Michael Jordan’s 23XI vs NASCAR: The Complete Timeline
What’s Happening? The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit will continue for some time. However, many developments will occur along…
Judge Kenneth D. Bell has denied 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports their preliminary injunction to maintain charter status throughout the remainder of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
This ruling means that the two teams, 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, will not retain the benefits of charter ownership for the remainder of the season.
Charters give teams automatic entry and revenue sharing for one car; these charters cost millions of dollars but give teams something to fall back on if they sell or close their operation. Teams can own up to three charters, per the 2025 NASCAR Charter Agreement, though four charter-owning teams have been grandfathered in.
Last season, FRM and 23XI owned two charters each and agreed to purchase one each from the shuttering Stewart-Haas Racing, but, when NASCAR allegedly gave teams an all or nothing charter agreement in September, these two teams refused to sign, waiving their charters for the 2025 season and beyond.
On Oct. 2, 2024, the teams sued NASCAR on antitrust grounds, while also filing a preliminary injunction that would force the sport to complete the sale of the two SHR charters and return their two charters a piece for the remainder of the lawsuit if they proved they would suffer irreparable harm by losing their charters.
In late November, the teams denied this injunction but filed a new one with additional evidence proving claims that drivers, such as Tyler Reddick, and sponsors could leave without charter status. On Dec. 18, Judge Bell ruled in favor of the teams, with NASCAR appealing this decision shortly after.
On Jun. 5, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of NASCAR, eliminating the team’s charter status and leading to this most recent injunction. However, after this ruling, NASCAR submitted a rule change that essentially guaranteed that the two teams would be able to enter races without fear of DNQs
The charter saga is just one of many storylines stemming from the two teams’ Oct. 2, 2024, antitrust lawsuit filed against NASCAR. We have extensively covered all aspects of this lawsuit via the timeline linked below.
What’s Happening? The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit will continue for some time. However, many developments will occur along…
In his ruling, Judge Bell claims that a list of commitments and representations submitted to the court by NASCAR on Friday, in which they assert they will retain at least six charters for the teams, pending the result of the December antitrust trial, indicates that the two teams are not subject to irreparable harm.
While maintaining charter status was important to the teams, keeping NASCAR from transferring the team’s former charters was just as important. However, NASCAR’s commitment maintains that should the sport be forced to return the six charters to the two teams, they will be able to do so while also continuing their plans to distribute charters to interested teams for the 2026 season.
Bell also clarifies that any loss of sponsorship or financial hurt ot the teams “can either be compensated with money damages at trial or is simply inherent in the risks associated with the lawsuit.”
Though they lost this injunction, the teams will get to retain their charters should they be awarded them by winning at trial. Following this ruling, in a statement, the two teams’ lawyer, Jeffery Kessler, said:
“We are grateful that Judge Bell has made clear that the status quo is being maintained – protecting my clients’ rights to regain their charters if they prevail at trial and ensuring their ability to continue racing through the 2025 season based on NASCAR’s commitments. Equally important, Judge Bell reaffirmed his broad power to order meaningful changes in NASCAR should we succeed, so that teams, drivers, sponsors, and fans can benefit from a sport positioned for long-term growth and restored competition. We are ready to present our case at trial in December.” — Jeffery Kessler
Last Monday, NASCAR informed the court of its intentions to “convey “ a charter to an unknown team. Prior to this, the sport claimed in the past that teams wanting to obtain a new charter would need to know by Oct. 1 in order to prepare for the coming season.
So, if NASCAR is planning to distribute charters to new parties but retain at least six for Front Row Motorsports in 23XI Racing, how can they do so?
When NASCAR introduced the charter system in 2016, it distributed 36 charters; however, there are technically 40 charters, with four currently retained from the public market by NASCAR. For years now, most suspected these charters for a new OEM entering the sport, though, have now seemingly come into play in this lawsuit.
Judge Bell said in his ruling today that he will consider any charters doled out to new teams as one of these currently off-the-market charters. This clarification also gives the teams something they asked for in a filing on Tuesday, as they requested the charters returned to them (should they win the trial) must maintain the “rights to the car number, historical or championship points, and any performance-related standards history.”
This means if they get their charters back, it will be the six they started the season with, including the two they acquired from Stewart-Haas Racing as part of the overturned preliminary injunction from last December.
What’s Happening? On Friday, NASCAR notified the court of how it intends to approach the six charters formerly possessed by 23XI…
The charter saga and injunctions were more of a side plot than anything, as there is still the initial lawsuit and a Mar. 5 countersuit filed by NASCAR against 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and 23XI investor Curtis Polk.
For now, it seems like the teams’ battle to retain charters is over, while NASCAR can look to distribute charters to new teams. However, if the teams win at trial in December, there is no guarantee of anything, no, seriously, anything, even the charter system.
In his Wednesday ruling on the injunction, Bell made a similar statement to one he made during the fiery hearing last Thursday, saying “The uncertainty about what the 2026 season will look like unfortunately exists not just for the Parties, but for the other teams, drivers, crews, sponsors, broadcasters and, most regrettably, the fans.”
