NASCAR has definitely had the breakup, it’s also kinda had the makeup, but what comes next for the sport after that seismic court case down in Charlotte?
Following 12 months of acrimony brought by the antitrust suit filed by Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the two sides hugged it out last week in North Carolina when stock car racing’s trial of the century ended with a settlement.
Many saw it as a victory for Jordan, his co-owner Denny Hamlin and the lobby wanting to change the sport for the better. Teams will now have ‘evergreen’ charters instead of those agreements only lasting for a relatively short fixed term.
Now though, somehow, the sport has to move on as the 2026 NASCAR schedule looms large - we are just over five weeks away from the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1.
| Date | Race | Track | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Cook Out Clash | Bowman Gray Stadium | 8pm | FOX |
| February 12 | Duel 1 at DAYTONA | Daytona International Speedway | 7pm | FS1 |
| February 12 | Duel 2 at DAYTONA | Daytona International Speedway | 8.45pm | FS1 |
| February 15 | DAYTONA 500 | Daytona International Speedway | 2.30pm | FOX |
| February 22 | Autotrader 400 | Echopark Speedway | 3pm | FOX |
Analysts and experts are of course providing hot takes on ‘who won the trial’, with Bloomberg running the headline ‘NASCAR didn’t stand a chance against Michael Jordan’.
Headlines like that will absolutely garner some clicks for a fanbase which is also largely looking for change (that hot mess of a playoff format is up next, folks).
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Kaulig chief on NASCAR vs Michael Jordan
But for team bosses like Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice, it is all just noise and something which will soon be very much in the rear view mirror.
Rice told the Kenny Wallace Show: “Whether we want to say Michael was winning by a landslide, or NASCAR was losing by a landslide, we don’t care. I don’t care as a company, I don’t care as a Chris Rice.
“What I care about is we got to a place that Michael’s happy, Jim France is happy, Ben Kennedy’s happy, Lesa’s happy. Everybody’s happy with the decision that is made.”
The scene on those courtroom steps in Charlotte - with Denny Hamlin hugging Jim France and Jordan standing alongside the longtime NASCAR supremo for a joint media debrief - would have been unthinkable just a few hours earlier.
It's time to move on - Rice
Clearly the two sides (it appears) have already made up, now says Rice everybody just needs to get back to what matters most - racing.
“Let’s move on, let’s make it good for everybody that is involved. I think in the next 15 days or whatever it’ll be over and in 40 days this will be forgotten about.
“Some reporter will write ‘Michael Jordan slam dunked on NASCAR or something like that but I don’t even look at that, it doesn’t matter.”
The #NASCAR lawsuit is over Time to move forward @C_Rice1 tells @Kenny_Wallace pic.twitter.com/yq08nc7wyt
— The Kenny Wallace Show (@KWallaceShow) December 16, 2025
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