Michael Jordan and his stock car racing team, 23XI Racing, are going after NASCAR with a lawsuit alleging anticompetitive antitrust violations. On Wednesday, the NBA legend and his team released a statement explaining the reasons for this legal action.

“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,” Jordan said in the statement. “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.”

The Michael Jordan-NASCAR lawsuit centers around NASCAR CEO Jim France and the France family, which Jordan's team, along with Front Row Motor Sports accuse of using “anti-competitive practices to prevent fair competition in the sport.”

The statement from 23XI Racing and FRM levels the following accusations at NASCAR and the France family:

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  • Buying a majority of the premier racetracks that are exclusive to NASCAR races;
  • Imposing exclusivity deals on NASCAR-sanctioned racetracks;
  • Acquiring Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), the only notable stock car racing series competitor;
  • Preventing teams from participating in any other stock car races, while also retaining ownership over Next Gen parts and cars;
  • Forcing teams to buy their parts from single-source suppliers chosen by NASCAR.

Both racing teams have refused to sign the updated 2025 NASCAR Charters agreement because of these issues and the next step in the legal process will be Jordan and company seeking a court-ordered injunction that will allow their teams to race in NASCAR and its related competitions in 2025 while the legal process plays out.

23XI Racing is co-owned by the six-time NBA Champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin. The team currently has two full-time drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in Bubba Wallace (the No. 23 car) and Tyler Reddick (45) and several part-time drivers who compete in the No. 50 car, including Formula One stars Juan Pablo Montoya and Kamui Kobayashi and up-and-coming 22-year-old Cory Heims.

Reddick just won the 2024 NASCAR regular season championship in a performance that many compared to the iconic Michael Jordan “flu game.”