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The basketball icon, as he cordially introduced himself in a federal courtroom on Friday, stated that his drive to win and novelty within the sport emboldened his push for 23XI Racing to confront Nascar over alleged violations of antitrust rules.

Financial Stakes and a Will to Win

The owner disclosed operational insights of his racing venture, saying he put in $40m of his own funds into the Nascar Cup series team co-founded with business partner Curtis Polk and longtime driver Denny Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan said in the Charlotte courtroom. “I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I believed I could take on Nascar in its entirety. I felt as far as the sport it needed to be looked at from a different view.”

The Core Dispute: Charter Agreements and Contract Pressure

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

Jordan testified for about sixty minutes and left the court to pandemonium, with fans and media clamoring for a glimpse or a picture of the sports legend.

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is at the forefront of the push 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 testified before Jordan, are events from last September. She recounted a hectic and tense period where the racing circuit informed teams they must sign a charter agreement extension. The document spanned over a hundred pages outlining team compensation and a guaranteed entry in every race.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan explained that his team and its ally decided their only feasible option was to decline to sign that 112-page package and take the issue to court. All other teams agreed to the terms.

Jordan and co-owner Denny Hamlin reached out to Nascar about potential amendments or extension options. Nascar wasn’t talking, according to his testimony.

The Ultimate Motivation: Victory

Ultimately, the pushback against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the familiar goal for Jordan: Winning.

“Denny convinced me getting a third driver boosted our odds of winning,” he testified, noting that he purchased another franchise late in 2024 for $28m amid the legal dispute. “So I took the plunge.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Gibbs described her request for permanent charters, which she said a written letter to Nascar. She said 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 declined the request.

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