Two stock-car teams, including one co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in federal court Wednesday morning.
Jordan’s team, 23XI Racing, along with Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports, were recently the only two Cup Series teams that refused to sign on to a new agreement with NASCAR — the new “charter” partnership is designed to run the length of a new seven-year media-rights deal.
From Jordan’s Wednesday statement: “I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.”
The suit alleges NASCAR has used its leverage within the sport to become the only viable big-league alternative for professional stock-car teams. The suit claims “anticompetitive and exclusionary practices” have been used by NASCAR and its Daytona Beach-based leadership to “enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams.”
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NASCAR, birthed in 1947 and racing since 1948, has offered no statement yet on the matter. Under an agreement in play since 2016, there are 36 charters — thought of as “franchises” — in the Cup Series, and they’re owned by 15 different teams. Those 36 cars are guaranteed starting spots in all 36 races on the current schedule.
Recent haggling over terms of the agreement resulted in all but 23XI and Front Row agreeing to keep the system in place.
Front Row and 23XI released the following statement:
“We share a passion for racing, the thrill of competition, and winning. Off the racetrack, we share a belief that change is necessary for the sport we love. Together, we brought this antitrust case to that racing can thrive and become a more competitive and fair sport in ways that will benefit teams, drivers, sponsors and most importantly fans.”
Adding to the intrigue, one of Jordan’s 23XI co-owner is current NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, who oversees 23XI while also continuing to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in that team’s No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin, whose 54 career wins include three Daytona 500s, is among the 12 drivers still competing for this season’s Cup Series championship.
One of the new 2025 charter provisions is that the teams release NASCAR of antitrust claims. As part of the lawsuit, 23XI and Front Row are asking for a preliminary injunction that will allow them to compete as chartered teams in 2025 while still proceeding with the lawsuit. https://t.co/7WWxs9Q4Cv
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 2, 2024
Curtis Polk is the third 23XI ownership partner. The two-car 23XI team features drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick driving Toyotas.
Front Row Motorsports fields Fords for Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland. Of its four wins in 20 seasons, the biggest was McDowell’s 2021 Daytona 500 victory.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Michael Jordan vs. NASCAR | 23XI among two teams filing antitrust suit
