The Antitrust Lawsuit against NASCAR keeps on taking new turns every day. It all started with NASCAR simply dropping a 6-hour ultimatum for teams to sign the charter agreement, but who knew that it would escalate to this level? Well, ever since charters were first introduced back in 2016, there has been opposition to it. Now with NASCAR introducing a new charter agreement from 2025 to 2031, things have gone downhill. Out of 15 Cup Series teams, 13 agreed to the new terms, but 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports did not.

As a result, the two teams filed a lawsuit against NASCAR back in October, and well, it has been poor. 23XI owner Michael Jordan and their team claimed that the organization’s revenue-sharing system was “unfair” and did not allow teams to turn a profit. Ideally, NASCAR would’ve liked to settle the affair with the two teams but it looks like they are in for a long ride after they secured an injunction. This also means, NASCAR will have to open their books and all the records and financial dealings will be in the public eye.

NASCAR has invested big bucks and resources in trying to elevate their sport’s popularity. “We need more eyeballs”, is often the statement you’d have heard from the higher-ups at NASCAR. Well, if we are to go by the current developments it looks like the France family is about to do the unthinkable, i.e. open to diluting their ownership share. From the outside looking in, this move does outline their vision of taking NASCAR to new heights. But the timing of this development at a time when they are involved in the anti-trust lawsuit is indeed interesting.

“I would suggest that six years ago, regardless of how PE comes into sports in this big way, they weren’t looking to the degree they are now at NASCAR. I’ve had many, many conversations myself with these PE firms who are looking to invest in race teams because they want to hear from someone who is out selling it… I believe that PE is good for our sport because they bring money, they bring expertise and they bring sponsors in many cases, so those are all positive things for our sport.” NASCAR president Steve Phelps was quoted via Sports Business Journal.

It has to be noted that NASCAR has been privately owned by the France Family ever since its inception in 1948. But private investment firms joining forces with other major sporting leagues and series has caught NASCAR’s attention. While these plans are indeed ambitious, fans just couldn’t help but highlight the timing of this new shift in NASCAR’s policy. Especially with their ongoing legal battle against Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing.

Is NASCAR in the damage control mode already?

The France family have usually done their business behind closed doors. With the sport being privately owned, none of the teams had any major say in the structure of policies. At a time when teams are struggling to keep up with the finances or break even, NASCAR went on to bag a $7.7 media rights deal. Isn’t it strange that they didn’t reason with 23XI and FRM over charter negotiations, but are now open for investment? Well, fans were quick to connect the dots and what led to this sudden shift in the name of expansion. “Selling some before they have to show any paper trail lol.”

Now, private investors have an established presence at teams like Trackhouse Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and RFK Racing. So, this isn’t unchartered territory or a gamble like most would think. While the teams and organization have been open to investments, NASCAR was strictly seen as a family business. But, it looks like the pressure of the anti-trust lawsuit is finally getting to them. These sentiments were evident from this fan’s comments, “Almost like their check books are about to be opened up in court in a few months. Years and years of highway robbery from race teams finally crumbling down.”

Now it is indeed hard to predict the outcome of the lawsuit between NASCAR and Michael Jordan. While people are painting the doomsday scenario of France family finally having to bend the knee, there’s also the possibility of a settlement outside the court. And this might open doors for MJ to buy a piece of NASCAR, after all, he made a whopping $2 billion from selling his majority stake in Charlotte Hornets in 2023. As weird as this might sound, fans are actually open to seeing this become a reality. “Michael Jordan buying NASCAR.”

Well, for some fans they couldn’t help but state the obvious that this move by NASCAR is somehow related to the lawsuit. It is indeed strange to see a governing body that has exercised its control over the teams and drivers are now open to investment and change for good. Calling out this move, this fan wrote, “This is totally related to the lawsuit.”

There was a time when NASCAR used to be the premier motorsports series in the United States. But with Formula 1 gaining ground and IndyCar under Roger Penske have made significant gains. F1 has now expanded to three race events with an average viewership of 1.13 million. On the other hand, IndyCar bagged an exclusive deal with FOX and took over the ownership of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Following in F1’s blueprint might not be a bad plan after all, but this decision won’t go down well with the traditional fan base. One of them added, “Stop trying to be Formula One. You need to grow the sport in this country before you expand to other countries.”

What do you make of this sudden change of stance with NASCAR open to private investment? Is it related to the lawsuit or this is just the stepping stone for NSACAR’s ambitious expansion plan?