23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports File Lawsuit Against NASCAR for Unlawful Monopoly

Two major stock car racing teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, have filed a lawsuit against NASCAR, alleging that the sanctioning body is running an unlawful monopoly on the sport. The suit, filed on Wednesday, claims that NASCAR has adopted anti-competitive practices that have prevented fair competition within the series.

The teams were given until September 6 to sign a new charter agreement with NASCAR, but 23XI and Front Row Motorsports are the only two out of fifteen teams that did not sign. In a joint statement, the teams expressed their belief that change is necessary for the sport to thrive and become more competitive and fair for all involved.

NBA legend Michael Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing with racer Denny Hamlin, released a statement on Twitter expressing his willingness to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins. The suit alleges that NASCAR has engaged in anti-competitive practices such as buying premier racetracks exclusively for NASCAR events, imposing exclusivity deals on series-sanctioned tracks, and preventing teams from participating in other stock car racing series.

Despite NASCAR’s lucrative TV deals with major networks, the teams claim they are not seeing a fair share of the revenue. The lawsuit seeks to free up the market for competition and enable teams to obtain fair charter terms that will allow them to earn reasonable profits and reinvest in their businesses.

23XI and Front Row Motorsports have filed injunctions against NASCAR to prevent the series from disallowing them from competing in the 2025 season, despite not signing the charter agreement. The teams are taking a stand against what they perceive as monopolistic behavior by NASCAR and its CEO Jim France.