'It was wrong': Michael Jordan reveals insanely competitive reason for suing NASCAR



Legendary basketball player Michael Jordan says he went into his lawsuit against NASCAR with the same mentality that won him six NBA championships.

While much of the terms of his settlement with the organization are not known, Jordan made one thing clear in a recent interview; he wasn't going to back down.

'I was all in. I was going to win.'

As owner of 23XI racing team, Jordan sued NASCAR in October 2024, claiming the organization used unfair practices to decide which teams can participate. The parties have since agreed to a settlement, with Jordan revealing in a recent interview that he felt he had to take up the legal battle in order to protect the future of the sport for its racing teams and drivers.

Having always been a fan of NASCAR, Jordan said that when he was focused on basketball, he didn't quite grasp its inner workings, but when he got into the series, he started to "see how things [were] operating."

"It was lopsided. It was wrong. The sport was not set up for success long-term for the individuals that's involved in the sport," Jordan told "CBS Sunday Morning."

The basketball hall of famer pointed to an unequal system between NASCAR ownership and the racing teams.

"Now, up top, yeah, you know, they were making a good living," he told host Gayle King.

Jordan said his motivation to make a lasting impression on the sport pushed him to go through with the lawsuit, compelling him to make his mark whether he won or lost.

"I was nervous. Any courtroom makes me nervous 'cause that's not where I want to be, really. 100%," he continued. "But I was all in. I was going to win."

RELATED: Michael Jordan shocks NASCAR by doing something no one has done in 77 years

The 63-year-old Jordan said it was never his intention to "attack NASCAR," but at the same time, he still went in to the lawsuit with a fighter's mentality.

"This fight was needed. And if I got kicked out, at least I made people aware that change needs to happen in this sport. So I went in with the idea that even if I lost, I won."

Jordan followed up the December 2025 settlement by going on a tear to start the 2026 season; driver Tyler Reddick won the first three races of the season for 23XI racing team, something no team had ever done in the previous 77 years of NASCAR.

RELATED: Lindsey Graham GOP challenger makes shocking promise to change NASCAR: 'South Carolina will rise again'

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

During his recent interview, Jordan spoke on his unending competitive spirit, and he said that he uses NASCAR to compensate for a "huge piece" of him that still wishes he could play basketball.

"[It's] not the same as me playing in Chicago ... but it's something that I think keeps me alive," Jordan said, comparing his current temperament to his playing days.

"That urge, the dream, that I wish I can still pick up a basketball. ...Yeah, I would definitely love to do that."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Lindsey Graham GOP challenger makes shocking promise to change NASCAR: 'South Carolina will rise again'



An opponent of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) has targeted NASCAR as his No. 1 priority.

Senate candidate Paul Dans, a member of the first Trump administration, has remained steadfast in his dedication to unseating Graham.

'We don't give a crap what Bubba Wallace thinks.'

On Sunday, however, Dans posted a video from the Goodyear 400, held at South Carolina's iconic Darlington Raceway, and revealed one of his day-one promises.

Dans said that, if elected, he would immediately pick up the phone and ask NASCAR to overturn one of its George Floyd-era rules.

"On June 10, 2020, NASCAR banned the flying of Confederate flags at its races," Dans began. "As your next U.S. senator from South Carolina, my first call is going to be to the CEO of NASCAR, Jim France."

"Sir, we want to fly our flags again at NASCAR, and we don't give a crap what Bubba Wallace thinks. South Carolina will rise again," Dans added.

NASCAR banned the flags from its events in 2020 just two days after driver Wallace called for their removal in the wake of Floyd's death, which had happened about two weeks prior.

NASCAR said at the time that the presence of the Confederate flag at its events "runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors, and our industry. ... The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties."

RELATED: 'I'm on fire!' NASCAR indefinitely suspends driver for using 'gay voice'

Photo by Malcolm Hope/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Less than two weeks after the ban, an alleged noose was found in Wallace's garage stall, followed by "a piece of twine tied in what appeared to be a noose" found "hanging from a tree on raceway property" at Sonoma Raceway in California.

