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

Team Investment and a Competitive Drive

The owner disclosed financial and corporate details of his racing venture, saying he put in $40m of his own funds into the Cup Series operation launched with partner Polk and driver Hamlin.

“Someone had to step forward,” Jordan said during testimony. “I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I believed I could take on Nascar in its entirety. From my perspective, the sport it needed to be looked at through a new lens.”

Central Issue: Franchise System and Contract Pressure

The heart of the case involves the expiration of a 2016 deal where Nascar provided each team a “charter”. This system mirrors other professional sports with separately owned franchises, like the Charlotte Hornets or the NFL’s Panthers. This deal was set to expire in 2024 when Nascar demanded charter membership renewals.

Jordan testified for an hour and left the court to a media frenzy, with fans and media clamoring for a view or a photo of the sports legend.

Spearheading the Fight

Jordan’s 23XI is at the forefront of the push along with another racing team for Nascar to overhaul a operating model Jordan said is breaking the law to maintain excessive control.

At issue for Jordan and Heather Gibbs, who preceded Jordan, are details from September 2024. She recounted a frantic and emotional period where the sanctioning body told teams they had to sign a charter agreement extension. The document consists of 112 pages detailing team compensation and a guaranteed spot in Nascar-sponsored races.

A Refusal to Sign

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

Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin approached Nascar about possible changes or negotiations. Nascar wasn’t talking, Jordan said.

The Ultimate Motivation: Winning

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a financially unsustainable model was mostly about the usual bottom line for Jordan: Winning.

“Denny convinced me adding a third car improved our chances to win,” he testified, sharing that he bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28m despite the uncertainty. “So I dove in.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Gibbs described her push for indefinite franchises, which she said a formal letter to Nascar. She testified the timing of the contract signing demand didn’t sit well.

She said, the team founder first attempted to call and persuade Nascar against forcing signatures, but CEO Jim France refused the appeal.

“Please don’t force this on us,” Heather Gibbs said was the message to Nascar’s leadership. The response was, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, that’s what I have. If I have 30, I have 30.”