Owning a NASCAR team? It’s not just about fast cars and beers. It’s cutthroat, it’s chaotic, and it will consume you if you’re not ready to play hardball. It’s a high-stakes game when millions are on the line, sponsors come and go like the wind, and even the biggest names can crash and burn. Just ask the folks at Richard Petty Motorsports—despite carrying one of the most iconic names in racing, they’ve battled financial woes for years. Or even Michael Waltrip Racing? One race-fixing scandal in 2013, and boom—sponsors bailed, the team collapsed, and it was game over. Now, the heat turned up on Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin.

The 23XI Racing dream team burst onto the NASCAR scene like rock stars. But behind the scenes? Legal drama is brewing—and it’s messy. They’re going head-to-head with NASCAR over the charter system, calling foul on how the sport ruins its business. But the courtroom wasn’t on their side. And suddenly, the dream team doesn’t look so bulletproof.

The hammer falls on 23XI Racing and Front Row Racing

Just when it looked like Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s legal gamble might pay off, NASCAR came roaring back with a courtroom victory that shook the garage to its core. Bob Pockrass, without any time to waste, dropped the bombshell on X, sharing a very fiery statement from Jeffrey Kessler, the 23XI/FRM attorney. It read, “We are disappointed by today’s ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and are reviewing the decision to determine our next steps. This ruling is based on a very narrow consideration of whether a release of claims in the charter agreements is anti-competitive and does not impact our chances of winning at trial scheduled for Dec. 1. We remain confident in our case and committed to racing for the entirety of this season as we continue our fight to create a fair and just economic system for stock car racing that is free of anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct.”

To put it clearly, NASCAR won. The US Court of appeals has officially overturned the ruling that once protected 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports from NASCAR’s antitrust clause. Earlier this year, the two teams scored a temporary win in District Court. That ruling gave them charter status for the 2025 season without being muzzled by a controversial “no sue” clause in the NASCAR charter agreement. It was bold. It was rare, and now it’s been blown up.

In a brutal twist, the appeals court slapped down that decision, saying the lower court abused its discretion. This green lights NASCAR to potentially strip all three charters from each of the two teams. For context? Those charters were worth tens of millions of dollars. Without them, the teams become open entries—no guaranteed race spots and a giant cut in payouts. In short, it is like going from VIP to waiting outside the club. The two teams sued and have asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as charter teams for this season. The antitrust case isn’t scheduled to be heard until December. Till then, they need to sit tight. The teams have 14 days to appeal to the full court.

However, the judges on Thursday’s ruling said that they were not aware of any case that supports the lower quotes theory of antitrust law; hence, they vacated the injunction. “In short, because we have found no support for the proposition that a business entity or person violates the antitrust laws by requiring a prospective participant to give a release for past conduct as a condition for doing business, we cannot conclude that the plaintiffs made a clear showing that they were likely to succeed on the merits of that theory. And without satisfaction of the likelihood-of-success element, the plaintiffs were not entitled to a preliminary injunction.”

With time running out, Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin are definitely in a pickle. However, the fans suddenly took to NASCAR and showed no mercy towards the three-time Daytona 500 winner.

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Fans turn on Michael Jordan and Hamlin

If Michael Jordan and Hamlin thought the courtroom loss was the end of the drama, then they really underestimated the NASCAR fan base.

As soon as the appeals court decision broke and Jeffrey Kessler’s statement was out, social media turned into a digital demolition Derby. Fans weren’t just reacting; they were roaring, and most of them weren’t exactly team 23XI or FRM. The tide that once welcomed Jordan to stock car county has now flipped so hard, it might need a neck brace.

“Jordan and his buddies are trying to extort NASCAR for money,” one fan wrote, echoing a growing sentiment that the basketball legend overstepped by taking the sport’s long-standing charter system to court. It wasn’t just a legal maneuver anymore. It was personal.
Another fan chimed in, saying, “Thank goodness, Jordan needs to be brought down a few notches. He thinks he’s good and always gets his way.”

This wasn’t about courtrooms anymore. It was about respect, tradition, and loyalty to the sport. And fans felt that this had crossed the line.

A particularly fired-up fan posted, tagging both Hamlin and NASCAR, saying, “Get out of NASCAR if you don’t like it. You came in knowing the rules and then sue to change the rules. Get Out!!!” The mood wasn’t subtle at all. It was war pain and rallying cries for fans who saw this lawsuit as a slap in the face to the sport’s legacy.

And then came the sarcasm. One user wrote, “Nice try, Jeffrey Kessler. We’re not buying it. You bit the hand that fed you, and now the hand is slapping back.” Still, not everyone was blindly on team NASCAR either. A few eagle-eyed observers pointed out the contradiction in the crowd, saying, “If all these negative commenters hate NASCAR so much, why are they so invested in this page???” Affect question, but one round out by the sound of burning rubber and clashing egos.

At the heart of it all lies Kessler, the legal mind behind the challenge. But fans were not impressed. One critic snapped, saying, “ Kessler thinks NASCAR is set up like the NFL, NBA or MLB. It’s set up as an ‘ at will’ entity that requires participants to adhere to the rules and regulations set forth at any time. NASCAR lawyers are destroying him because they’ve been defending their practice of operation for years.”

In the end, this is bigger than a courtroom ruling. This is a flashpoint—a cultural moment when fans are drawing lines in the sand. One thing is clear—this fight isn’t over. So, where do you stand? Are you Team Jordan and Co. or Team NASCAR? Let us know in the comments.