Days later, the FBI concluded no crime had been committed and revealed that the rope in Wallace's stall had been there since October 2019, and "nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned" to that stall.

The alleged noose turned out to be a "a garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose."

RELATED: Michael Jordan shocks NASCAR by doing something no one has done in 77 years

Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

Dans' platform focuses heavily on replacing Graham; his website reads, "Fire Lindsey Graham," in a pop-up upon first visit, alongside a photo of the candidate with President Trump.

Other positions by Dans include "no more endless wars" and "obliterate the deep state."

The candidate is well known for being the director of Project 2025, a document that drew much criticism from left-wing sources in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. For example, the ACLU described the project as "a roadmap for how to replace the rule of law with right-wing ideals."

However, the project's website says it was a way to "prepare for a new conservative administration through policy, training, and personnel."

Graham's office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Republican primary for South Carolina takes place on June 9.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

With Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Hot Streak, Michael Jordan Is Still Winning Pro Sports

Michael Jordan can’t stop his winning ways — just maybe not in the sport you think.

Whitlock: Michael Jordan is NASCAR’s ‘Race Jam’ comeback strategy



When a garage pull rope that was shaped like a noose was discovered in Bubba Wallace’s garage at the Talladega Superspeedway in 2020, the media had a field day.

Despite the FBI determining Wallace was not the victim of a hate crime, NASCAR’s reputation was tarnished.

Now, according to BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock, NASCAR is “fixing its popularity problem” with Michael Jordan.

Jordan joined NASCAR in 2020 and is making history in the sport after his 23XI Racing team won its third straight NASCAR race to start the 2026 season.


“There’s nothing that the media, mainstream media, loves more than a racial story, and Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick are making a lot of history in a sport that has a lot of so-called racial baggage,” Whitlock says.

“Around 2006, 2007, NASCAR fell off a cliff in terms of popularity and visibility and just relevance and traction. Most people attributed that fall-off to the stock market crash in 2007 and that the hundreds of thousands of fans that would go from city to city to city with NASCAR, they lost their economic stability,” he explains.

“And that’s what most people believe gutted NASCAR. I’m going to posit a theory that, yes, the economic collapse played a role, but the economic collapse was about gutting all of the working class. And NASCAR built its reputation on southern rednecks, working-class people, you know, heart of America people,” he says.

“There was one path back, that NASCAR had to place the race card. They had to create ‘Race Jam.’ They tried to do it with Bubba Wallace. Bubba Wallace is a weak, inferior driver. He’s no good. And so, they couldn’t do it with Bubba,” he continues.

But Michael Jordan is different.

“The guy stepped away from basketball 25 years ago, hasn’t lost a bit of relevancy, and it’s Michael Jordan, and they’ve injected him into NASCAR, and they’ve injected that storyline into NASCAR,” Whitlock says. “And I think it’s going to produce results.”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Michael Jordan shocks NASCAR by doing something no one has done in 77 years



Michael Jordan is now dominating a new sport, and has started off 2026 by breaking records.

Jordan's 23XI racing team settled an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, after alleging the racing organization is a monopoly that uses unfair practices to decide which teams are guaranteed participation.

Now that Jordan's team has acquired that guaranteed (chartered) status, they have hit the ground running and immediately set an all-time record in 2026.

'It's time for change.'

In the 77 years of NASCAR racing, no team has ever won the first three races of a season until Jordan's 23XI team. Astoundingly, driver Tyler Reddick has won the Daytona 500, EchoPark Speedway, and the Circuit of the Americas to start the 2026 season, despite having zero first-place finishes in all of 2025.

"It’s time for change," Jordan told Fox NASCAR reporter Jamie Little after the race. "Time for change, and the guys feel the same thing. Tyler came in with the most pressure, I guess. Everybody expected him — or he had a chance — to win three in a row, and that's the hardest one to win. He kept to his strategy, and man, the guys put together a great car."

