Race Team Alliance

Race Team Alliance (RTA)
Founded2014 (2014)
HeadquartersCharlotte, North Carolina
Location
  • United States
Members
16 (see below)
Key people
AffiliationsNASCAR
Websiteraceteamalliance.com

The Race Team Alliance (RTA) is a 501(c)(6) Delaware not-for-profit business organization that consists of 16 NASCAR Cup Series teams as of 2022. The RTA is intended to increase revenues and budget efficiency for NASCAR Cup Series organizations, as well as to make promotional deals, attract sponsors, market the sports teams and drivers and to present and work with NASCAR in a single voice. It was established on July 7, 2014 and was originally comprised nine teams. The current chairman of the RTA is Rob Kauffman, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, a former race team in the alliance.

History

NASCAR and union-like organizations

NASCAR has always in the past had a negative view of and has resisted union like organizations and the formation of them. In 1965, the sport's pioneers Curtis Turner and Tim Flock were banned after trying to form a union among the drivers and get the Teamsters to represent them, although both were later reinstated. In 1969, NASCAR stars formed the PDA (Professional Drivers Association), led by Richard Petty. Shortly after a boycott of the 1969 Talladega 500 over track conditions the union disbanded, with NASCAR never publicly acknowledging the organization's existence or punishing drivers involved in it.

Formation of the RTA

In 2014, the top race teams in the sport created the Race Team Alliance. The organization structured similar to the former FOTA in Formula One.

Much like with union-like organizations of the past, NASCAR took a negative view with chairman Brian France calling it the "worst thing we could ever do". NASCAR, through president Mike Helton, assured the media that there is no animosity between the RTA and the sanctioning body.

Actions

In May 2018, Jonathan Marshall was appointed as the organization's executive director. The RTA also helped with the organizing of NASCAR Heat Pro League, the esports series of the NASCAR Heat video game series, as well as the idea of the moving the Cup Series car numbers to the front of the center of door from the 2022 season. (A previous experiment, moving the car number rearwards, was tried at the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race.)

In November 2022, reports surfaced that the RTA considered holding exhibition races sanctioned by themselves instead of NASCAR. The proposal, fueled by the issue over money the teams received from television broadcasting rights, has resulted in concerns about a potential split similar to American open-wheel car racing experienced from 1996 to 2008, although a clause in the agreement with NASCAR and RTA (set to expire in 2024, coinciding with new television arrangements scheduling to take effect) prohibits the RTA from creating a competing racing series.

Charter system

In advance of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the RTA played an integral role in forming an agreement between NASCAR and the various NASCAR Cup Series competitors on a charter system which would guarantee full-time license holders automatic entrance into every race of the season for nine years. Charters which are transferable were granted to full-time Cup Series teams that had been active in a full-time capacity since at least the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. There are a total of 36 charters, and a new total starting field in each race of 40 providing four "open" spots on the weekly race grid. Failure to field a car, or finishing in bottom three in owner points' standings for three consecutive seasons, results in the loss of that charter, at NASCAR's discretion. (For instance, in 2023, although Rick Ware Racing's No. 51 finished three years in a row in the bottom three, the team was not stripped of the No. 51 charter.)

This action was driven by the RTA in an effort to increase the value of the current full-time teams. Two charters granted to the since-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing were sold for over a million dollars apiece to Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart Haas Racing. Charters can also be leased, as in the case of Trackhouse Racing Team leasing a charter from Spire Motorsports for 2021 before acquiring Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations. In accordance with NASCAR's four-car rule, no organization may possess more than four charters.

The charter system has been criticized as increasing entry barrier for new teams to enter the Cup Series while favoring larger, established teams with multiple cars and allowing smaller ones possessing charters to stagnate on-track. Germain Racing driver Ty Dillon (whose team shut down at the end of 2020 season) claimed that charter system made single-car teams difficult to survive. Following the announcement that Leavine Family Racing was shutting down at the end of the 2020 season, team owner Bob Leavine claimed that the team did not get the most of the charter for what he paid for it. Larry McReynolds has stated on NASCAR Race Hub that he would like to disband the RTA, along with drivers and team owners' council. Further criticism of the charter system surrounded the 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duels when Dillon failed to qualify for that year's Daytona 500 after he lost to Ryan Preece (another driver driving for a non-chartered team), even though both had finished ahead of several slower chartered cars.

Current charter holders

Team Manufacturer Car No. Year purchased
23XI Racing Toyota 23 2021
45 2022
Front Row Motorsports Ford 34 2015
38 2018
Hendrick Motorsports Chevy 5 2015
9 2015
24 2015
48 2015
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 11 2015
19 2016
20 2015
54 2015
JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy 47 2015
Kaulig Racing Chevy 16 2022
31 2022
Legacy Motor Club Toyota 42 2022
43 2015
Richard Childress Racing Chevy 3 2015
8 2015
Rick Ware Racing Ford 15 2019
51 2020
RFK Racing Ford 6 2015
17 2015
Spire Motorsports Chevy 7 2022
71 2024
77 2021
Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 4 2015
10 2015
14 2015
41 2016
Team Penske Ford 2 2015
12 2018
22 2015
Trackhouse Racing Chevy 1 2022
99 2022
Wood Brothers Racing Ford 21 2018

Members

Current members

Team Joined Cars Notes
23XI Racing 2021 2
Front Row Motorsports 2014; 2022 2 Left in 2016; rejoined in 2022
Hendrick Motorsports 2014 4 Founding member
Joe Gibbs Racing 2014 4 Founding member
JTG Daugherty Racing 2014 1
Kaulig Racing 2022 2
Live Fast Motorsports 2021 1 Does not have a charter
Legacy Motor Club 2021 2 Formerly known as Petty GMS Motorsports
Richard Childress Racing 2014 2 Founding member
Rick Ware Racing 2022 2
RFK Racing 2014 2 Founding member; formerly known as Roush Fenway Racing
Spire Motorsports 2021 3
Stewart-Haas Racing 2014 4 Founding member
Team Penske 2014 3 Founding member
Trackhouse Racing 2022 2
Wood Brothers Racing 2019 1

Former members

Team Joined Left Notes
BK Racing 2014 2018 Closed; assets sold to Front Row Motorsports
Chip Ganassi Racing 2014 2021 Founding member; sold to Trackhouse Racing
Circle Sport 2014 2016 Merged with The Motorsports Group to form Circle Sport - The Motorsports Group; renamed Key Motorsports before closing in 2019
Germain Racing 2014 2020 Closed; charter sold to 23XI Racing
Go Fas Racing 2014 2020 Closed; charter sold to Live Fast Motorsports
HScott Motorsports 2014 2016 Closed; charter sold to Premium Motorsports
Leavine Family Racing 2017 2020 Closed; charter sold to Spire Motorsports
Michael Waltrip Racing 2014 2015 Founding member; closed; charters sold to Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing
Phil Parsons Racing 2014 2015 Closed; assets sold to Premium Motorsports
Premium Motorsports 2017 2020 Sold to Rick Ware Racing
Richard Petty Motorsports 2014 2021 Founding member; merged with GMS Racing to form Petty GMS Motorsports
Tommy Baldwin Racing 2014 2016 Closed; assets sold to Premium Motorsports

This page was last updated at 2024-01-08 21:09 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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