NASCAR vs. 23XI, FRM lawsuit: Wild details from Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin texts aired out in court

Some interesting details were shared involving Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin in the courtroom during the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports’ (FRM) battle against NASCAR on Thursday. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports shared what Jordan said about Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and what Hamlin said about the France family.

“Lots of spice in courtroom today including Michael Jordan calling JGR ‘F——’ in 23XI text chain for signing charters and other teams ‘P——’ … Denny Hamlin, in a text, said his “despise of the France family runs deep,” Pockrass wrote. Jordan and Hamlin own 23XI Racing and were in court on Thursday to seek an injuction to be chartered teams for the rest of the season.

A decision won’t be made until next week on whether 23XI and FRM can be chartered for the rest of the year and whether NASCAR can sell their charters before the trail on Dec. 1. Both teams are currently racing as non-chartered organizations, and it’s been that way since July.

23XI and FRM filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and Chairman Jim France last October, claiming NASCAR’s action violated antitrust laws. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Jordan talked about why he made the move.

More on Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin

“I did it for the smaller teams as well. It’s not just me,” Jordan said. “I think everybody should have an opportunity to be successful in any business. My voice is saying that it hasn’t been happening. … Hopefully we [at both sides] can come to our senses and figure out something that can make sense for everybody.”

Denny Hamlin is in an interesting situation as he’s currently competing along with being an owner. Before the start of the 2025 season, Hamlin talked about the pressure of racing with the ongoing lawsuit.

“Well, I think your performance on track is so indicative of the speed of your cars, how good is your pit crew, how well do you do as a driver — not anything that happens off the racetrack. So, I don’t see it being a factor at all,” Hamlin said. “If you talk to those in our 23XI race shop, it’s business as usual. We’re digging ahead and trying to win a championship over there, and I’m trying to win a championship as a driver. Really, all the off-track stuff is for the attorneys and they’re handling.”