The NASCAR lawsuit involving NBA legend and 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan finally came to a settlement on Thursday. For a lawsuit that stretched well over a year, 10 days into the first trial was a rather quick settlement, with the teams being on the happier and more profitable side. There was more to it, however.

As the case settled down, Jordan walked out with NASCAR CEO Jim France, who had made quite an impression in the court the other day. However, the two of them stepping out together caught some media attention, with interesting words from the NBA legend.

Michael Jordan reflects on the NASCAR lawsuit and settlement

23XI Racing, co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, filed a lawsuit against NASCAR, along with Front Row Motorsports, in October 2024. 

After 10 days of the hearing, NASCAR made a settlement with the teams. Both teams, which ran a large part of the 2025 season as open teams, will now get back all of their six charters, securing their future.

And there seemed to be some positive energy looming around Michael Jordan and Jim France as they stepped out of the courtroom together, with Denny Hamlin on the other side. 

“The only way this sport is going to grow is we have to find some synergy between each of these people. And I think we’ve gotten to that point,” Jordan claimed. “Unfortunately, it took 16 months to get here, but I think levelheads have got us to this point where we can actually work together and grow this sport. I’m very proud of that, and I think Jim feels the same way.”

The settlement largely profits the teams, but there was also some compromise from the teams. While the exact details aren’t revealed yet, Jordan did speak about not ‘tearing’ the sport apart.

“I grew up watching his [Jim France’s] father build this sport,” Jordan said. “I didn’t want to have to tear it down.” He further spoke about the France family’s legacy. “I don’t think he wanted to be torn down, but I think under calmer circumstances, we actually voiced what our interests may have been, you know, collectively, and at the end of the day, we reached some type of compromise. And to me, that’s in every negotiation. That’s in every agreement,” he added.

The positive statements from the plaintiffs indicated that the settlement was largely in their favor, but did the teams get the permanent charters they mentioned?

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Will NASCAR teams get permanent charters?

A major appeal from the teams in the lawsuit was permanent charters. This would make the teams more secure, increase the charters’ overall value, and give the teams more financial stability. However, NASCAR wanted to keep the charters renewable; otherwise, the authorities would lose control over them.

But as the settlement was made, NASCAR had to agree to making the charters permanent or “evergreen,” as they called it. This would mean that the teams will be allowed to keep their charters indefinitely, instead of binding them to a temporary contract.

This was a major win for Michael Jordan’s 23XI. However, there was a lot more to their celebrations. Both teams are expected to receive the payout for the 2025 season as per the charters. Moreover, they will be treated as chartered teams, despite not having signed the latest agreement.

Major amendments are expected to be made in the Charter Agreements, after the hard-earned efforts of the two teams that risked their seasons to fight the lawsuit. The plaintiffs and defendants were quite tough against each other in court. Ultimately, Jordan’s positive interaction with Jim France outside the court indicates that the sport might finally be moving towards a peaceful journey ahead.