In a season that has brought plenty of highs for 23XI Racing, an ugly setback followed the Charlotte NASCAR weekend when one of its employees drew attention for all the wrong reasons. Evanna Howell, a member of Michael Jordan’s team, allegedly hit a 77-year-old man with a golf cart and is now facing consequences under NASCAR’s behavioral rules.

According to NASCAR, Evanna Howell, who is a member of the 23XI Racing team, has been indefinitely suspended from the sport for behavioral infractions under Section 4.4 A of the NASCAR rulebook. The distinction matters, as Howell has not been identified as Jordan’s direct employee, but rather as an employee of 23XI Racing, the Cup Series organization Jordan co-owns with Hamlin. Howell, who is 35 years old, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, according to Cabarrus County records.

The police report for this incident further explains that the alleged attack took place at 1:45 PM on May 23 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. According to WBTV, the arrest warrant alleged that Howell used a golf cart to assault the man, while the police report stated that the 77-year-old sustained a “severe laceration.” It also states that Howell was released from the Cabarrus County Jail after posting a bond of $125,000, with her next court appearance scheduled on June 16.

Howell’s LinkedIn page states that she is a Senior Account Manager at 23XI Racing, a team she joined in 2021. She is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and also holds a master’s degree in Sports Business Management from the University of Central Florida.

23XI Racing has yet to issue a statement regarding her alleged charges. Moreover, not much about the incident itself has come to light so far, as no witness accounts have been revealed at the time of writing. Because the available reports only describe the alleged assault and the resulting charge, the incident is better framed as an assault allegation rather than a “violent outburst,” since no confirmed details have established what led to it or Howell’s emotional state at the time.

The other two penalties posted on NASCAR’s social media, which were far less controversial, involved Katherine Legge and Ross Chastain.

Legge, who was attempting Double Duty and became the first woman in history to do so, finished the Coca-Cola 600 in 31st after losing a wheel in the final stage. As a result, her crew members, Ian Schulz and Deiontae Jones, have been suspended for the next two Cup Series events. A disappointing weekend for the Briton, who also failed to finish the Indy 500, as avoiding contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay led to a crash on the wall.

Meanwhile, Chastain was penalized during post-race inspection after it was discovered that his car had multiple lug nuts that were not securely fastened to the wheel. His crew member, Michael Roberts, received a one-race suspension, while Trackhouse Racing was fined $5,000 for the violation.

23XI Racing and Toyota fail to execute a historic finish

It was established pretty early in the season that Toyota had the cars to beat. But, despite the massive advantage they appeared to hold over the rest of the field this weekend, they were unable to secure the win. Tyler Reddick and four other Toyota drivers were leading the race in a historic 1-2-3-4-5 running order at one stage. It reminded fans of Hendrick Motorsports’ historic 1-2-3-4 finish at Dover in 2021.

At the race restart, however, the Toyotas were busy battling among themselves while trying to chase down Daniel Suarez. Suarez, despite dealing with tire issues during the closing laps, managed to hold off Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.

After leading 289 of the 373 laps, Toyota drivers ultimately finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th. Tyler Reddick was the highest-finishing driver from 23XI Racing, ending the race in 4th.

It was especially disappointing for Reddick, who had started the race from pole position. He appeared visibly frustrated during his post-race interview.

“Probably the most we’ve led in the Coca-Cola 600,” Reddick said. “I know racing for points; there are a couple on the calendar where it’s all about the win, and this is one of them. This one just stings.”

Despite a disappointing result at the Coca-Cola 600 and the penalty issued to one of their team members, Jordan and Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team remains strong in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Reddick leads the regular-season standings with 620 points and is the only driver this season with 10 top-10 finishes and seven top-5s.

Reddick has clearly been the team’s standout driver midway through the regular season. While Bubba Wallace started strongly with solid performances at Daytona and Atlanta, he has since dropped to P13 in the standings with 328 points.

Meanwhile, Riley Herbst sits P27 with just 207 points. Recent rumors have also suggested that Herbst could move to Legacy Motor Club next season.