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NASCAR took round one of its ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Michael Jordan, his 23XI Racing team and Front Row Motorsports.
Both 23XI and Front Row are suing the famed racing series alleging that NASCAR and CEO Jim France used “anticompetitive and exclusionary practices” to “enrich themselves at the expense of the premier stock car racing teams”
The teams sought a preliminary injunction so that they could continue to race under the current charter agreement in 2025 as the lawsuit proceeded. But Judge Frank D. Whitney shot down that request on Friday.
“At this time, Plaintiffs have not met their burden as required for a preliminary injunction,” Whitney stated. “Should circumstances change, Plaintiffs may file a renewed motion for preliminary injunction. Therefore, the Court denies Plaintiffs’ motion without prejudice.”
The teams claimed that continue to race next season without charters, which guarantee a starting spot in all 36 points races, could do irreperable harm.
Whitney claims that while that might be true, they did not provide enough evidence to support the fact that it is inevitably true.
“Here, although Plaintiffs have alleged that they will face a risk of irreparable harm, they have not sufficiently alleged present, immediate, urgent irreparable harm, but rather only speculative, possible harm,” Whitney writes. “That is, although Plaintiffs allege they are on the brink of irreparable harm, the 2025 racing season is months away—the stock cars remain in the garage.”
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season begins in Feburary with the famed Daytona 500.
Neither 23XI nor Front Row Motorsports agreed to the new charter agreement. But the other 32 teams on the grid did sign, although they claim to have done so under threats from NASCAR and the France family.
The ruling comes as a massive blow to the two teams as they both look to ensure their immediate and long-term future in the sport.
Meanwhile, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick is one four drivers still alive for a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Should Reddick win, it would mark the team’s first championship in just its fourth season of existence.