Jordan's 23XI Dunks It! --- and NASCAR and Front Row Motorsports Call a Truce — Then Everybody Hugged It Out!!

After 14 months of legal fireworks and eight days of courtroom rubber-necking, NASCAR, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports agreed to a settlement that ended a high-stakes antitrust fight and — for at least one dramatic moment — sent Denny Hamlin and the France family into a hug...

The deal restores the three charters to each of the plaintiffs, creates an “evergreen” (permanent/extended) charter framework for all teams, and promises additional revenue sharing — terms both sides say will help the sport move past the courtroom and back to the racetrack.

“I’m pleased to say the parties have positively settled this matter in a way that will benefit the industry going forward,” said Jeffrey Kessler, the teams’ attorney, as the settlement was announced in court. 

Judge Kenneth D. Bell called the agreement “the right thing to do,” praising the settlement as good for NASCAR, the teams, drivers and — ultimately — the fans. 

The hush-and-hands scene that followed featured handshakes, hugs and visible relief from people who’d spent more than a year sparring over how the business of stock-car racing is run. Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI, framed the endgame as a pragmatic victory for the sport.

 

“I’ve said this from Day 1: Only way this sport is going to grow is we have to find some synergy between the two entities, and I think we’ve gotten to that point,” Jordan said outside the courthouse. 

“Unfortunately, it took 16 months to get here, but I think level heads got us to this point to where we can actually work together and grow this sport. I’m very proud about that. And I think (France) feels the same.” NASCAR chairman Jim France echoed the sentiment, saying the parties can “get back to focusing on what we really love, and that’s racing.”

At the heart of the dispute were charters — essentially franchise-like guarantees of race entry and revenue — that had become astronomically valuable. 

Documents revealed in discovery showed charter values skyrocketing in recent years, with individual sales reaching tens of millions (one recent sale topped about $45 million), putting enormous economic pressure on teams deciding whether to sign the 2025–2031 extension. 

Thirteen of the 15 charter teams signed that extension in 2024; 23XI and Front Row refused and sued, alleging the charter process and negotiations had been coercive and anti-competitive.

The trial exposed plenty of bad blood... 

Depositions and documents produced during discovery featured blunt internal messages and fiery testimony — including coachy text-message barbs and a memorable opening-day declaration from Denny Hamlin: “We want to be made whole for what you guys did to us.” 

NASCAR executives, including Steve O’Donnell and Steve Phelps, and France family leaders were cross-examined; Jim France maintained skepticism about making charters permanent, telling the court, “I don’t know how you can set anything in this changing world we’re in as permanent.”

What the new agreed to settlement means in practice: the two teams get their charters back, all teams receive the promised evergreen charters and the parties agreed on additional revenue benefits (specific financial terms were not disclosed). 

That outcome avoids the high-stakes remedies Judge Bell warned about — remedies that could have included forced divestitures of tracks or even the France family yielding control in drastic scenarios — and spares the sport a season of profound structural upheaval.

For fans and the industry, the settlement closes a fraught chapter and punts the real work back to the paddock: how to share growth equitably, keep competition vibrant, and make the business model sustainable without dragging every dispute into federal court. 

As Front Row owner Bob Jenkins put it succinctly to reporters: “We’re ready to go racing.” 

Amen to that — and now, after a year of subpoenas and strategy memos, NASCAR can try winning back what matters most: the Checkered Flag and the Fans in the Stands!!

Pit Stop or Power Play? Michael Jordan Calls NASCAR a Monopoly — and Brought a Gavel to the Garage!

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Sources summary (brief): Reuters coverage of the settlement announcement and key terms (return of charters and evergreen charters). WRAL/AP reporting on the settlement and Judge Kenneth D. Bell’s remarks. Fox Sports and Racer reporting for Jordan’s and France’s courthouse comments and courtroom reaction. Documents and reporting on charter valuations and discovery materials showing historic charter sale prices and internal communications. (Reuters)