An auto racing team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and its CEO, Jim France. The legal action was initiated by Jordan's 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports in the Western District of North Carolina, specifically in Charlotte, where Jordan also part-owns the NBA's Charlotte Hornets.
Lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that NASCAR and the France family operate without transparency, hinder competition, and dominate stock car racing in ways that unfairly advantage them at the expense of team owners, drivers, sponsors, partners, and fans. The teams allege that NASCAR engages in anti-competitive practices, such as acquiring most of the top racetracks exclusively for NASCAR events, enforcing exclusivity agreements on NASCAR-sanctioned tracks, acquiring the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), restricting teams from participating in other stock car events, and mandating that teams purchase their parts from designated single-source suppliers selected by NASCAR.
“Everyone knows that I have always been a fierce competitor and that will to win is what drives me and the entire 23XI team each and every week out on the track. I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans. Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins, "Jordan said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims that the closed-cockpit stock car racing circuit and its leadership have employed anti-competitive practices to hinder fair competition.
“We share a passion for racing, the thrill of competition, and winning. Off the racetrack, we share a belief that change is necessary for the sport we love. Together, we brought this anti-trust case so that racing can thrive and become a more competitive and fair sport in ways that will benefit teams, drivers, sponsors, and, most importantly, fans," the teams said in a joint statement.
The lawsuit claims that NASCAR and the France family lack transparency, stifle competition, and control the stock car racing scene in ways that unfairly favor them, hurting team owners, drivers, sponsors, partners, and fans in the process.
The teams argue that NASCAR engages in practices that limit fair competition, such as buying up most of the best racetracks exclusively for its events, imposing exclusivity deals on tracks, acquiring its competitor, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), preventing teams from racing elsewhere, and forcing them to buy parts only from specific suppliers chosen by NASCAR.
“No other major professional sport in North America is run by a single family that enriches themselves through these kinds of unchecked monopolistic practices,” the teams said in a statement.
Front Row and 23XI did not sign recently updated NASCAR charter agreements, claiming the terms were unfair to teams.
“After more than two years of attempted negotiations over the 2025 agreements, during which NASCAR continually stonewalled and refused to engage constructively, we concluded that litigation was the only way to address the anti-competitive practices of NASCAR and the France family,” the teams said.
The teams are planning to seek a preliminary injunction that would enable them to participate in NASCAR next year while they pursue their antitrust lawsuit.
