Latest news with #charter
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Hamlin undeterred by ruling siding with NASCAR in lawsuit filed by Jordan-owned 23XI and Front Row
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Denny Hamlin is unfazed that a three-judge federal appellate panel vacated an injunction that required NASCAR to recognize 23XI, which he owns with Michael Jordan, and Front Row as chartered teams as part of an antitrust lawsuit. 'That's just such a small part of the entire litigation,' Hamlin said Saturday, a day ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400. 'I'm not deterred at all. We're in good shape.' Hamlin said Jordan feels the same way. 'He just remains very confident, just like I do,' Hamiln said. NASCAR has not commented on the latest ruling. 23XI and Front Row sued NASCAR late last year after refusing to sign new agreements on charter renewals. They asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as chartered teams for this season, but the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday ruled in NASCAR's favor. 'We're looking at all options right now,' Hamlin said. The teams, each winless this year, said they needed the injunction because the current charter agreement prohibits them from suing NASCAR. 23XI also argued it would be harmed because Tyler Reddick's contract would have made him a free agent if the team could not guarantee him a charter-protected car. Hamlin insisted he's not worried about losing drivers because of the uncertainty. 'I'm not focused on that particularly right this second,' he said. Reddick, who was last year's regular-season champion and competed for the Cup title in November, enters the race Sunday at Michigan ranked sixth in the Cup Series standings. The charter system is similar to franchises in other sports, but the charters are revocable by NASCAR and have expiration dates. The six teams may have to compete as 'open' cars and would have to qualify on speed each week to make the race and would receive a fraction of the money. Without a charter, Hamlin said it would cost the teams 'tens of millions,' to run three cars. 'We're committed to run this season open if we have to,' he said. 'We're going to race and fulfill all of our commitments no matter what. We're here to race. Our team is going to be here for the long haul and we're confident of that.' The antitrust case isn't scheduled to be heard until December. NASCAR has not said what it would do with the six charters held by the two organizations if they are returned to the sanctioning body. There are 36 chartered cars for a 40-car field. 'We feel like facts were on our side,' Hamlin said. 'I think if you listen to the judges, even they mentioned that we might be in pretty good shape.' ___ AP auto racing:
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Federal judges rule in favor of NASCAR in lawsuit filed by Jordan-owned 23XI and Front Row
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR in the antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one owned by Michael Jordan, and vacated an injunction that required 23XI and Front Row be recognized as chartered teams as their case snakes through the legal system. Both race teams sued NASCAR late last year after refusing to sign new agreements on charter renewals. The charter system is similar to franchises in other sports, but the charters are revocable by NASCAR and have expiration dates. 23XI, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, joined Front Row in suing NASCAR after 13 other organizations signed the renewals. The two teams sued and asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as chartered teams for this season. The antitrust case isn't scheduled to be heard until December. The teams said they needed the injunction because the current charter agreement prohibits them from suing NASCAR. 23XI also argued it would be harmed because Tyler Reddick's contract would have made him a free agent if the team could not guarantee him a charter-protected car. The original judge ruled that NASCAR's charter agreement likely violated antitrust law in granting the injunction. But when they heard arguments last month, the three judges at the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, indicated they were skeptical of that decision. The judges said in Thursday's ruling they were not aware of any case that supports the lower court's theory of antitrust law, so they vacated the injunction. The teams have 14 days to appeal to the full court. The injunction also has no bearings on the merits of the case. ___ AP auto racing:
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
NASCAR Teams 23XI And Front Row Must Qualify On Speed, For Now
The NASCAR charter war took another dramatic turn Thursday as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of NASCAR, overturning a lower court's decision that temporarily granted 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports the right to compete as chartered teams in 2025. In short: NASCAR wins this round. The two teams that dared to sue the sport they compete in have now lost their guaranteed place in the field—again. According to the ruling, the December 18 decision by a lower court that handed each team three charters for the 2025 season—including one each purchased from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing—has been vacated. That means no automatic starting spots, and no guaranteed slice of NASCAR's multi-billion-dollar media rights pie. Not unless 23XI and Front Row can convince the court to reconsider. The teams have 14 days to petition for a rehearing. Failing that, the judgment becomes final 21 days from now—on June 26, just two days before the Cup Series hits the newly rebranded EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. A symbolic gut punch? Perhaps. But also a logistical nightmare for two multi-car operations with Daytona-sized ambitions and no guaranteed starting spots. This is only the latest twist in a legal saga that started last October when 23XI and Front Row filed a lawsuit against NASCAR, arguing that they were unfairly shut out of charter ownership despite purchasing charters from Stewart-Haas Racing. When the Dec. 18 ruling gave them the green light, it looked like they'd successfully stuck it to the establishment. But NASCAR quickly appealed that ruling, calling it 'fraught with errors, both legally and factually' in a Feb. 12 brief. When oral arguments were heard on May 9, early indications hinted that the appellate judges were skeptical of the teams' position. That skepticism has now translated into a full reversal. NASCAR's charter system, which functions like a franchise model, guarantees certain teams a spot on the starting grid and a share of media revenue. But the current system also hinges on participation in the NASCAR Charter Agreement. When 23XI and Front Row declined to sign the most recent iteration of that agreement, NASCAR took the position that they had forfeited any charter-related benefits—even for charters they claimed to own. The Dec. 18 ruling temporarily rewrote that narrative. Now, the appellate court has rewritten it again. The decision throws another wrench into 2025 plans for both teams. Without charters, their drivers must qualify on speed each week. Sponsorship deals become trickier. And any illusion of stability in the garage has been vaporized by legal fumes. As it stands, 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, which expanded aggressively by acquiring SHR assets, now find themselves staring at the same uphill legal road they thought they'd already climbed. It's unclear whether they will file for a rehearing or take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. What is clear: NASCAR has reclaimed the high ground—for now. And with the next round of Charter Agreements expected to shape the sport's financial future for a decade, the battle lines are only getting deeper.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alpha Kappa Alpha Charters New Chapter In The United Kingdom