This means that if the teams win, NASCAR could look completely different by February. While the two parties could settle, it seems ever more unlikely that they will go that route.
What’s Happening? Following a fiery court hearing, which exposed items found in discovery as part of the ongoing lawsuit between 23XI…
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The NASCAR rumor mill is heating up as a new rumor suggests that a former series champion and an active NASCAR Cup Series driver could be in line to drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027.
What’s Happening? NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information…
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is well underway, while teams and drivers are still settling into their new lineups and seats, others are already prepping for next season.
Most expect the 2027 NASCAR Silly Season to be one of the wildest in years, with many major names on contract seasons, and top seats looking for new drivers.
One story that will likely carry through the 2026 season, and into the offseason, is Legacy Motor Club, which is expanding to three full-time cars in 2027 via the acquisition of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their No. 60 entry.
While many storylines could stem from this transaction, one that is already playing out is LMC’s driver search, as the team looks to add a new face to their roster alongside drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.
Though we are nearly a year away from what would be the first race for this third car, per recent rumors, a few names are already emerging as top candidates.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Hall of Famer and Seven-Time Champion Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club is suing Rick Ware Racing over a…
Monday afternoon, a post from a well-known NASCAR rumor account made the rounds on social media, naming two drivers as possible options for LMC.
In their post, the user claimed that 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst and Richard Childress Racing prospect Jesse Love were “early contenders” for the ride.
Of course, this is just a rumor, and even if they are possible candidates, things can change. However, both of these options come with their own storylines and questions.
The first thing that likely comes to mind when hearing this rumor is that both of these drivers would have to depart their current spots, something that most have suspected will happen by next season.
For Herbst, he is facing the impending promotion of top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim to full-time competition.
This year, Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, is racing part-time with 23XI Racing, with almost every rumor and blurb suggesting next year will be his first full-time season in NASCAR’s highest level.
While 2026 Daytona 500 Champion Tyler Reddick is reportedly on a contract season, most see Herbst as the clear weak link at 23XI, though, in the somewhat unlikely event Reddick were to jump ship, there could be a world where a spot opens for Heim without affecting Herbst.
Regarding Love, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is in his third full-time year with RCR in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and, for some time now, has been rumored to be looking for a promotion, beyond his part-time Cup Series schedule.
This is not the first time Love and LMC have been tied together in the rumor mill, as in June 2025, when LMC was in the midst of a lawsuit to get their third charter by this season (something that never came to be), a report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports suggested there could be interest in Love as that third driver at LMC.
As of right now, Love has yet to score a full-time Cup Series ride. But there is a chance a slot opens in-house as RCR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is on a contract year, a situation that could leave Love with a difficult decision between staying in a familiar spot or returning ot the Toyota camp.
But the biggest decision could come down to RCR, which, in the event Busch excels this year, could face deciding between a NASCAR legend and keeping their best prospect in some time.
Nonetheless, all of this is hypothetical, as the gears are just now turning on what could be a NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season for the ages.
What’s Happening? Some recent developments in NASCAR Silly Season rumors and reports have some NASCAR fans wondering if Spire Motorsports could…
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Denny Hamlin fires off on Carson Hocevar, Sheldon Creed finally gets his long-awaited breakthrough, and 13-year-old Keelan Harvick makes a massive career move. From sharp words on a podcast to a feel-good victory and a headline-grabbing development deal, this episode covers three very different stories that could all have long-term ripple effects.
There’s controversy, redemption, and a glimpse at the next generation all wrapped into one packed show. Some reputations are being tested, others are being rebuilt, and one young driver may have just taken the first major step toward the Cup Series.
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NASCAR veteran Elliott Sadler is set to return to competitive racing next month as he joins the SMART Modified Tour for their March 20 and 21 race weekend at South Boston Speedway.
This race will end a retirement from racing that began when Sadler last raced in NASCAR with Kaulig Racing during the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
While it is not a NASCAR-sanctioned race, the now 50-year-old will have his hands full as the SMART Modified Tour has a very competitive field of drivers.
Though Sadler may not be known for his exploits in Modified racing, he is familiar with South Boston Speedway. The Virginia native is a former track champion at the legendary 0.400-mile track, having won the track’s NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division in 1995.
Sadler worked his way to the top of NASCAR in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But, unlike many drivers who came through the ranks at that time, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr and Ryan Newman, since stepping away from the sport, Sadler has not made a hobby of short track racing.
In a post to X following the announcement, Sadler credited Earnhardt with giving him the confidence to race again:
“Look @DaleJr… you made me feel like I can do it !!! So I’m doing it !! Back in the saddle again !! Bigger (literally) and better than ever!!!” — Elliott Sadler via X
The race weekend kicks off on March 20 with two practice sessions and a qualifying session. On track action will resume on Saturday, March 21, with a Last Chance Qualifier Race at 1 PM EST, and the feature race scheduled for that afternoon.
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