The antitrust lawsuit that 23XI Racing filed against NASCAR is soon approaching its trial date of December 1. It isn’t just NASCAR that has financial information out in the public at this juncture. 23XI Racing, too, has had its financials released as exhibits. The numbers in this revelation have ended a rumor that has been running long about Michael Jordan and his involvement in the sport.
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Veteran reporter Bob Pockrass scoured the documents that were released and noted a few interesting facets in them. Jordan had been willing to pay 60% of the money that it cost to purchase a charter from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. He had gone 50-50 with his partner, Denny Hamlin, on the cost for their team’s new racing headquarters (Airspeed).
Furthermore, he also fronted Hamlin his part of the share, and the veteran driver is now paying it back in monthly installments. He has also agreed to loan the team the legal fees that the entire lawsuit procedure is costing. All these initiatives have broken down the speculation that Jordan is in the sport for just a name and that he doesn’t actually have anything to lose.
The rumor that MJ has no skin in the game and is only using his name is dead.
The messages I’ve seen about owners, drivers, and fans are fuckin disgusting.
I’m a redneck, and I’m proud of it. https://t.co/CtdQGbw7Qu
— Brett Griffin (@SpotterBrett) November 24, 2025
Veteran spotter Brett Griffin underlined this on X by writing, “The rumor MJ has no skin in the game and only using his name is dead. The messages I’ve seen about owners, drivers, and fans are f***** disgusting. I’m a redneck, and I’m proud of it.”
23XI Racing is going to take this issue to trial. A settlement is simply impossible at this point, with too much personal information out.
The messages about owners, drivers, and fans
Griffin’s outburst about messages concerning team owners, drivers, and fans isn’t unfounded. NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps and vice president Brian Herbst had exchanged derogatory text messages aimed at Richard Childress back in 2023. Notably, Phelps had called the team owner a “stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.”
Richard Childress Racing says it is contemplating legal action after text messages from NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps referred to Richard Childress in a derogatory manner, including saying Childress needed to be “flogged” and was a “stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune… pic.twitter.com/HhV7pp4Exw
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) November 24, 2025
The consensus after such texts were uncovered is that they showcase the level of respect that some NASCAR executives have had for those under their umbrella. It is also why Griffin has called himself a “proud redneck” in his post on X. All said and done, NASCAR will be desperate to get out of this mess that it finds itself in now.
