Former NASCAR Driver Slams Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing in Explosive Legal War

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace has publicly criticized 23XI Racing—co-owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan—as the team begins a legal battle with the sport.

The lawsuit, jointly filed by 23XI Racing and Bob Jenkins’ Front Row Motorsports, accuses NASCAR of monopolistic practices under the tight control of the France family and its executive leadership. The lawsuit could see transformative changes in the sport’s operations, and unsurprisingly, plenty of insiders have an opinion on what’s happening.

The announcement of the lawsuit was met with mixed reactions across NASCAR. While some, like the legendary commentator Larry McReynolds, have openly condemned the lawsuit, others in the community are rallying behind it, advocating for reformation in how NASCAR operates.

In a video posted to X, Kenny Wallace weighed in on the controversy, warning of the potentially severe financial repercussions if the lawsuit succeeds.

“NASCAR cannot let Michael Jordan Front Row win this. Because if they win this, that means NASCAR are going to have to give up millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars,” Wallace said.

The challenge posed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports paints them as potential disruptors, or “martyrs” as Wallace suggested, of the prevailing NASCAR economic model. According to Wallace, a victory for Jordan’s racing team would push NASCAR to re-negotiate its agreements with 13 other teams, a scenario that could diminish the dominance it currently has over its teams.

“I just think this gon’ be a deal over 23XI and Front Row will have to walk on eggshells. But I think… I almost think they’re martyrs. That’s ugly saying, but that means they’re willing to kill themselves to get this right.”

Throwing their hat into the ring, antitrust and sports lawyer Jeffrey Kessler called NASCAR “the poster child for an illegal monopoly.”

“It is the only premier stock-car racing circuit in the country, maybe in the world. It got that position not by being the best, or by investing money, or by having the best thing out there that nobody competes with,” he said, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports.

“It got there by acquiring its competitors, tying up the racetracks, going to all the teams who are independent contractors and saying, ‘you can’t go race at anybody else’s races,’ and imposing restrictions on the cars where the teams can’t even take their Next-Gen car and put it in another race. All of that gives them this monopoly power.”