Jordan's NASCAR team among 2 denied charter status amid lawsuit - ESPN

AVONDALE, Ariz. — A federal judge on Friday denied a motion by two NASCAR teams — one owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan — to be recognized as chartered teams as they proceed in an antitrust lawsuit against the stock car series and chairman Jim France.

The motion was signed by federal judge Frank Whitney of the U.S. District Court of Western North Carolina in Charlotte at the same time NASCAR executives were giving their annual «State of the Sport» address at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR president Steve Phelps opened the address by noting that series officials have not discussed negotiations over charters in the more than two-year process and would not start now.

«I know people are frustrated about that,» Phelps said. «We are not going to negotiate in the media about charters, ever. And we are very happy that 32 of the 36 charters were extended because those were race teams that, where the deal that was put on the table for them, the primary big win for the race teams was money.

»I won't go into what the money split looks like, but what I will say is that the amount of money, it now puts the race teams, starting in '25, as the single largest beneficiary of our media deal. And we did that because the race teams were upside down financially."

The court decision came down just hours before Cup cars hit the track for the first practice session of championship weekend. Tyler Reddick, who drives for the Jordan-owned 23XI Racing, is one of four drivers who can win the title in Sunday's winner-take-all finale at Phoenix.

When the ruling came out and NASCAR was informed as executives sat on the stage at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O'Donnell quipped: «You can't make it up, for the timing» as he and