🔗 Share this article

The basketball icon, as he cordially introduced himself in a Charlotte court on Friday, stated that his drive to win and novelty within the sport emboldened his push for 23XI Racing to “challenge” Nascar over alleged violations of antitrust rules.

Team Investment and a Will to Win

The owner disclosed financial and corporate details of his 23XI team, revealing he invested $40 million of his own funds into the Nascar Cup series team launched with partner Polk and longtime driver Denny Hamlin.

“Someone had to step forward,” Jordan stated during testimony. “As a newcomer, I had no fear. I believed I could take on Nascar as a whole. From my perspective, the sport required examination from a different view.”

The Core Dispute: Charter Agreements and Contract Pressure

The heart of the case involves the expiration of a 2016 agreement where Nascar provided each team a “charter”. This system mirrors other major leagues with independent franchises, such as the Charlotte Hornets or the NFL’s Panthers. This deal was set to expire in 2024 when Nascar insisted on charter membership renewals.

Jordan was on the witness stand for about sixty minutes and left the court to a media frenzy, with onlookers and reporters vying for a view or a picture of the sports legend.

Spearheading the Fight

Jordan’s 23XI is leading the full-court press along with Front Row Motorsports for Nascar to change a business model Jordan contended is unlawful to maintain excessive control.

For Jordan and and Heather Gibbs, who testified before Jordan, are details from September 2024. Gibbs described a frantic and emotional period where the sanctioning body informed teams they must sign a contract extension. The document spanned over a hundred pages detailing team compensation and a guaranteed entry in every race.

Choosing Litigation

Jordan explained that his team and its ally concluded their sole viable path was to decline to sign that 112-page package and take the issue to court. The other 13 organizations agreed to the terms.

The team owners approached Nascar about possible changes or extension options. Nascar wasn’t talking, according to his testimony.

The Ultimate Motivation: Winning

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the familiar goal for Jordan: Success.

“Denny convinced me getting a third driver boosted our odds of winning,” he said, sharing that he bought a third charter last year for $28m amid the legal dispute. “So I dove in.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Gibbs described her push for indefinite franchises, which she said a written letter to Nascar. She testified the pressure of the contract signing demand was problematic.

She said, Joe Gibbs first attempted to call and talk Nascar out of forcing signatures, but CEO Jim France refused the appeal.

“Please don’t force this on us,” Heather Gibbs said Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s executives. The response was, “Whether I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, I have 30.”