Waltrip dismisses NASCAR lawsuit drama: "They'll figure that out"

Former driver Michael Waltrip has weighed in on the ongoing antitrust lawsuit going on between NASCAR and teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. In a recent interview, Waltrip admits that he doesn't believe the lawsuit will have any effect on the sport in the long term.

"It's a big deal between Front Row Motorsports, 23XI, and NASCAR. I'm not taking away from the importance of the lawsuit," he said, talking with Essentially Sports. "To me, and I think for many of the race fans, it's white noise.

"They'll figure that out. There's going to be fans in the grandstands every Sunday. It ain't going to end NASCAR and it's not going to end the team model," he continued.

The lawsuit, filed in October of last year, sees 23XI and Front Row Motorsports take on NASCAR and its chairman Jim France for "anti-competitive and monopolistic control of the sport."

A statement from the teams read: “We share a passion for racing, the thrill of competition, and winning.

"Off the racetrack, we share a belief that change is necessary for the sport we love. Together, we brought this antitrust case so that racing can thrive and become a more competitive and fair sport in ways that will benefit teams, drivers, sponsors, and, most importantly, fans.”

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

With decades of experience in the sport, Waltrip argues that the legal battle doesn't take away from a good weekend of racing.

"I care from the aspect that I want to see how it all turns out. But as far as enjoying a weekend of racing, it has nothing to do with it for me."

Most recently, NASCAR has requested to amend its counterclaim with evidence consisting of over 200,000 pages of communications, arguing that the teams illegally colluded to secure better charter terms. Since then, 23XI and FRM attempted to subpoena NFL, NBA, NHL, and Formula 1 financials to compare with NASCAR.