Michael Jordan. Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Images

NASCAR president reveals what Michael Jordan said after lawsuit was settled

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 25, 2026 8:34 AM ET

NASCAR and Michael Jordan were embroiled in a very public trial in December 2025 after Jordan's race team, 23XI Racing, was one of two organizations to sue NASCAR for monopolistic practices in October 2024.

The trial was eventually settled on December 11, 2025, in the first of a line of wins for Jordan. 23XI has won the first two races of the 2026 season with driver Tyler Reddick, while Reddick and his 23XI teammate, Bubba Wallace, are 1-2 in the Cup Series points standings.

In a Monday interview with Sports Business Journal, NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell revealed what Jordan said to him after the lawsuit was settled.

Michael Jordan's message to Steve O'Donnell

"Middle of December, I found myself in a courtroom face-to-face with Michael Jordan," O'Donnell said. "At the end of the day, I think with Michael, he loves the sport. His words to me immediately after [were], 'I'm all in. Let's grow this thing together.'"

.@NASCAR prez Steve O'Donnell on trying to grow the series: "When I started at NASCAR, we were chasing IndyCar, and the goal was, 'If we can just kind of surpass IndyCar...' and we did that, and I've told our employees, 'I think we all got a little lazy.'" https://t.co/7TOQgsGJYb
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 23, 2026

Jordan grew up a NASCAR fan and, through a friendship with driver Denny Hamlin, became a co-owner of 23XI Racing with Hamlin in 2021. On Feb. 15, Jordan experienced the highest high a NASCAR team owner can experience: winning the Daytona 500.

"It's surreal that he wins the Daytona 500," O'Donnell said. "I was in Atlanta yesterday, [he] won back-to-back races with Tyler Reddick. He's always there. He's passionate. He's been a fan for life. He gets us to some other audiences. It's a cool thing to see for sure."

If Reddick can win another race for Jordan and 23XI on March 1 at Circuit of the Americas, he'd become the first driver to ever win three races to open a Cup Series season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads: