Michael Jordan Co-Owned 23XI Racing Faces NASCAR Countersuit Amid Charter Fallout

Michael Jordan’s racing venture, 23XI Racing, is in a legal showdown with NASCAR. The motorsport giant has countersued the team, accusing it of "willfully" violating antitrust laws. This drama unfolds as part of a contentious battle over charter agreements, NASCAR’s version of a franchise model, which guarantees a minimum of 36 spots for teams on race weekends.

The countersuit, filed in the Western District of North Carolina, claims Curtis Polk, Michael Jordan's business manager and a co-owner of 23XI Racing, orchestrated anticompetitive conduct during charter negotiations. Polk isn’t just named in the suit—he’s essentially cast as the mastermind behind the alleged misdeeds. Another co-owner of 23XI Racing is NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, adding even more star power to this courtroom clash.

The legal scuffle stems from a failure to reach consensus on new charter agreements, which were proposed last September, right before NASCAR’s playoffs. Both 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (owned by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins) declined the deal, arguing that NASCAR and its owning France family operate as a monopoly. The teams even took it a step further by suing NASCAR, claiming the series imposes unfair terms that leave smaller teams with little choice but to comply.

Before anyone could pop the popcorn, NASCAR’s initial court defeat allowed the teams to maintain chartered status for the 2025 season. However, NASCAR wasn’t about to throw in the towel; its countersuit paints Polk as a disruptor who tried—and failed—to orchestrate a boycott of qualifying races and even meetings required by the charter. According to NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates, such actions were not only harmful to the sport’s collective growth but also demonstrated Polk’s limited grasp of how NASCAR operates.

Yates didn’t hold back, saying Polk seems to view NASCAR as a sport similar to the NBA, which, spoiler alert, it’s not. "He’s done a lot of things that might work in the NBA but just are not appropriate in NASCAR," Yates remarked, essentially calling Polk out for a rookie misunderstanding of motorsports. The qualifying race in question? Last year’s 150-mile duels that determined the Daytona 500 lineup—a pretty big deal in the NASCAR world.

Jordan himself has previously stated that his lawsuit against NASCAR is on behalf of all teams, aiming for equality in benefits across the board. But with the countersuit now in play, this legal saga is shaping up to be a high-speed clash off the racetrack.

The attorney for 23XI Racing and Front Row, Jeffrey Kessler, dismissed NASCAR’s countersuit as a "meritless distraction" and accused the series of engaging in monopolistic practices. According to Kessler, NASCAR initially agreed to joint negotiations but switched tactics with individual agreements when collective talks fell apart. Most teams, he said, felt forced to accept the terms, leaving Jordan and his team as the outliers willing to fight back.

As the legal proceedings continue, the motorsport community is left wondering whether this dispute will lead to meaningful changes—or just more pit stops in court.