Two NASCAR Cup Series teams, including Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, are taking their disagreements with NASCAR to the courtroom in an antitrust lawsuit.
According to Yahoo! Life, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (FRM) have thrown down the legal gauntlet, challenging NASCAR’s practices over franchise agreements—or charters, as they’re known in the world of stock car racing. Things are heating up in the racing world, and this lawsuit is no minor pit stop.
So what’s the big deal here? Let’s break it down.
In NASCAR, teams don’t exactly own their spot in the race. Since 2016, NASCAR has granted charters to 36 teams every season. It’s like a VIP pass to compete. Think of it as NASCAR saying, “Okay, you get to play this year.” But unlike traditional sports leagues—where team owners have a say in how the league is run—NASCAR operates under the control of one family: the Frances. They call the shots. The teams? Well, they pretty much have to wait for a new deal to be offered and hope they can negotiate for a bigger slice of the pie.
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That’s where things get sticky. Recently, all but two teams signed an extension of the charter agreement on the eve of the 2024 playoffs. The holdouts? You guessed it—23XI Racing (co-owned by six-time NBA MVP Michael Jordan) and FRM. Naturally, the next step for these racing rebels was to take things legal.
According to the Yahoo! Life article, the lawsuit accuses NASCAR of some non-competitive practices, including owning a bunch of race tracks, stopping teams from racing in other stock car events, and snapping up another stock car league (ARCA). Essentially, 23XI and FRM are calling out NASCAR for monopolizing the racetrack, and they’re ready to shake things up for the good of the sport—or so they say.
“We share a passion for racing, the thrill of competition, and winning,” said a joint statement from the teams. But they didn’t stop there. The teams accused NASCAR of running an unfair game where teams, drivers, and even fans get the short end of the stick. They’re asking for a more “competitive and fair sport” where everyone, including sponsors and fans, benefits from the success of racing.
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And Michael Jordan? He’s fully backing this move. “The way NASCAR is run today is unfair,” Jordan said, according to Yahoo! Life, and he’s ready to fight for a sport where “everyone wins.”
Leave it to MJ to step into NASCAR and call for a real competitive playing field.
His co-owners, Chris Polk and Denny Hamlin, are right there with him, calling for a shift from NASCAR’s current structure, which they label a “dictatorship,” to a more collaborative partnership between the teams and NASCAR.
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While the two teams represent only a fraction of NASCAR’s grid (just four cars currently), both are expected to expand their rosters in 2025, possibly increasing their share of chartered cars to 17%. It’s clear that this isn’t just about two teams whining about being left out—it’s about pushing for change that could impact the future of the sport.
In the meantime, 23XI Racing and FRM are filing a preliminary injunction to ensure they stay in the game for 2025 while continuing their legal battle. If the lawsuit succeeds, we might just see a NASCAR where teams have a lot more say—and a lot more cash to go around.
As for now, it’s safe to say NASCAR might be feeling a little pit stop of its own coming on.
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