{"id":2523204,"date":"2025-12-19T08:34:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-jordan-nascar-brawl-shakes-up-top-us-motorsport\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T08:43:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:43:18","slug":"michael-jordan-nascar-brawl-shakes-up-top-us-motorsport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-jordan-nascar-brawl-shakes-up-top-us-motorsport\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Jordan-NASCAR Brawl Shakes Up Top US Motorsport"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichael-jordan-nascar-brawl-shakes-up-top-us-motorsport%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2523204&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article discusses significant recent developments<\/a> in major motorsports leagues, focusing on Michael Jordan&#8217;s involvement in NASCAR beyond his basketball fame. Jordan co-owns a stock-car racing team, 23XI Racing, which alongside Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in 2024. The suit accused NASCAR of abusing its monopoly by controlling race tracks and limiting revenue opportunities for teams. The case, which went to trial in Charlotte, ended in a confidential settlement granting NASCAR teams &#8220;evergreen&#8221; charters for greater stability and more influence over car design-changes previously resisted by NASCAR leadership.<\/p>\n<p>The litigation revealed internal tensions, including controversial remarks by NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps, damaging the league&#8217;s public image and raising questions about its leadership. Meanwhile, other motorsports leagues are also evolving: indycar introduced an independent officiating system following a cheating scandal, and Formula one saw dramatic competitive shifts and upcoming technical and broadcast changes for 2026. these offseason transformations across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/formula-one-opens-new-season-while-trying-to-move-beyond-last-seasons-finish\/\" title=\"... One Opens New Season While Trying to Move Beyond Last Season\u2019s Finish\">racing series<\/a> indicate a period of change and renewal,with fans looking forward to the upcoming season.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In decades past, when Michael Jordan <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/05\/20\/5-big-basketball-changes-revealed-in-the-last-dance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took to the court<\/a>, everyone knew the inevitable result. This fall, not so much.<\/p>\n<p>The change has much to do with the type of court where Jordan has more recently &ldquo;competed.&rdquo; As the majority owner of a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/09\/25\/with-michael-jordan-buying-a-nascar-team-stock-car-racing-expands-its-audience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stock-car racing team<\/a> with driver Denny Hamlin, Jordan and another team spent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6881791\/2025\/12\/11\/nascar-settlement-23xi-michael-jordan-trial-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly two weeks<\/a> inside a federal courthouse in Charlotte during the trial of their antitrust suit against NASCAR.<\/p>\n<p>Both parties ultimately settled the suit mid-trial for an undisclosed sum, making it more difficult to ascertain exactly whether and how Jordan &ldquo;won.&rdquo; The settlement marks a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/moment-missile-strikes-ukrainian-apartment-building-caught-on-video-numerous-civilian-casualties-reported-thus-far\/\" title=\"Moment Missile Strikes Ukrainian Apartment Building Caught On Video; Numerous Civilian Casualties Reported Thus Far\">important developments<\/a> over a normally quiet offseason that will affect how major motorsports leagues operate.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Monopoly Allegations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The suit, originally filed in October 2024 amid contentious negotiations between all NASCAR teams and the sanctioning body, alleged that the league abused its monopoly position &mdash; NASCAR <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/racing\/nascar\/story\/_\/id\/47096983\/23xi-front-row-vs-nascar-trial-why-michael-jordan-denny-hamlin-want-tear-stock-car-racing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">owns<\/a> many of the tracks on which the series runs, and tracks hosting events (whether NASCAR-owned or not) cannot host other stock-car racing series &mdash; to &ldquo;low-ball&rdquo; the amount of revenue teams received. While most teams signed a renewal of their charters (the sport&rsquo;s equivalent of a franchise) that fall, Jordan&rsquo;s 23XI team and Front Row Motorsports refused to sign, and went to court.<\/p>\n<p>Both entities took a major gamble, as a defeat in court likely would have caused financial losses leading to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/motorsports\/23xi-racing-likely-shutting-down-if-nascar-wins-lawsuit-in-2025\/ar-AA1RDBES?ocid=msedgntp&amp;pc=DCTS&amp;cvid=6930ff4330ae49ff989798c8fc631130&amp;ei=17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dissolution of their teams<\/a>. But Jordan, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6882918\/2025\/12\/11\/michael-jordan-nascar-settlement-trial-legend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">personally came<\/a> to the courthouse every day of the trial (causing a minor media circus), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nascar\/michael-jordans-23xi-lawsuit-nascar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thought the sacrifice worth it<\/a> to help grow the sport over the long run.<\/p>\n<p>While the financial terms of the settlement with the two suing teams weren&rsquo;t disclosed, all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nascar\/whats-next-nascar-antitrust-lawsuit-over-questions-linger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NASCAR teams<\/a> won &ldquo;evergreen&rdquo; charters, a move toward giving the teams more stability. The move was one that the France family, which controls NASCAR, had previously refused to contemplate. Teams will also have more input on car design changes, in an attempt to keep team costs manageable.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Will Scars Linger?