactions that did not have a specific number attached.
Three charters then changed hands in 2017. Tommy Baldwin Racing sold its charter to Leavine Family Racing for $3,500,000. HScott Motorsports sold its charter to Premium Motorsports for $1,250,000. BK Racing sold its charter to Front Row Motorsports for an even $2 million.
Many of the charter transfers in these early years remained well under $10 million. The two most expensive charters between 2016 and 2021 belonged to Furniture Row Racing ($6 million in 2019) and Front Row Motorsports ($7 million in 2021).
The 2022 season marked the major increase in charter prices. This is the season when Trackhouse Racing purchased two charters from Chip Ganassi Racing for $6 million each. 23XI Racing purchased a charter from StarCom Racing for $13,500,000.
The 2022 deals continued with Spire Motorsports purchasing a charter from Rick Ware Racing for $15 million. Kaulig Racing purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports for $8 million and $10 million, respectively.
The 2024 season marked the peak of charter sales prices. This is the year that Spire Motorsports purchased a charter from Live Fast Motorsports for a whopping $40 million.
The prices dipped a tad as Stewart-Haas Racing exited the Cup Series. The team sold three of its four charters while reforming as Haas Factory Team. One charter sold to Front Row Motorsports for $29,500,000 while another sold to 23XI Racing for $28,000,000. The third sold to Trackhouse Racing for $26,500,000.
