Michael Jordan laughs at NASCAR's
claims as bitter antitrust feud barrels toward a trial
[October 24, 2025]
By JENNA FRYER
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR and two of its teams returned to court
Thursday after two failed days of mediation and resumed their bitter
antitrust fight with a hearing that included team owner Michael
Jordan laughing in disbelief at some of the testimony as the two
sides hurtle toward a trial.
“Today’s hearing confirmed the facts of NASCAR’s monopolistic
practices and showed NASCAR for who they are — retaliatory bullies
who would rather focus on personal attacks and distract from the
facts,” Jeffrey Kessler, who represents the two teams, said
afterward. “My clients have never been more united and committed to
ensuring a fair and competitive sport for all teams, partners,
drivers and fans. We’re going to trial to hold NASCAR accountable.”
The lawsuit was filed a year ago by 23XI Racing, co-owned by Jordan
and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Bob
Jenkins-owned Front Row Racing. They are the only two organizations
out of 15 to refuse to sign extensions for new charter agreements
following more than two years of negotiations. Charters are at the
heart of NASCAR’s business model, guaranteeing revenue and access to
weekly races, and without them both teams say they will almost
surely go out of business.
Other teams have called for a settlement to clear the air and move
the stock car series forward, but three mediation sessions have
apparently gone nowhere and the hearing laid bare how far apart they
are. The trial is scheduled for Dec. 1.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell and Jeffrey Mishkin, a former
executive vice president and chief legal officer of the NBA, both
participated in mediation Monday and Tuesday and Bell opened the
session by thanking both sides for working in good faith during the
sessions. NASCAR wants Bell to throw the lawsuit out and the hearing
focused on the series' bid to narrow the scope of damages the two
teams say they are owed.
NASCAR has accused 23XI and FRM of manipulating other teams and
conducting themselves with “classic cartel behavior, ultimately
because they received less than they would have” under charter
extensions signed late last year. It struggled to make those
arguments Thursday.
NASCAR repeatedly insisted that teams are free to compete in both
IndyCar and F1, failing to disclose that entry into F1 is nearly
impossible and the financials of IndyCar are simply not even close
to the value of competing in the stock car series. Kessler likened a
NASCAR move to IndyCar to a Major League Baseball team moving to the
minors.
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William Byron (24) and Kyle Larson (5) lead the pack during a NASCAR
Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 19,
2025, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
“Experts found that the (IndyCar) prize money and
TV ratings were too low to make them a minor league team,” Kessler
argued. “Michael Jordan, if you put a gun to his head and said you
have to join IndyCar, it better be a pretty big gun.”
NASCAR also mischaracterized Chip Ganassi Racing's sale of its
NASCAR team to Trackhouse Racing ahead of the 2021 season as an
opportunity for Ganassi — whose name was repeatedly mispronounced by
NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates — to reinvest in IndyCar and
expand that program to four cars. Ganassi has long run three to four
cars in IndyCar and for more than three decades has been considered
one of the top two teams in IndyCar.
Jordan multiple times laughed and smiled at NASCAR's claims, and at
one point Hamlin and Jenkins vehemently shook their heads at
NASCAR’s assertion that it pays its teams a higher percentage of
revenue than F1 does to its teams. Jordan did not speak with
reporters afterward.
The original charters lasted from 2016 through 2020 and were
automatically renewed to continue through Dec. 31, 2024. NASCAR
contends they have added more than $1 billion in equity for its
teams but owners have pushed for changes.
23XI and FRM initially won a preliminary injunction to be recognized
as chartered teams this season while the case played out, but that
was overturned and the combined six cars have competed as “open”
teams as the season nears its season finale Nov. 2.
Kessler argued that damages in the case should date to the 2021
season because of 28 exclusionary items he says prevent NASCAR teams
from competing in any motorsports series that closely resembles
their version of stock car racing. NASCAR conceded that there was at
least one exclusionary item in that charter agreement that began in
2021.
Bell was supposed to hear testimony from expert witnesses but
scheduled two November court dates, two weeks after Hamlin will race
for the Cup Series title in suburban Phoenix.
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