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The basketball icon, introducing himself formally in a Charlotte court on Friday, stated that his drive to win and status as a newcomer emboldened his effort with 23XI Racing to confront Nascar over alleged violations of competition laws.

Team Investment and a Will to Win

The owner disclosed operational insights of his racing venture, revealing he put in $40m of his personal wealth into the Cup Series operation launched with business partner Curtis Polk and driver Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan stated in the Charlotte courtroom. “As a newcomer, I had no fear. I believed I could take on Nascar as a whole. From my perspective, the sport required examination from a different view.”

The Core Dispute: Charter Agreements and Contract Pressure

At issue is the end of a 2016 deal where Nascar provided each team a franchise. This system mirrors other professional sports with independent franchises, like the Charlotte Hornets or the Carolina Panthers. This deal was due to end in 2024 when Nascar demanded charter membership renewals.

Jordan was on the witness stand for an hour and exited the courthouse to pandemonium, with onlookers and reporters vying for a view or a picture of the global icon.

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is leading the full-court press along with another racing team for Nascar to change a business model Jordan said is breaking the law to keep two hands on the wheel.

For Jordan and and a fellow team representative, who testified before Jordan, are details from September 2024. She recounted a hectic and tense period where the racing circuit told teams they had to sign a contract extension. This agreement consists of over a hundred pages outlining team compensation and a guaranteed entry in Nascar-sponsored races.

A Refusal to Sign

Jordan said that 23XI and Front Row Motorsports concluded their sole viable path was to decline to sign that extensive document and litigate the matter. All other teams agreed to the terms.

The team owners approached Nascar about potential amendments or negotiations. Nascar wasn’t talking, Jordan said.

The Ultimate Motivation: Victory

But in the end, the resistance against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the familiar goal for Jordan: Winning.

“Denny convinced me adding a third car improved our chances to win,” he testified, sharing that he bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28m amid the legal dispute. “So I took the plunge.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Gibbs described her request for permanent charters, submitted in a written letter to Nascar. She testified the timing of the signature deadline didn’t sit well.

She said, the team founder first tried to call and talk Nascar out of demanding signatures, but Nascar’s leader declined the request.

“Don’t do this to us,” Gibbs recounted Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s leadership. She said France replied, “If I wake up and I have 20 charters, I have 20. If there are 30, I have 30.”