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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 perceived violations of competition laws.

Team Investment and a Will to Win

Jordan shared financial and corporate details of his racing venture, revealing he put in $40m of his own funds into the Cup Series operation launched with partner Polk and driver Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan said in the Charlotte courtroom. “As a newcomer, I had no fear. I believed I could take on 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 Contract Pressure

At issue is the expiration 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 set to expire in 2024 when Nascar insisted on charter membership renewals.

Jordan testified for an hour and left the court to a media frenzy, with onlookers and reporters vying for a glimpse or a picture of the sports legend.

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 maintain excessive control.

For Jordan and and a fellow team representative, who preceded Jordan, are events from September 2024. Gibbs described a frantic and emotional six hours where the sanctioning body informed teams they had to sign a charter agreement extension. The document consists of 112 pages outlining pay for chartered teams and a guaranteed spot in Nascar-sponsored races.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan said that 23XI and Front Row Motorsports decided their sole viable path was to refuse a signature that 112-page package and litigate the matter. All other teams signed the agreement.

Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin approached Nascar about possible changes or extension options. Nascar wasn’t talking, Jordan said.

The Bottom Line: Winning

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the usual bottom line for Jordan: Winning.

“Hamlin persuaded me getting a third driver improved our chances to win,” he said, noting that he purchased another franchise last year for $28 million amid the legal dispute. “So I took the plunge.”

Account from the Gibbs Family

Gibbs described her request for permanent charters, which she said a written letter to Nascar. She testified the timing of the contract signing demand didn’t sit well.

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

“Don’t do this to us,” Gibbs recounted was the message to Nascar’s executives. The response was, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, I have 30.”