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The basketball icon, introducing himself formally in a federal courtroom 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 Will to Win

Jordan shared financial and corporate details of his racing venture, saying he put in $40m of his own funds into the Nascar Cup series team launched with partner Polk and driver 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 through a new lens.”

The Core Dispute: Franchise System and Renewal Demands

At issue is the expiration of a 2016 agreement where Nascar granted each team a “charter”. The concept is similar to other major leagues with separately owned franchises, such as the Charlotte Hornets or the Carolina Panthers. This deal was set to expire in 2024 when Nascar insisted on teams renew their charters.

Jordan testified for an hour and exited the courthouse to pandemonium, with onlookers and reporters clamoring for a view or a picture of the sports legend.

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is at the forefront of the push along with Front Row Motorsports for Nascar to change a business model Jordan contended is breaking the law to keep two hands on the wheel.

For Jordan and and Heather Gibbs, who testified before Jordan, are details from last September. 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 over a hundred pages detailing team compensation and a guaranteed spot in every race.

Choosing Litigation

Jordan said that his team and its ally concluded their sole viable path was to decline to sign that 112-page package and take the issue to court. All other teams signed the agreement.

Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin reached out to Nascar about potential amendments or negotiations. Nascar refused to engage, according to his testimony.

The Bottom Line: Victory

Ultimately, the resistance against what he saw as a financially unsustainable model was mostly about the usual bottom line for Jordan: Success.

“Hamlin persuaded me adding a third car improved our chances to win,” he said, noting that he purchased another franchise late in 2024 for $28m despite the uncertainty. “So I dove in.”

Account from the Gibbs Family

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

According to her, Joe Gibbs first attempted to call and talk Nascar out of forcing signatures, but CEO Jim France refused the appeal.

“Don’t do this to us,” Heather Gibbs said Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s leadership. The response was, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, I have 30.”