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The basketball icon, introducing himself formally in a Charlotte court on Friday, admitted that his drive to win and novelty within the sport emboldened his push for 23XI Racing to confront Nascar over alleged violations of competition laws.

Team Investment and a Will to Win

Jordan shared financial and corporate details of his 23XI team, revealing he put in $40 million of his own funds into the Cup Series operation co-founded with partner Polk and driver Hamlin.

“It fell to someone to act,” Jordan stated in the Charlotte courtroom. “As a newcomer, I had no fear. 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.”

The Core Dispute: Charter Agreements and Renewal Demands

The heart of the case involves the end of a 2016 deal where Nascar provided each team a “charter”. This system mirrors other professional sports with separately owned franchises, such as the Charlotte Hornets or the NFL’s Panthers. The agreement was due to end in 2024 when Nascar insisted on teams renew their charters.

Jordan testified for an hour and exited the courthouse to a media frenzy, with fans and media vying for a glimpse or a picture of the sports legend.

Leading the Legal Charge

Jordan’s 23XI is leading the full-court press along with another racing team for Nascar to change a operating model Jordan said is unlawful to maintain excessive control.

At issue for Jordan and Heather Gibbs, who preceded Jordan, are events from September 2024. Gibbs described a frantic and emotional period where the sanctioning body told teams they had to sign a charter agreement extension. The document consists of over a hundred pages outlining pay for chartered teams and a guaranteed entry in every race.

Choosing Litigation

Jordan said that his team and its ally decided their sole viable path was to decline to sign that extensive document and take the issue to court. All other teams signed the agreement.

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

The Ultimate Motivation: Winning

But in the end, the pushback against what he saw as a unsustainable system was mostly about the usual bottom line for Jordan: Success.

“Denny convinced me adding a third car boosted our odds of winning,” he testified, noting that he purchased another franchise late in 2024 for $28 million amid the legal dispute. “So I took the plunge.”

Heather Gibbs’ Testimony

Heather Gibbs detailed her push for indefinite franchises, which she said a written letter to Nascar. She said the pressure of the contract signing demand was problematic.

She said, Joe Gibbs first tried to call and talk Nascar out of forcing signatures, but CEO Jim France refused the appeal.

“Don’t do this to us,” Heather Gibbs said Joe Gibbs told Nascar’s executives. She said France replied, “Whether I have 20 charters, I have 20. If I have 30, that’s the number.”