Charlotte Hornets team up with 23XI Racing pit crew at Airspeed training facility

Charlotte is home to both NASCAR and the Charlotte Hornets. And it just so happens 23XI Racing has a co-owner the Hornets are very familiar with. Of course, Michael Jordan is the man that ties these two pro sports brands together.

NASCAR and the NBA. Not exactly two sports that traditionally go together. We have seen a lot of former college football and fringe NFL players in the sport on pit crews. Not so much former basketball players.

The Charlotte Hornets and LaMelo Ball got a taste of what a Cup Series pit crew does for a living. When they tried it for themselves, it didn’t go as well as they originally thought it might.

When worlds collide, NASCAR x NBA edition:

We’ll let them stick to their day jobs. 😂

Thanks for stopping by Airspeed, @hornets. 🏀🤝 pic.twitter.com/cAUJyGwxBQ

— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) December 10, 2024

23XI Racing is a new kind of NASCAR team. With their Airspeed facility, the organization is hoping to join the ranks of Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series. That means having their own pit crews and pit crew facility.

Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan want 23XI to be state-of-the-art. Best of the best. Make it an example of what a NASCAR Cup Series organization should be. It appears that they have done enough to impress the Charlotte Hornets.

Of course, 23XI Racing finds itself in the middle of a major lawsuit with NASCAR. That could be a bump in the road as far as their plans are concerned.

NASCAR responds to 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are seeking a preliminary injunction. This is a court order that would essentially make NASCAR grant the organizations the ability to operate with charters while forgoing the antitrust clause, which is at the heart of this lawsuit.

The teams are arguing that there will be irreparable harm done to them if they aren’t given an injunction. One that would amount to more than just monetary damages. NASCAR does not believe this to be the case.

In the recent filing, NASCAR argues that the teams have failed, again, to show harm beyond hypothetical harm. They “can” lose drivers. They “might” have a sponsor leave. Vague ideas of harm, but nothing concrete and real.

Once again, NASCAR argues that the lawsuit is only being pursued to gain more favorable contractual terms. The teams are arguing that this is about the competition in the sport, in an economic sense- not a racing sense, and not about getting their way.

The hardest-hitting quote is perhaps this one that calls into question the evidence that 23XI and Front Row have provided:

“Even with their manufactured evidence, Plaintiffs still fall far short of a clear showing of irreparable harm. Their new submissions underscore that any claimed harm remains speculative, self-inflicted, and redressable with monetary damages.”