It hasn’t been very long since the NASCAR Antitrust trial took place, but Michael Jordan’s recent confession has made it clear how important it was to him.

In an interview with CBS News, the 23XI Racing co-owner opened up on the reality of the lawsuit. Having purchased the team almost six years ago, Jordan admitted that some things in the sport made him uncomfortable.

“When I got into the sport, obviously, a lot — as I learned, there were a lot of things that I wasn't really happy about," said Jordan. "This sport was not set up for success long-term for the individuals that's involved in the sport. They (NASCAR execs) were making a good living. And the people who were putting on the show were not getting the type of recognition."

He claimed that he was willing to lose the case, but wanted to open people's eyes

While Jordan has been a NASCAR fan for many years, becoming a team co-owner exposed him to multiple truths about the sport. As he dug in deeper and learnt more things, he decided it was time to push for change.

The charter system introduced by NASCAR in 2016 guaranteed a spot to teams in every Cup Series race. In 2022, the negotiations for new charter agreements for the 2025 season had begun. The charter at that time granted a larger share of media rights revenue to the teams.

Teams alleged that costs increased with the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, as they were forced to use parts from NASCAR-approved, single-source suppliers instead of in-house parts.

NASCAR’s ‘take it or leave it’ offer in September 2024 caused 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to finally push back and take some action, as they felt that the system was monopolistic.

As the case went to trial and got settled in December 2025, both FRM and 23XI back then admitted that a loss in the case would have put them out of business. However, his NBA career is a testament that when 'His Airness' steps on to win something, the result is always going to be in his favour.

"I was aggressively going to win. You know … I became a competitor all over again," said Jordan.

Since winning the lawsuit, his 23XI team has been putting up some great performances and could be on their way to a Cup Series triumph.

Jordan’s Competitive Spirit Rubs Off On 23XI

Months after winning the antitrust case, 23XI has been off to a blazing start in the 2026 season, with Tyler Reddick mirroring his team owner’s three-peat by winning the first three races. He came close to creating history by winning a fourth in a row, but Ryan Blaney’s performance in Phoenix put a dampener on that.

Nevertheless, Reddick found his fourth victory in Darlington, overcoming alternator issues early on, followed by his cool suit failure. Then he made contact with Chris Buescher, and, of course, chased down Brad Keselowski, who led 142 laps and won the first two stages.

While Bubba Wallace did not have a spectacular race in Darlington, he is sticking close to Reddick on the points table.

As of now, the team sits at the top of the table with 325 points in its tally. In the driver’s standings, Reddick continues to lead with 325 points, while Wallace fell to third with 205 points after Darlington.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh