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The basketball icon, introducing himself formally in a federal courtroom on Friday, admitted that his drive to win and novelty within the sport emboldened his effort with 23XI Racing to “challenge” Nascar over alleged violations of antitrust rules.

Team Investment and a Competitive Drive

The owner disclosed 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. “As a newcomer, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge Nascar as a whole. I felt as far as the sport required examination from a different view.”

The Core Dispute: Franchise System and Renewal Demands

The heart of the case involves the expiration of a 2016 agreement where Nascar granted each team a “charter”. The concept is similar to other professional sports with separately owned franchises, such as the NBA’s Hornets or the NFL’s Panthers. The agreement was due to end in 2024 when Nascar demanded charter membership renewals.

Jordan was on the witness stand for about sixty minutes and exited the courthouse to a media frenzy, with onlookers and reporters clamoring for a view or a picture of the global icon.

Leading the Legal Charge

23XI Racing is leading the full-court press along with another racing team for Nascar to overhaul a business model Jordan contended is unlawful to maintain excessive control.

At issue for Jordan and a fellow team representative, who preceded Jordan, are details from September 2024. She recounted a frantic and emotional six hours where the sanctioning body told teams they had to sign a charter agreement extension. The document spanned over a hundred pages detailing pay for chartered teams and a guaranteed entry in every race.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan explained that his team and its ally decided their sole viable path was to decline to sign that 112-page package and litigate the matter. The other 13 organizations signed the agreement.

Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin approached Nascar about potential amendments or extension options. Nascar refused to engage, according to his testimony.

The Ultimate Motivation: Winning

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the familiar goal for Jordan: Success.

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

Account from the Gibbs Family

Gibbs described her push for indefinite franchises, submitted in a written letter to Nascar. She said the timing of the contract signing demand didn’t sit well.

She said, the team founder first attempted to call and talk Nascar out of demanding signatures, but Nascar’s leader declined the request.

“Please don’t force this on us,” Gibbs recounted Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s leadership. The response was, “Whether I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, that’s the number.”