Jury Selection Starts in NASCAR Antitrust Trial

In a federal courtroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, basketball legend Michael Jordan appeared on Monday as the antitrust trial pitting his 23XI Racing team and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR commenced with jury selection. The lawsuit accuses NASCAR and its CEO, Jim France, of monopolistic practices that suppress competition and favor the France family, which founded the organization 76 years ago.

The case centers on NASCAR's charter system, introduced in 2016 as a franchise-like model that guarantees 36 of the 40 spots in each Cup Series race and provides defined payouts from the event purse. 23XI Racing, co-owned by Jordan, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and business manager Curtis Polk, along with Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, refused to sign the renewed charter agreements for 2025. The two teams were the only ones among 15 charter holders to do so after more than two years of negotiations that failed to meet their demands for permanent charters, a larger revenue share, and greater input on governance.

The plaintiffs allege that NASCAR maintains an unlawful monopoly over premier stock car racing through control of most Cup Series...