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is exporting a Black American tradition to the U.K. It officially charted the first AKA chapter in the country, which will be known as Alpha Delta Alpha Omega Chapter, on Friday. It is the 19th chapter of AKA's international mission. Technically, there was a precursor to the AKA's presence in London with the former Tau Sigma Omega Chapter, which was dissolved in 2006. AKA inaugurated the new chapter in London on Friday. Alpha Delta Alpha Omega Chapter includes 25 professional women who work in fields like real estate, finance, medicine and business. 'History has been made across the pond!' the sorority wrote in an Instagram post. 'Congratulations to the charter members of Alpha Delta Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® on your official chartering in London, United Kingdom!' Before its official induction, the interest group was titled the Royal Pearl Society. They have been working with local organizations to help communities in need this past year, according to Watch the Yard. The group spearheaded initiatives such as the distribution of 350 Childhood Hunger Power Packs, assembling over 200 Blessing Bags, organizing an eight-week entrepreneurship training program for women, investing over £3,000 in Black-owned businesses and volunteering over 200 hours. 'These women are already making an enormous difference in and around London,' Carrie J. Clark, AKA's International Regional Director. 'They are an amazing group of servant leaders who I am confident will expand Alpha Kappa Alpha's legacy of service in the Greater London area for years to come.' Alpha Delta Alpha Omega Chapter will keep focusing on similar initiatives after its official induction. They plan on organizing activities like distributing children's books by Black authors, as well as collecting professional attire for women re-entering the workforce. Although sororities are an American tradition, AKA established international chapters early on, according to their website. The first one to be established overseas was the AKA chapter in Liberia, which was chartered in 1954. AKA then opened another international chapter in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1963, in the U. S. Virgin Islands in 1978, and in Germany a year later. Other countries with international chapters include Japan, South Korea, Canada, South Africa and more. The sorority has led global initiatives like efforts to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan African countries, building schools in South Africa after apartheid and service missions to support women and children in Liberia. The organization now counts over 365,000 members across 13 countries and post Alpha Kappa Alpha Charters New Chapter In The United Kingdom appeared first on Blavity.
Travel Weekly
28-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
How river charterer Transcend is making inroads with tour operators
Brinley Hineman Transcend Cruises, which first positioned itself as a solution for the meetings and events market on European rivers, is also attracting tour operators to its charter-only model. The brand designed its river cruise ships with the MICE market in mind, but it now says that land-based tour operator charters are already a sizable piece of its business. Transcend has worked with LGBTQ operator Vacaya and UK-based Imagine Cruising. And it is in discussions with other operators for 2027 and 2028 charters, include those that specialize in niche tours. "From the tour operator side, we identified at the very beginning that that was one of our audience segments," said chief revenue officer Kimberly Daley. Other river cruise ships -- from Tauck, Amadeus River Cruises and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, for example -- can also be chartered. But Daley, whose professional background includes roles at tour operators like Pleasant Holidays, Mountain Travel Sobek and Abercrombie & Kent, said that chartering with those lines can be difficult for tour operators due to the schedules those lines have to keep for their own itineraries. But Transcend's partnership with Lindblad Expeditions through 2028 marks an important milestone. Transcend will operate two National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions itineraries on the Rhine next year on Transcend's 120-passenger Connect, and both companies envision the partnership growing from there. "A lot of what [Lindblad was] trying to achieve was an entry into a growing market and be able to differentiate themselves and enable the type of robust learning and engagement that they're known for," Daley said. The partnership formed after Daley said she began outreach to operators, including Lindblad. The Connect and Evolve will begin cruising next year. The ships can sail the Rhine, Danube and Main, but Transcend's goal is to grow its fleet to 10 to 12 ships on those rivers and other waterways. Transcend allows a level of customization and flexibility that is enticing for operators and not commonly found on other lines, Daley said. The lodging is customizable, with the ability to convert cabins into suites. Partners fully plan their itineraries and excursions for up to seven-night sailings, which enables them to pick and choose what they want to highlight on their itineraries. The lower deck of the ships will have flexible space for wellness activities and a theater to support TED-talk style events. For Lindblad, Daley said, the flexible spaces work for its National Geographic experts and other lecturers. The ability to craft the itinerary from scratch enabled it to create one itinerary focused on castles and another on medieval history. Transcend hopes to be the "brand behind the brand," Daley added, ensuring its partner's branding is front and center with screens to reflect the partner's logo on the ship's exterior. Transcend is actively building partnerships with tour operators and travel agencies, and it anticipates more brands will come on board, but it has reported limited space for next year. "Our goal is to enhance whichever brand is on our ship beyond what they've ever thought was possible," Daley said. "Our imagination is pretty much the limit, other than where the rivers can take us."
