23XI are co-owned by former NBA star Michael Jordan and current Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, with the pair and their wider team refusing to sign the deal despite reported threats from NASCAR that they could lose their charters for next season.
After that threat, it was revealed earlier this week that 23XI and Front Row Motorsports had now filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR following what they deemed to be a 'very serious threat'.
Naturally, ahead of Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, the lawsuit was a huge topic of discussion, with team owners asked questions about how the charter agreement came to be signed.
Now, in a damning revelation, Childress has revealed he felt he had no choice but to sign up to the agreement due to fear of losing his charters for next season.
"We got our DocuSign that evening at 6:37[pm], and we had to sign it by 12 o'clock or we'd lose our charters," Childress explained.
"I didn't have a choice. We had to sign.
"I have over 400 employees, OEM contracts, contracts with sponsors, and I have to take care of my team."
The media then quizzed Childress on whether or not he was happy with the agreement and having signed it, to which he refused to answer.
He did, however, explain that he did not feel he could join the lawsuit at this stage, with it being so early in the proceedings.
"I don't know how you phrase 'happy' on this," Childress said. "I would just say that I don't think we can join [the lawsuit].
"It's way too early to talk about all the legal stuff. NASCAR hasn't even came back with an answer. I'm sure they're looking at antitrust attorneys. I know they are."