Team 23XI and Front Row are the two torchbearers who have taken up the onus to make sure that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The lawsuit is now reaching new heights with every passing day and it might be implying a tougher impact on the team and its future monetary standing. Michael Jordan, the NBA legend has been the forerunner of this role, one cannot help but be concerned about the potential loss he might have to face. 

While Jordan aims to disrupt NASCAR supremacy and opt-in for a system that could be beneficial for teams, the pursuit is getting tougher with every passing day. NASCAR insiders do predict that this could have an impact on the sponsorship dynamics as well which could lead to major repercussions. 

Michael Jordan might have to shell out millions of dollars in the fight against NASCAR

The lawsuit against NASCAR is not in favor of Team 23XI as of now. Although the teams were eligible to run for the season, it put them in a precarious situation. Team 23XI and FRM filed an injunction where the aim was to maintain their pre-existing charter until the end of the lawsuit. However, the court ruled out this possibility, dining the injunction. It opened up an array of speculations regarding the status of the team. The court stated that the teams did not meet their burden of proof in an eight-page-long release. It also failed to prove how the teams would have to face major problems if the charter was evoked. 

The court ruled, “At this time, Plaintiffs have not met their burden as required for a preliminary injunction. Should circumstances change, Plaintiffs may file a renewed motion for preliminary injunction”. The team had argued in court that the open status of the team could lead to possible loss of sponsors. This will indeed become a reality if the team loses its charter and chooses to battle on the tracks as an open team. Not only that, this can severely impact the revenue generation of the team, keeping in mind that the sponsor agreements always mention that the teams have to run all the races.

 Reacting to this, NASCAR insider Brett Griffin stated, “As of right now, it’s going to happen at 23XI next year because if they don’t have these charters, somebody’s going to have to come up with three or four per car to compete, and it’s fortunate that they have a guy like Michael Jordan that allows them to do that. I just, I just hope they run good all year next year”. Things started to go downhill when the injunction did not go in favor of the plaintiffs and instead put their position at risk. 

 If Team 23XI is reduced to an open team and they eventually lose out on the sponsors it will become imperative for Michael Jordan to shell out his money and invest in the sport. Given his monetary success, it might not be a very hard thing to do and it can also bring more new drivers. But it can impact the financial standing of the team in the long run because every money has to come through from the owners themselves. Additionally, they receive no money from NASCAR since they won’t be a chartered team. 

Till now, both Team 23XI and Front Row Motorsports have not signed the take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement that had been presented to teams just 48 hours before the playoffs. It seems as though Michael Jordan is all set to topple the format of the charter and the NASCAR system, even if it means investing millions of dollars from his pocket. 

Kenny Wallace warns Michael Jordan and Team 23XI

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It seems the warnings from NASCAR insiders are piling in. Even Kenny Wallace is wary of the situation and chimed in. Speaking of how this might be a fatal move and Team 23XI might fail miserably from the lawsuit, Wallace took to his X account. The post read, “I hate it for them, but I said, man, be careful. NASCAR’s got friends in Washington DC; they know what they’re up to, Richard Petty and the gang; they tried to do this stuff years ago, but the injunction failed. The judge ruled yesterday on Friday, so right now Michael Jordan, 23XI, and Front Row are O and 3. It means they have tried to go against NASCAR three times and they have lost all three times”.

Wallace has pointed out that this has happened in the past as well. A similar situation occurred when Kentucky Speedway brought an antitrust lawsuit, arguing that they were unfairly excluded from hosting races. However, the court sided with NASCAR. It stated that, as the governing body, NASCAR has the authority to choose the venues and locations where they hold their events. This decision underscored NASCAR’s right to control race scheduling and venue selection as part of its regulatory powers.

Given that NASCAR is already in the upper hand and the ruling has been in their favor till now carves a detrimental image for Team 23XI. The current situation is indeed precarious for Team 23XI, and this could potentially indicate that in the upcoming 2025 season, they will run as “open teams”.