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Michael Jeffrey Jordan, introducing himself formally in a Charlotte court on Friday, admitted that his drive to win and novelty within the sport emboldened his push for 23XI Racing to confront Nascar over alleged violations of antitrust rules.

Team Investment and a Will to Win

The owner disclosed operational insights of his 23XI team, saying he put in $40m of his personal wealth into the Nascar Cup series team co-founded with business partner Curtis Polk and longtime driver Denny Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan said during testimony. “I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge Nascar as a whole. From my perspective, the sport it needed to be looked at through a new lens.”

The Core Dispute: Franchise System and Renewal Demands

The heart of the case involves the end of a 2016 agreement where Nascar provided each team a franchise. This system mirrors other major leagues with separately owned franchises, like the Charlotte Hornets or the NFL’s Panthers. This deal was due to end in 2024 when Nascar insisted on charter membership renewals.

Jordan testified for an hour and exited the courthouse to pandemonium, with fans and media clamoring for a view or a photo of the global icon.

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is leading the full-court press along with Front Row Motorsports for Nascar to overhaul a business model Jordan said is unlawful to keep two hands on the wheel.

For Jordan and and a fellow team representative, who testified before Jordan, are details from September 2024. She recounted a hectic and tense six hours where the sanctioning body informed teams they must sign a charter agreement extension. The document spanned over a hundred pages detailing pay for chartered teams and a guaranteed spot in every race.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan said that 23XI and Front Row Motorsports concluded their only feasible option was to decline to sign that 112-page package and take the issue to court. All other teams agreed to the terms.

The team owners approached Nascar about possible changes or negotiations. Nascar refused to engage, according to his testimony.

The Bottom Line: Victory

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a financially unsustainable model was driven by the familiar goal for Jordan: Success.

“Denny convinced me adding a third car boosted our odds of winning,” he said, sharing that he bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28 million despite the uncertainty. “So I took the plunge.”

Account from the Gibbs Family

Gibbs described her request for permanent charters, which she said a formal letter to Nascar. She said the pressure of the signature deadline was problematic.

She said, Joe Gibbs first attempted to call and talk Nascar out of forcing signatures, but Nascar’s leader declined the request.

“Don’t do this to us,” Gibbs recounted was the message to Nascar’s leadership. She said France replied, “Whether I have 20 charters, I have 20. If there are 30, that’s the number.”