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

Team Investment and a Competitive Drive

The owner disclosed financial and corporate details of his 23XI team, revealing he put in $40m of his own funds into the Nascar Cup series team co-founded with partner Polk and longtime driver Denny Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan said during testimony. “I was a new person, I had no fear. I felt I could challenge Nascar in its entirety. I felt as far as the sport it needed to be looked at from a different view.”

The Core Dispute: Charter Agreements and Contract Pressure

At issue is the end of a 2016 deal where Nascar granted each team a franchise. This system mirrors other professional sports with independent franchises, such as the NBA’s Hornets or the Carolina Panthers. This deal was due to end in 2024 when Nascar insisted on charter membership renewals.

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

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is at the forefront of the push along with another racing team for Nascar to overhaul a business model Jordan contended is unlawful to keep two hands on the wheel.

At issue for Jordan and Heather Gibbs, who preceded Jordan, are events from last September. Gibbs described a hectic and tense six hours where the racing circuit informed teams they had to sign a contract extension. The document spanned over a hundred pages outlining pay for chartered teams and a guaranteed spot in Nascar-sponsored races.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan explained that his team and its ally decided their only feasible option was to decline to sign that extensive document and litigate the matter. All other teams agreed to the terms.

The team owners reached out to Nascar about possible changes or negotiations. Nascar wasn’t talking, Jordan said.

The Ultimate Motivation: Victory

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

“Hamlin persuaded me getting a third driver improved our chances to win,” he said, sharing that he purchased another franchise late in 2024 for $28 million amid the legal dispute. “So I dove in.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Heather Gibbs detailed her request for permanent charters, which she said a formal letter to Nascar. She testified the timing of the contract signing demand was problematic.

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

“Don’t do this to us,” Gibbs recounted Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s executives. She said France replied, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, that’s what I have. If I have 30, I have 30.”