In early 2026, the lobbying effort to keep NASCAR financially afloat via taxpayer dollars has reached a desperate peak.
Since the federal "NASCAR tax break" (the 7-year accelerated depreciation) officially expired on December 31, 2025, the France family’s proxies are currently working overtime to ensure the sport doesn't have to play by the same tax rules as every other business.
The 2026 "Corporate Welfare" Lobbying Blitz
The goal for 2026 is simple: Retroactive reinstatement. Lobbyists are pushing for a federal "Tax Extender" package that would reach back to the start of this year and gift the France family their 7-year write-off back.
1. The Political "Shields"
The primary legislative vehicle for this is the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act. As of February 2026, these are the key individuals and groups ensuring the France family keeps their subsidies:
While the federal fight is about taxes, the state fight is about direct cash.
What makes this lobbying particularly appalling right now is the contrast between their public "poverty" and their private profits revealed in the recent 2025 antitrust settlement with Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team:
The Verdict on the France Family Strategy
The strategy in 2026 is "Managed Parasitism." As the sport loses viewers (down 14% in the last year), the France family is making up the difference by increasing their reliance on government subsidies and tax loopholes. They are effectively using the political influence they bought over the last 20 years to ensure that even if the fans stop showing up, the taxpayer continues to pay for the "hospitality suites" and "grandstands."
Since the federal "NASCAR tax break" (the 7-year accelerated depreciation) officially expired on December 31, 2025, the France family’s proxies are currently working overtime to ensure the sport doesn't have to play by the same tax rules as every other business.
The 2026 "Corporate Welfare" Lobbying Blitz
The goal for 2026 is simple: Retroactive reinstatement. Lobbyists are pushing for a federal "Tax Extender" package that would reach back to the start of this year and gift the France family their 7-year write-off back.
1. The Political "Shields"
The primary legislative vehicle for this is the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act. As of February 2026, these are the key individuals and groups ensuring the France family keeps their subsidies:
• The "Champion" in the House: Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY) has been the lead sponsor of the bill to make the NASCAR tax break permanent. She has successfully gathered a bipartisan group of roughly 16 co-sponsors to keep the bill alive in the House Ways and Means Committee.
• The Senate Ally: Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has led the charge in the Senate Finance Committee. Despite the sport's decline, the argument used is always "jobs and community," even though the tracks sit empty for the vast majority of the year.
• The Money Funnel: The NASCAR PAC remains one of the most surgical spending tools in sports. In the 2024–2025 cycle, they focused heavily on members of the House Ways and Means Committee, specifically targeting leadership like Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), who holds the power to decide which tax breaks are "essential."
2. State-Level "Grafts" (2025–2026)While the federal fight is about taxes, the state fight is about direct cash.
• Illinois: In June 2025, Illinois Democrats passed a budget that included a $5 million direct grant specifically for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. This happened despite significant local pushback regarding noise, pollution, and the shutdown of public parks.
• Florida: As of July 1, 2025, the Florida legislature granted a permanent sales tax exemption for admissions to NASCAR Cup Series Championship races held in the state. This ensures that every ticket sold for a championship event at Homestead-Miami funnels more money to the organization and less to Florida’s public coffers.
The Financial "Irony" of 2026What makes this lobbying particularly appalling right now is the contrast between their public "poverty" and their private profits revealed in the recent 2025 antitrust settlement with Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team:
| Metric | Reality (early 2026) |
| NASCAR profits | Reported average annual profit of $340 million (2023–2024). |
| Asset Value | The organization owns property valued at over $1.18 billion. |
| Taxpayer Bill | Despite these hundreds of millions in profit, they are fighting for a tax break that costs the public $15M–$20M annually. |
The Verdict on the France Family Strategy
The strategy in 2026 is "Managed Parasitism." As the sport loses viewers (down 14% in the last year), the France family is making up the difference by increasing their reliance on government subsidies and tax loopholes. They are effectively using the political influence they bought over the last 20 years to ensure that even if the fans stop showing up, the taxpayer continues to pay for the "hospitality suites" and "grandstands."
