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Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing Gets Bad News After Court Case on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Binoy | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 5:36 PM ET

Putting “losing” and “Michael Jordan” in the same sentence just feels wrong.

On the court, MJ was the definition of dominance – if he wanted a win, chances are he got it. But when it comes to life beyond basketball, not everything is quite as easy to control.

That’s exactly what played out recently in a world far removed from the hardwood. This time, Jordan’s competitive fire met a bump in the road literally — when his NASCAR team found itself on the wrong side of a major appeal.

Back on October 2nd, 2024, 23XI Racing Michael Jordan’s team and Front Row Motorsports decided to take things to court.

They filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and its CEO, Jim France, hoping to shake things up and get a bigger piece of the pie for Cup Series teams. The suit landed in federal court in Charlotte and basically claimed that NASCAR’s moves were violating antitrust laws.

For these teams, it was all about trying to boost their revenue and influence in the sport, but taking on NASCAR in court was always going to be an uphill battle and the latest update shows exactly why.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit shut down 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ push for a rehearing on the ruling that’s been forcing NASCAR to keep their three-car teams chartered.

Now, that injunction expires on July 16, so they could lose their charters just days before the Dover race weekend. Without them, they’d have to qualify every week as open teams and take home way less money. NASCAR hasn’t said how they’ll handle the open spots yet, but with a trial set for December, we’ll know if these teams stay chartered by the 2026 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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