Outspoken Insider Calls Out NASCAR and Michael Jordan for “Burning the House Down” Amidst Lawsuit Twist

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is brimming with storylines, from veterans defending their legacies to rising stars chasing glory. Every race has brought its share of high-stakes drama, and with the playoffs engine closer, the battle lines are being drawn. But amid all this, one aspect of NASCAR takes center stage. The ongoing debate between NASCAR and 23XI Racing /Front Row Racing doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon. With recent revelations and updates, one NASCAR insider has decided to sound the alarm on the two parties involved.

There is a lot at stake here. The ongoing antitrust lawsuit between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR escalated with a heated courtroom exchange in Charlotte on Thursday. The teams are seeking an injunction that would reinstate their chartered status for the remainder of the 2025 season and block NASCAR from selling their former charters to other buyers. They argued that without the injunction, NASCAR could strip them of guaranteed starting spots and a larger share of races under the 2025 charter agreement. But it was the shocking text messages that prompted NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace to speak up.

In the segment of Coffee with Kenny, the 62-year-old didn’t hold back on either party. He said, “Seems like it was a long time ago. The judge told NASCAR, and the judge told Front Row Motorsports, and 23XI, which is Michael Jordan, the judge said, ‘You all need to settle this case.’ And here’s what the judge said. And now it’s ringing true. The judge knew what was going to go on. He said, ‘I’ve never seen a group of people wanting to burn NASCAR down like you all are going to do.’ So it started yesterday. Yesterday, because of the way this all works, emails, texts, they all became public.” 

What took the cake were the text messages presented as evidence. Team co-owner Michael Jordan referred to other owners who signed the 2025 to 2031 charter agreement as f—— and p——. NASCAR, in fact, revealed to the court that it no longer wishes to do business with the teams and cannot be compelled to do so. Attorney Jeffrey Kessler countered by pointing out that NASCAR had already requested Bubba Wallace appear on Good Morning America to help promote the upcoming playoffs, evidence he argued that the relationship was far from over.

Kenny went on to say, “I said, oh, all hell’s breaking loose. I said, did you know that if on your personal phone, if you text somebody at any time, if you go to court, the federal government, all your texts, all your emails are never private. You think they’re private because they’re yours. But you know, all that stuff is always right there, and they can get it. So because of that, some things, some small things, became everybody’s business. And I got to tell you, they are burning the house down.”

During the hearing before Kenneth D. Bell, it was revealed that while the Cup Series operates with 36 charters, NASCAR has the option to expand that number to 40. When pressed on why the number could not be increased to accommodate the teams, NASCAR attorney Chris Yates argued that scarcity drives value and that raising the limit would hurt existing teams. Testimony also showed that unnamed teams have been pursuing charters for years, and if the former 23XI Racing and FRM charters are sold, the original owners would only be reimbursed at their initial purchase price.

Moreover, the documents offered a rare look into NASCAR’s internal strategies, including past concerns over LIV Golf’s challenge to the PGA in 2022 and brainstorming ways to prevent a similar split in stock car racing. One document revealed NASCAR had considered buying Speedway Motorsports, while another detailed gold codes, a scenario in which NASCAR would rule on every team outright. There were also blunt remarks from team executives, including 23XI president Steve Laulette, who was quoted as saying that being in the long haul and “Jim France dying” is probably the answer when asked about the best investment path forward.

And now, with even NASCAR bosses losing their calm, Michael Jordan isn’t afraid to share his thoughts amid the chaos.

Michael Jordan believes the “sport itself needs to change”

The federal antitrust lawsuit involving the two racing teams in NASCAR brought high drama to the Charlotte courtroom on Thursday, with retired NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan stealing the spotlight through his candid remarks. Speaking after the latest hearing, Jordan addressed the case, which also saw some of his private text messages turned into the record.

In one exchange with business partner Curtis Polk, Jordan predicted, “Teams are going to regret not joining us,” referring to the decision to reject the NASCAR charter deal. He singled out Joe Gibbs Racing with an expletive to describe every team that chose to do so in their charters. In a separate text about the cost of potentially signing a driver, Jordan quipped, “I have lost that in a casino. Let’s do it.”

Jordan later claims that the decision to reveal these messages was an attempt to frame 23XI Racing as profitable, despite financial records showing that 75% of the teams in the sport operate at a loss. He said, “That’s not the point. The point is that the sport itself needs to change, for the fans, as well as for NASCAR, too. I feel like we made a good statement today about that.” Moreover, Jordan made it clear where he stands. He said, “If I have to fight this to the end, for the betterment of the sport, I will.” And now all eyes will be on the lawsuit, as an update will come in next week from the judges.