CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Front Row Motorsports, one of two teams suing NASCAR in federal court, accused the stock car series Thursday of rejecting the planned purchase of a valuable charter unless the lawsuit was dropped. Front Row made the claim in a court filing and said it involved its proposed purchase of the charter from Stewart-Haas Racing. Front Row said the series would only approve it if Front Row and 23XI Racing dropped their court case. “Specifically, NASCAR informed us that it would not approve the (charter) transfer unless we agreed to drop our current antitrust lawsuit against them,” Jerry Freeze, general manager of Front Row, said in an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court of Western North Carolina. The two teams in September refused to sign NASCAR’s “take-it-or-leave-it” final offer on a new revenue sharing agreement. All other 13 teams signed the deal. Front Row and 23XI balked and are now in court. 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan has said he took the fight to court on behalf of all teams competing in the top motorsports series in the United States. NASCAR has argued that the two teams simply do not like the terms of the final charter agreement and asked for the lawsuit be dismissed. Earlier this week, the suit was transferred to a different judge than the one who heard the first round of arguments and ruled against the two teams in their request for a temporary injunction to be recognized in 2025 as chartered teams as the case proceeds. The latest filing is heavily redacted as it lays out alleged retaliatory actions by NASCAR the teams say have caused irreparable harm. Both Front Row and 23XI want to expand from two full-time cars to three, and have agreements with SHR to purchase one charter each as SHR goes from four cars to one for 2025. The teams can still compete next season but would have to do so as “open” teams that don’t have the same protections or financial gains that come from holding a charter. Freeze claimed in the affidavit that Front Row signed a purchase agreement with SHR in April and NASCAR President Steve Phelps told Freeze in September the deal had been approved. But when Front Row submitted the paperwork last month, NASCAR began asking for additional information. A Dec. 4 request from NASCAR was “primarily related to our ongoing lawsuit with NASCAR,” Freeze said. “NASCAR informed us on December 5, 2024, that it objected to the transfer and would not approve it, in contrast to the previous oral approval for the transfer confirmed by Phelps before we filed the lawsuit,” Freeze said. “NASCAR made it clear that the reason it was now changing course and objecting to the transfer is because NASCAR is insisting that we drop the lawsuit and antitrust claims against it as a condition of being approved.” A second affidavit from Steve Lauletta, the president of 23XI Racing, claims NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of manufacturing “new circumstances” in a renewed motion for an injunction and of a “coordinated effort behind the scenes.” “This is completely false,” Lauletta said. Front Row is owned by businessman Bob Jenkins, while 23XI is owned by retired NBA Hall of Famer Jordan, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and longtime Jordan adviser Curtis Polk. NASCAR had been operating with 36 chartered teams and four open spots since the charter agreement began in 2016. NASCAR now says it will move forward in 2025 with 32 chartered teams and eight open spots, with offers on charters for Front Row and 23XI rescinded and the SHR charters in limbo. The teams contend they must be chartered under some of their contractual agreements with current sponsors and drivers, and competing next year as open teams will cause significant losses. “23XI exists to compete at the highest level of stock car racing, striving to become the best team it can be. But that ambition can only be pursued within NASCAR, which has monopolized the market as the sole top-tier circuit for stock car racing,” Lauletta said. “Our efforts to expand – purchasing more cars and increasing our presence on the track – are integral to achieving this goal. “It is not hypocritical to operate within the only system available while striving for excellence and contending for championships,” he continued. “It is a necessity because NASCAR’s monopoly leaves 23XI no alternative circuit, no different terms, and no other viable avenue to compete at this level.”13 Taylor Swift Books To Get the Swiftie That Already Ordered Their Copy of ‘The Eras Tour’
AI Powers the Fight Against ALS LAS VEGAS , Dec. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --A partnership between Compass UOL, an AI transformation services company, and non-profit EverythingALS is using artificial intelligence to address Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), one of the most intractable puzzles in medicine. EverythingALS and Compass UOL will officially launch their partnership on December 4 at 4:00 PM PT at the annual AWS re:Invent conference in this city, at the AWS for Healthcare and Life Sciences booth within the AWS for Industries Pavilion. The initiative aims to accelerate breakthroughs in ALS care and research by training and supporting 2,000 computational biologists and AI engineers dedicated to understanding and combating ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases as part of Vision 2030 program of EverythingALS. EverythingALS, a patient-focused non-profit set up by The Peter Cohen Foundation, is driving innovation in ALS research by combining biotechnology with data science, working closely with Harvard Medical School , Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT , and pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, and MT Pharma, among others. "The time is now," said Indu Navar , whose foundation honors the memory of Peter Cohen , her late husband and an Amazon.com veteran and senior founding team member of AWS. Cohen held multiple leadership roles during his tenure at Amazon before losing his life to ALS in 2019. "AI and computational power are unlocking mysteries of the brain that were once inaccessible," Navar said. Navar, a tech entrepreneur herself and Peter Cohen's wife, founded EverythingALS to fulfill her husband's vision of applying technological innovation to cure ALS. Navar has made it her mission to save millions of lives from brain diseases. "This partnership allows us to honor Peter's legacy by harnessing data and technology to better understand ALS and ultimately save lives," she said. Compass UOL contributes its AI transformation experience and the work of a team of over 6,000 experts in AI, data and digital platforms at the AI Revolution Company, its parent organization. "We are racing to train the next generation of experts in computational biology to tackle diseases such as ALS and related brain diseases," said Dao Jensen , President of Compass UOL's AWS Business Unit in the U.S. Last year, Compass UOL announced a training initiative with AWS support to help 15,000 computer science students in universities worldwide learn to program cloud platforms using generative AI tools. ALS is a nervous system disease that affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat, and breathe. There is still no cure for this fatal disease, made more widely known by baseball legend Lou Gehrig . "I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for," said Gehrig in closing his speech. He might have well said it for the Compass UOL and EverythingALS alliance, which 85 years and a several technological and scientific breakthroughs later, is racing for a cure in the same unbreakable spirit. About Compass UOL Compass UOL is a global company that is part of the AI Revolution Company, which drives the transformation of organizations through Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, and Digital Technologies. We design and build digital native platforms using cutting-edge technologies to help companies innovate, transform businesses, and drive success in their markets. With a focus on attracting and developing the best talent, we create opportunities that improve lives and highlight the positive impact of disruptive technologies on society. About EverythingALS Since 2020, EverythingALS has been dedicated to advancing research, fostering innovation, and offering support for individuals and families affected by ALS. EverythingALS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that operates under the Peter Cohen Foundation. EverythingALS has established a well-connected ALS community network comprising 7,000 subscribers, 1,400 research participants, and over 300,000 visitors to its YouTube channel from 50 countries. Furthermore, EverythingALS collaborates with a consortium of pharmaceutical companies, sharing research findings and insights through its unique citizen-driven research with an open innovation model. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and data-driven approaches, EverythingALS is committed to accelerating the development of curative therapies for ALS, aiming for a world free from the burdens of ALS. http://www.everythingals.org and http://v2030.org View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/everythingals-and-compass-uol-partner-to-advance-artificial-intelligence-and-computational-biology-by-training-and-supporting-2-000-top-talent-to-cure-als-at-aws-reinvent-2024--302323034.html SOURCE Compass UOL
(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done! Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.