TALLADEGA, Ala. — Michael Jordan expressed confidence Sunday in the outcome of the antitrust lawsuit his 23XI Racing team recently filed against NASCAR in federal court, telling The Athletic, “I wouldn’t have filed it if I didn’t think I could win.”
Jordan made his comments before Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, sitting atop the pit box for 23XI driver Bubba Wallace. The team jointly filed its lawsuit with another NASCAR organization, Front Row Motorsports, alleging NASCAR operates as a monopoly and uses “anticompetitive and exclusionary practices” to “enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams.”
The issue between the parties centers around NASCAR’s so-called “charter system” and a final “take-it-or-leave-it” offer NASCAR offered teams last month to extend the deal. Thirteen of 15 team owners signed the deal, with 23XI and Front Row as the holdouts.
“We want a fair deal, but this wasn’t fair. I didn’t just file it for me. It’s for everyone,” Jordan said as he extended both arms and gestured toward the cars stationed on the grid.
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NASCAR, meanwhile, continued to decline comment. The sanctioning body has not reacted or responded publicly since the lawsuit was filed, nor did NASCAR comment when 23XI and Front Row refused to sign the charter agreement in September.
NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France, who is named as a defendant in the suit, thanked reporters for the opportunity to comment but said he had nothing to say about the lawsuit when approached Sunday in the garage area.
“Excited about our championship battles and looking forward to a fantastic race today,” France said.
Court records indicate 23XI and Front Row will file for a preliminary injunction in federal court on or around Oct. 8.
Charters are NASCAR’s version of a franchise, which guarantees entry into each race (along with access to more of the race winnings and money from the season-long points fund than non-chartered teams).
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(Photo: Logan Riely / Getty Images)