When Denny Hamlin spoke about the NASCAR lawsuit last fall, he didn’t sound like a man unsure of his decision. The co-owner of 23XI Racing—alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan—made it clear this wasn’t just another legal jab. It was a fight for fairness. “My Jordan sent me a clip from ‘Moneyball,’ where John Henry said, ‘the first one through the wall always gets bloodied.’ This is certainly an opportunity for us to try to promote change in the sport that’s positive for everyone,” he said.
That stuck with Hamlin. He knew the lawsuit would ruffle feathers. But it was about setting things right. According to him and Jordan, NASCAR’s charter system needed a major reset. Unsatisfied with the deal put on the table by NASCAR for the new charter deal, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports decided to act. They filed an antitrust lawsuit against them, claiming the organization held an unfair monopoly over media rights and revenue splits. But the suit didn’t stop at NASCAR.
As the legal proceeding began the discovery phase, the teams wanted data from other leagues like the NFL, NBA, and even Formula 1 to support their claims. This wasn’t just about stock cars, it was about the entire business model of modern sports. But little did Hamlin and his team know that their ambitious legal strategy would run into some serious resistance. Particularly from a direction they might not have expected. And now, Michael Jordan’s legal team quietly pulled out of court proceedings involving Liberty Media, the parent company of Formula 1.
Big setback for Michael Jordan & Co!
A few months ago, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports took a bold step. They didn’t just target NASCAR in their lawsuit, they asked several major sports leagues, including Formula 1, for financial records. The aim? To compare NASCAR’s revenue-sharing model with other leagues. They issued a subpoena to Liberty Media, the company that owns F1, asking for data from 2016 to 2024. They wanted information on how revenue is split, how teams are valued, and what internal rules govern finances.
But now, there’s a twist. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported that 23XI and Front Row have officially dismissed their court proceedings with Liberty Media. “23XI/Front Row has dismissed court proceedings with Liberty Media (Formula 1) in trying to compel compliance with their subpoena for F1 financial info. Either the teams settled and got some info, or just dropped this quest. Other cases against INDYCAR, NFL, NHL, NBA continue,” he reported. But this isn’t going to be the end of their pursuit.
23XI/Front Row have dismissed court proceedings with Liberty Media (Formula 1) in trying to compel compliance with their subpoena for F1 financial info. Either the teams settled and got some info or just dropped this quest. Other cases against INDYCAR, NFL, NHL, NBA continue.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 7, 2025
It’s unclear if a private deal was struck or if the teams simply gave up the chase. Either way, the ambitious legal effort to compare NASCAR to Formula 1 has come to a quiet end. Notably, this withdrawal comes at a critical time. The two teams had also filed subpoenas for similar data from other major U.S. sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and INDYCAR. The intention was to create a “yardstick” comparison, one that could prove NASCAR’s business model unfair by showing how other leagues share revenue.
Yet, the answer from those leagues has been a firm no. The NFL, for example, responded bluntly, “There is no legitimate basis for any assertion that the information sought has any direct connection to the substantive dispute between the parties.” They refused to share internal numbers, claiming even their own teams didn’t have access. The NBA and NHL echoed this view, calling the subpoenas broad and invasive.
As 23XI and FRM pushed for answers, the resistance grew louder. Liberty Media rejected their financial request outright. They even suggested that the race teams could “reverse engineer” data using public filings. The teams pushed back, saying that they wouldn’t show revenue sharing formulas or breakdowns—just top-line numbers that lacked real insight. The legal team representing Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports wasn’t asking for much, they argued, just five core categories of documents.
No email searches. No deep dives. Just enough to make their antitrust case. But even with those compromises, F1 refused. In early May, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports dropped their court effort entirely. This decision dealt a major blow to their lawsuit. The NFL, NBA, and F1 had already refused to cooperate, leaving the teams without the third-party financial comparisons they hoped would strengthen their case.
Despite these setbacks, the two teams continue to pursue the core lawsuit against NASCAR. The court has set June 30 as the deadline for the discovery period, after which it will lock in all submitted evidence. The court has scheduled the trial to begin on December 1. Until then, both legal teams will battle over which evidence the court will allow. And NASCAR, in response, has filed a counterclaim demanding triple damages and the removal of guaranteed starting spots for 23XI and FRM in Cup Series events.
This is a developing story!
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