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Those and other changes will, as Jordan stated, grow the sport, but they came at a steep cost &mdash; and arguably <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6884571\/2025\/12\/12\/nascar-settlement-trial-unnecessary-michael-jordan-jim-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an unnecessary one<\/a>. Because Jim France, son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., refused to sign off on permanent charters, the sport ended up going through a 14-month-long soap opera, with the financial details of the teams and the league on public display.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from the costs associated with the high-priced litigation teams, the optics of groups of millionaires battling it out over pieces of the pie never look good to ordinary sports fans, whether in labor disputes or, as here, in court. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nascar\/whats-next-nascar-antitrust-lawsuit-over-questions-linger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defensiveness<\/a> of NASCAR executives on the witness stand and the way they took potential competitors as a threat meant they came out on the worse end of the public relations battle.<\/p>\n<p>Then there were the text messages. Among the most inflammatory were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/motorsports\/nascar-commissioner-in-hot-water-again-as-disrespectful-idiot-remarks-emerge\/ar-AA1QYhZH?ocid=msedgntp&amp;pc=DCTS&amp;cvid=69229df886ff4f72b07bc23b12923ccc&amp;ei=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several<\/a> from NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps regarding Richard Childress, who owned the car driven by NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt. In a series of angry texts from 2023, Phelps called Childress &ldquo;not smart &hellip; a dinosaur, and a malcontent,&rdquo; a &ldquo;total a&mdash;clown,&rdquo; and &ldquo;a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Those aren&rsquo;t the kinds of statements that either Childress or NASCAR fans will necessarily forget, let alone forgive. Some have called for Jim France to step down as the league&rsquo;s CEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6884976\/2025\/12\/12\/nascar-settlement-jim-france-future-owner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rightly noting<\/a> that just about any publicly held company would have axed its chief executive after a court debacle this bad. Only time will tell if he or others go, and whether time can heal these wounds.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Open Wheel Changes Also Afoot<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Beyond NASCAR, other motorsports leagues also face major changes this offseason. After a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/23\/indycar-cheating-scandal-mars-motorsports-biggest-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cheating scandal<\/a> just before last year&rsquo;s Indianapolis 500, IndyCar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indycar.com\/news\/2025\/12\/12-11-indycar-officiating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> a new independent officiating system for 2026. The change is designed to alleviate the fact that the owner of the league (that is, IndyCar) also owns one of the league&rsquo;s competing teams &mdash; Roger Penske, whose cars were sanctioned for major rules violations twice in as many years.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Formula One ended its campaign with Lando Norris narrowly defeating Max Verstappen for the championship, with the Brit winning his first title <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/05\/formula-one-title-fight-again-comes-down-to-abu-dhabi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in Abu Dhabi<\/a> and denying Verstappen his fifth consecutive title. But the closeness of the 2025 title fight doesn&rsquo;t necessarily portend outcomes in 2026, with so many changes taking place &mdash; new regulations for engines, chassis, and a new 11th team (Cadillac) adding two more cars to the grid. Even the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/lifestyle\/lifestyle-buzz\/fia-to-adjust-f1-terminology-for-2026-to-prevent-fan-confusion\/ar-AA1S9kNj?ocid=msedgntp&amp;pc=DCTS&amp;cvid=693ba27f998045258b65b4f3d0bb0e87&amp;ei=35\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">terms used<\/a> to describe the cars&rsquo; aerodynamics and the Formula 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/newsroom\/2025\/10\/apple-is-the-exclusive-new-broadcast-partner-for-formula-1-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">broadcast partner<\/a> in the United States will sound and look different.<\/p>\n<p>Offseasons in motor racing, as in most sports, see new faces going to new places. But for each of the three major racing leagues, the sport itself is changing. All of which suggests fans have much to anticipate when cars get back on track next spring.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p>      Chris Jacobs is founder and CEO of Juniper Research Group and author of the book &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1645720020\">The Case Against Single Payer<\/a>.&#8221; He is on Twitter: <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/chrisjacobsHC\">@chrisjacobsHC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Jordan&#8217;s recent court battles differ from basketball<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2523205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-Untitled-2025-12-18T162228.544.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[47603,58042,10072],"class_list":["post-2523204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-michael-jordan","tag-motorsport","tag-nascar"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-Untitled-2025-12-18T162228.544.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2523204"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2523208,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523204\/revisions\/2523208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2523205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2523204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2523204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2523204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}