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Unsealed court documents, released on Friday as a prelude to the December 1 antitrust trial of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports v. NASCAR, reveal that the Race Team Alliance (RTA) actively explored launching independent exhibition races outside of NASCAR’s direct oversight. These ambitious proposals, spanning 2022 and 2023, targeted unconventional international locales, including the Sultanate of Oman, and domestic venues such as Mexico City, New Orleans, downtown Nashville, and the iconic Churchill Downs racetrack. The explorations underscore a period of intense negotiation between the RTA and NASCAR regarding the crucial charter extension, indicating a dual strategy by race teams to both maximize their intellectual property and secure more favorable terms from the sanctioning body.
Jonathan Marshall, executive director of the RTA, articulated the bold vision driving these discussions, stating, "The world is ready for Stockcar racing." This sentiment was shared by key figures within the RTA leadership, including founder Rob Kaufman, Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks, and RFK Racing president Steve Newmark. The RTA’s pursuit of these independent ventures was intrinsically linked to their leverage in ongoing charter negotiations. Marshall’s internal communications posed a critical question to the Team Negotiating Committee (TNC): "What is everyone’s take on whether we gain leverage by doing this still? If there are productive conversations happening with NASCAR, does pursuing this still make sense to the (Team Negotiating Committee)?"
Rob Kaufman, a vocal proponent of the independent race concept, expressed a strong conviction that merely signaling an intent to diverge would not compel NASCAR to alter its stance. He emphasized, "Guys, my 2cts…Are we serious or not? Justin (Marks) is 100% spot on. We think that merely ‘feigning’ a move will get Uncle Jim (France) to change the deal, we are kidding ourselves. I have spoken to 5 of the senior NASCAR team principals in the past week and they all say one thing — they not budge unless they feel they have to concede something material to save the TV deal. NASCAR believes the teams will fold." Kaufman’s perspective was that a tangible, independent venture was necessary. "Regardless of the position of NASCAR, I strongly believe the Teams SHOULD do an exhibition race. We negotiated hard to get this right, and it is 100% within the current charters. … This is doable. Even if things were going right on the Daytona discussions, it’s a vert strong brand building item, as well as it should make money. Lots of potential if done right. Don’t squander this opportunity." He further underscored the strategic imperative, questioning, "are we playing to win, or just playing?"
The proposed independent race series envisioned a multi-faceted approach. Discussions involved former Stewart-Haas Racing president Brett Frood, former SRX co-owner Ray Evernham, and 23XI Racing president Steve Lauletta, alongside Justin Marks in his capacity with Trackhouse Entertainment Group. Marks specifically suggested deploying Trans-Am Series TA2 cars to Oman. The strategy included leaving the racing inventory in the Sultanate to foster a local racing culture following the departure of Cup Series drivers.
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Beyond the Trans-Am TA2 platform, the RTA also considered utilizing Late Model stock cars or a proprietary vehicle designed and manufactured by Evernham. The TA2 car, characterized by its road-racing Super Late Model geometry, represented a viable existing option. The development of a proprietary car would have allowed the RTA to retain full ownership of the intellectual property (IP). This ownership model was designed to facilitate future growth, continuation, or replication of the series in other regions, with a pre-established business plan for support. Evernham estimated the cost of designing and building a prototype for such a proprietary car to be between $350,000 and $450,000, with subsequent mass production anticipated.
Evernham outlined a comprehensive plan for establishing a racing series in Oman within a 12- to 16-month timeframe. His proposal mirrored the operational framework of the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series. This involved contracting with a chassis builder for custom-built rolling chassis, with an in-house team responsible for assembly, maintenance, and ongoing support. This dedicated team would also provide training to Omani personnel, ensuring the delivery of a professional-grade racing product. "I feel it’s important to deliver a quality product that would look and sound like a professional race car," Evernham stated.
Potential racing venues in Oman’s capital, Muscat, included street circuits with parallels to Monaco, or the Sultan Qaboos Stadium, an indoor facility that could replicate the concept of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s temporary track. However, Lauletta expressed skepticism regarding NASCAR’s willingness to share proprietary information about the Coliseum build-out, a sentiment echoed by Marshall. Lauletta suggested seeking expertise from organizations involved with events like the Race of Champions or other temporary circuit constructors.
Regardless of whether the initiatives were primarily a leverage tactic or a genuine endeavor to establish an international series built on RTA IP, Evernham approached the technical aspects with significant seriousness. His planning encompassed car design, track layout, and a points system. "The goal would be for the RTA or designated ownership company to retain all rights to the IP," Evernham noted. "The Omanis would continuously buy replacement parts and cars from the ownership company, and we could easily set up a franchise system if they wanted to expand this race/series to a franchise system." He further elaborated that a detailed plan would necessitate a site visit and cultural survey in Oman, positioning the proposal as an initial concept for refinement.
Marks reported engaging with the Omani Minister of Sport & Youth on December 12, discussing financial projections for an exhibition race featuring Cup Series stars. The logistics of transporting equipment were also considered. Marks stated, "The cars are a different story. If we can put an estimate on the prep of a Gen-6 car will cost us, I can have someone work on a basic cost estimate for getting 20 of them with support infrastructure on a cargo plane to the Middle East." This indicated a specific consideration for fielding 20 Gen-6 cars for a potential Middle Eastern stock car series.
The RTA’s independent series concept encompassed four distinct geographic approaches. Marks led discussions for Nashville and Oman, which Marshall identified as the "two most promising at this point." Concurrently, Wasserman Group was exploring possibilities in Mexico City and at Churchill Downs.
NASCAR became aware of the RTA’s independent racing aspirations, which reportedly led to the cancellation of editorial support for the Snowball Derby in December 2022. The Snowball Derby, widely recognized as the premier grassroots Super Late Model race in the United States, was subsequently broadcast on Racing America, the RTA’s proprietary media platform.
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