It is indeed hard to believe that NASCAR does not have bitter feelings against Michael Jordan and 23XI Racing. Especially knowing that the team is taking them to court on the grounds of anti-trust labeling them as monopolistic bullies. Out of the 15 teams, 13 agreed to sign the new charter agreement ahead of the playoffs, but 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports didn’t budge.

There are all kinds of hypotheses involved with this legal tussle. It might result in Michael Jordan losing out on his charters and perhaps initiate his exit from the sport. Now that isn’t good news for NASCAR, which is planning to grow and attract more eyeballs. Pushing away a sporting icon like Jordan isn’t exactly in their best interest. So, is NASCAR thinking about these possibilities?

Steve Phelps acknowledges Michael Jordan’s impact on NASCAR

The dispute between NASCAR and 23XI Racing is rooted in the charters. So these are NASCAR’s version of a franchise, but somehow the France family is the one who has the most control over them. Essentially, the charters emerged as a means for the team to gain returns on their investment. However, as time went on, their prices soared, and so did the expense of running a race team.

So it is a classic case of two sides looking out for their best interests. NASCAR doesn’t want to lose its grip over the sport, whereas Michael Jordan and Co. want more incentives and better financial prospects. The governing body has got its leg up after the court dismissed the team’s motion for expedited discovery. But the final battle is far from done, as the two parties will meet in court on Monday for the hearing on the preliminary injunction.

For the first time, NASCAR president Steve Phelps has come out in public to discuss the lawsuit. And going by his words, he wants this dispute to settle quickly, but with the hopes of victory over their counterparts. “Obviously, we want a court victory. I can’t get into the lawsuit, and I can’t speak to why Michael and Denny Hamlin decided to take this action. We negotiated in good faith for over two years. We had the majority of the teams—13 of 15, representing 32 charters—extend with us.” Phelps said this on the Puck News.

He did add that he has no hard feelings against Jordan and his team and wants to see the sport prosper and grow. “I love that Michael Jordan is in our sport. I personally like Michael and think he’s good for the sport. Do I like that he’s taking this course of action? I don’t. Would I like to put it behind us? Yes, I would. I’m hopeful it can be somewhat speedy. But for us, it’s going to be business as usual. We’ve got races to run. We’re looking to grow. We’ve got new media partners. There’s lots of momentum. I just want to make sure that this is not a distraction,” he added.

Phelps also discussed NASCAR’s decision to shift to non-traditional racing revenues. He debunked the idea that the sport should remain restricted to ovals, rather the street or road course races.

Expect more non-traditional NASCAR races in the future

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The premier stock car racing series is far from its glory days when sponsorship money was in abundance and grandstands packed with fans. The Cup Series also had to battle declining TV ratings and viewership, which forced the higher-ups at NASCAR to initiate a plan to bring the sport back on track.

They started by shifting the season’s opener exhibition race to L.A. Coliseum, which did its job. However, the big one was NASCAR going street racing in the Windy City after signing a three-year agreement. Both the 2023 and 2024 events were mired by rain but saw some thrilling racing action. Now, for the first time in its history, the Cup Series will be heading to Mexico for its first points-paying race.

For ardent NASCAR fans, this shift towards road course isn’t too exciting, at least not at the expense of oval races. But Phelps has a different perspective on this expansion plan: “We know for a fact that Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon were interested in NASCAR, in part, because they saw a sport that was willing to make important changes to drive growth. A lot of our avid fans are like, What are you doing? That’s not your brand. That’s not what you should be doing. I totally disagree with that. It’s important for us to expose our sport.”

What is your take on NASCAR making big, bold steps to promote its racing series? Will it pay off, or just push the traditional fans away from this new experiment?