Michael Jordan Suing NASCAR Because 'Change Needed to Happen'

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Michael Jordan isn't just a legendary basketball player; he's a cultural icon, and a name that is very well-known by the masses, no matter if you're inside or outside of sports-centric circles. So, when it was time for Jordan to take the stand in a federal courtroom Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, the place quickly became filled with people.

See, Jordan is the majority owner (60%) of NASCAR Cup Series operation 23XI Racing -- a three-car team owned by himself, his long-time financial advisor Curtis Polk, and his long-time friend and current NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin -- and his team, along with one other (Front Row Motorsports) is currently in the throes of an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR.

The 62-year-old NBA Hall of Famer was the second of the three 23XI Racing owners to provide his testimony in the trial, getting on the stand Friday afternoon and telling the jury of his sentimental connection with the sport of NASCAR.

RELATED: Michael Jordan, Heather Gibbs Deliver Testimony on Day 5 of Antitrust Trial

James Jordan, Michael's father, was a friend of former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Hoss Ellington, and together, the Jordan family would make the 10-hour trip, by car, to Talladega Superspeedway to see the races.

In 2020, Denny Hamlin went to Michael Jordan with a proposal to kickstart 23XI Racing (which, at the time, was pitched as Michael Jordan Motorsports with Denny Hamlin), Jordan saw it as an opportunity to get his foot in the door with NASCAR -- and a half-decade later, the pairing has enjoyed the success of nine wins at NASCAR's top level.

These days, Jordan says that he doesn't technically have a day-to-day role within 23XI Racing, but considers himself a fan that is personally invested in the financial well-being of the team. Plus, his magnetism and likeness alone are enough to help the organization secure some sponsorships.

Jordan says that even though he only attends 10-12 events a season to sit on the pit box, he doesn't miss a single event, and watches the remainder of them from a television.

In the half-decade existence of 23XI Racing, Jordan says he's invested somewhere between $35-40 million of his personal fortune into the team. On Friday, the sports legend admitted that he was the one to foot the bill of the $28 million charter from Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, after he and Denny Hamlin decided that having a third entry would make it easier to win a championship.

But, even after investing all of this money, and building a brand-new race shop, Airspeed, Jordan says that there was no way 23XI Racing could sign the 2025 Charter Agreement put forward by NASCAR, for three simple reasons -- it wasn't a viable equity decision, there was a clause in the contract where nobody could sue NASCAR (which Jordan felt was unjust), and then NASCAR elected to give teams an ultimatum of signing the agreement by September 6 or teams would lose their charters.

Like many team owners in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, Jordan was not happy with the fact that NASCAR wouldn't budge on permanent charters (a term later tweaked to 'evergreen' charters), nor was he pleased that teams were not getting any of the other pillars that they urged NASCAR to include in the newest agreement -- governance, acillary revenue, and a percentage of new revenue.

Even with the expression of displeasure that Jordan delivered on the stand Friday, and throughout the negotiation process, the 23XI Racing owner says he's not doing this for himself, but doing this because he believes it was finally time for someone to stand up to the sanctioning body.

23XI Racing is one of the few NASCAR Cup Series operations that, according to financial statements included as discovery in this lawsuit, is making a profit. While some may view that as a ploy to make even more money off of the race team, Jordan says that he's fighting for the quiet majority of teams that aren't making any profit, and are instead losing millions of dollars.

Even for Jordan, all hope is not lost. The sporting legend is convinced that if both sides, the race teams and NASCAR, can find a way to meet in the middle and form a true partnership, they will be able to grow the sport exponentially from both sides of the table, but claims what is happening right now isn't a partnership at all.

Thanks to Michael Jordan and his testimony on Friday, the NASCAR v. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports antitrust lawsuit has officially broken the NASCAR media bubble. So, now, it's not just NASCAR fans watching on, the entire sports world, and even the general media, are looking to see what could be a pivotal moment for NASCAR and its future.