With the season counting down to its annual climactic finish, two NASCAR teams, one co-owned by legendary basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, have sued the motorsport series and its CEO Jim France, calling them “bullies.”
Jordan’s 23XI Racing, co-owned with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, claim NASCAR has used “anti-competitive practices to prevent fair competition in the sport.”
“We share a passion for racing, the thrill of competition, and winning. Off the racetrack, we share a belief that change is necessary for the sport we love.
“Together, we brought this antitrust case so that racing can thrive and become a more competitive and fair sport in ways that will benefit teams, drivers, sponsors, and, most importantly, fans,” 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports said in a joint statement.
“No other major professional sport in North America is run by a single family that enriches themselves through these kinds of unchecked monopolistic practices,” the statement adds.
In the federal antitrust lawsuit, filed Wednesday and obtained by CNN, the two teams said, “The France family and NASCAR are monopolistic bullies.
“And bullies will continue to impose their will to hurt others until their targets stand up and refuse to be victims.”
CNN has reached out to NASCAR for comment.
Jordan said he wants a system in place that is fair for all teams and an environment where all have a chance to be successful.
“I love the sport of racing and the passion of our fans, but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans,” the five-time NBA MVP said in his statement. “Today’s action shows I’m willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins.”
Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports, issued a similar sentiment.
“I have been part of this racing community for 20 years and couldn’t be more proud of the Front Row Motorsports team and our success. But the time has come for change,” Jenkins said.
“We need a more competitive and fair system where teams, drivers, and sponsors can be rewarded for our collective investment by building long-term enterprise value, just like every other successful professional sports league.”
The lawsuit comes after more than two years of negotiations between NASCAR and racing teams. The motorsport’s governing body wanted to update its charter which includes the revenue sharing model.
“Founded in 1948, NASCAR’s business model has been based on the principle of independent stock car racing teams investing their own money and time for the opportunity to compete in premier stock car events at tracks largely owned by NASCAR’s ruling family, the Frances,” the lawsuit reads.
“Whatever teams put in, NASCAR argued, would be rewarded with the glory of race wins and championships. However, even some of the most successful racing teams in NASCAR history have left the sport with little to show for it, at least not in their wallets, while the France family profited handsomely.”
Jenkins has said he has never made a profit since joining NASCAR in 2005, per Associated Press.
While 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports said they held out from signing the new agreements, the lawsuit alleges some teams felt they had no choice but to sign.
“Faced with a take-it-or-leave-it offer, and no competing opportunity for premier stock car racing in the United States, most of the teams concluded that they had to sign. One team described its signing as “coerced,” and another said it was “under duress.” A third team said, NASCAR “put a gun to our head(s)” and we “had to sign,” the lawsuit adds.
NASCAR’s Cup Series is currently racing in the playoffs Round of 12. On Sunday, teams will race at Talladega Superspeedway for the YellaWood 500 in Alabama.
Currently, 23XI Racing’s No. 45 and No. 23 cars are in 9th and 19th place, respectively, in the owners’ standings.