NASCAR settles federal antitrust case filed by 2 of its teams, one owned by Michael Jordan

"Kessler then led Jordan and 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin, as well as Front Row owner Bob Jenkins, out of the courtroom to another room for more talks. 23XI and Front Row filed suit last year after refusing to sign agreements on the new charter offers NASCAR presented to teams in September 2024. Teams had until end of day to sign the 112-page document and 13 of 15 organizations reluctantly agreed. Jordan and Jenkins sued instead and raced the bulk of 2025 uncharted."

"The theme of family ties in motorsports has been woven through Michael Jordan's federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, with witness after witness testifying to their emotional connections to the top motorsports series in the United States. It began on the opening day when three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin broke down in tears talking about his dying father introducing him to racing and financially leveraging the entire family to help his son make it to NASCAR."

"Next came Jordan himself, a basketball Hall of Famer who was actually raised going on family "weekend vacations" to NASCAR races across the South with his Richard Petty-loving father. So began a love affair that led him to partner with Hamlin to launch 23XI Racing in 2021. Bob Jenkins formed Front Row Motorsports after falling in love with NASCAR as a teenager in East Ten"

NASCAR reached a settlement with two race teams that had filed an antitrust lawsuit, including 23XI Racing co-owned by Michael Jordan and Front Row Motorsports. The settlement was announced after a delay on the ninth day of the federal trial, and specific terms were not immediately released. Teams refused to sign new charter agreements presented in September 2024, with 13 of 15 organizations signing while Jordan and Front Row declined and continued to race uncharted through much of 2025. Testimony emphasized deep family ties to NASCAR, including emotional accounts from Denny Hamlin and Jordan about formative childhood connections to the sport.

Read at ABC11 Raleigh-Durham