# Michael jordan Testifies in NASCAR Antitrust Case
CHARLOTTE,N.C. — Retired NBA great Michael Jordan took the stand in the landmark NASCAR antitrust case and testified Friday that he has been a fan of the stock car series since he was a child but felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes in a business model he sees as shortchanging teams and drivers risking their lives to keep the sport going.
Jordan testified before a packed courtroom for an hour. His celebrity drew quips from the judge and even a defense attorney as he outlined why the team he co-owns, 23XI, had joined Front Row Motorsports in going to court against the top auto racing series in the United States.
“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” soft-spoken Jordan told the jury. “I sat in those meetings with longtime owners who were brow-beaten for so many years trying to make change. I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole. I felt as far as the sport,it needed to be looked at from a different view.”
Jordan’s highly anticipated appearance followed dramatic testimony from Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of race team owner Joe Gibbs, about the chaotic six-hour period in which teams had to sign an extension or forfeit the charters that guarantee revenue week to week throughout NASCAR’s 38-race season.
“The document was something in business you would never sign,” said Heather Gibbs, who is also a licensed real estate agent. “It was like a gun to your head: If you don’t sign, you have nothing.”
Charters are the equivalent of the franchise model used in othre sports, and NASCAR guarantees every chartered car a spot in every race, plus a defined payout from the series.The system was created in 2016, and, during the two-plus years of bitter negotiations on an extension, teams begged for the renewable charters to be made permanent for revenue stability.
When NASCAR refused to make them permanent and gave the teams six hours in September 2024 to sign the 112-page extension, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports were the only two organizations out of 15 to refuse. They instead filed the antitrust suit, and the trial opened Monday to hear their allegations that NASCAR is a monopolistic bully. 23XI is co-owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and Front Row is owned by fast food franchiser Bob Jenkins.
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