Jordan gave all the credit to his team and drivers, saying, "I just put up the money. I'm just a competitor."

"That's what it’s about — winning."

RELATED: Michael Jordan sues NASCAR but is dealt major legal blow just 2 days before his driver competes in Cup Series championship

Just under Reddick at the top of the standings is another one of Jordan's drivers, Bubba Wallace. Wallace drives car No. 23, representing the number Jordan made famous during his time in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.

Reddick drives car No. 45, a number Jordan briefly wore when he came out of retirement in 1995, before switching back to 23 in the playoffs that year.

"It's one race, but it was so important, so fitting that we were able to get three in a row and make history," Reddick said after the race, per NBC Sports. "Just trying to remember everything that I knew was going to be important there at the end and just tried to minimize the mistakes."

RELATED: It's personal: Michael Jordan is more charitable than the media tells you

Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images

Jordan's lawsuit, which included team Front Row Motorsports, challenged NASCAR's charter program that consists of 36 charter teams who are guaranteed to compete in the field of 40 for each race.

The remaining four spots are decided by a rather complex system that differs depending on the race. In general, non-chartered teams typically compete in a qualifying race or win a spot based on their qualifying time.

As Fearless reported in 2024, Jordan's side argued that the unpredictability of being an non-chartered team meant the possible loss of drivers and sponsors from week to week, while binding the teams to the specific series (NASCAR), its tracks, and suppliers.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

‘The Intimidator’: NASCAR Honors Legend Dale Earnhardt 25 Years After He Died In Its Biggest Race

In many ways, Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death is most notable for what it prevented — namely, another fatality within NASCAR in the 25 years since his passing.

NASCAR Ditches Cheap Gimmicks In Favor Of A Playoff Format Focused On Racing

Most motorsports fans will find something to like in a 'new' format that echoes one from two decades ago.

NASCAR Legend Greg Biffle Died An American Hero

Greg Biffle not only succeeded in the highest levels of stock car racing but also helped his suffering fellow citizens after Hurricane Helene.

Michael Jordan’s 14-Month Brawl With NASCAR Shakes Up America’s Favorite Motorsport

The sport itself is changing for each of the three major racing leagues.

Beloved NASCAR legend Greg Biffle dies in horrific plane crash, police believe



Iconic NASCAR driver Greg Biffle died in a plane crash on Thursday in a horrific incident that reportedly involved his family members.

Biffle, 55, had 56 NASCAR national series wins throughout his career, including two championships.

'We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this.'

On Thursday, Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina reported that an aircraft had crashed while landing at 10:15 a.m.

The FAA arrived to investigate the incident at around 12 p.m., the airport stated.

Iredell County officials soon confirmed the plane crash, with the county sheriff confirming that several people had died in the crash, according to WCNC-TV. WCCB-TV later reported that multiple witnesses and family friends confirmed that Biffle and his wife were on the plane.

Jordan Bianchi, motorsports reporter for the Athletic, wrote on X that North Carolina State Highway Patrol stated there were seven total fatalities from the crash and that they "believe that Mr. Greg Biffle was one of the deceased occupants."

Garrett Mitchell, a YouTuber who goes by the name Cleetus McFarland and has over 4.5 million subscribers, made a Facebook post with similar remarks.

"Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane ... because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I'm so sorry to share this," Mitchell wrote.

RELATED: NASCAR owner sells vehicles to ICE — and liberals are outraged

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Mitchell lives in Florida, and Biffle's plane was reportedly headed to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in Florida before it crashed, with the airport CEO issuing a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of the Cessna C550 aircraft crash at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina and en route to SRQ this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with those on board and with their families and loved ones during this difficult time. Our thoughts also go out to the first responders who we know are diligently working to assist all those involved," the statement said.

Last year, Mitchell and Biffle teamed up to deliver disaster relief supplies in North Carolina via helicopter after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.

RELATED: Beloved race car driver dies after mid-race catastrophe has officials tearing his car apart

Geoff Burke/Getty Images

Flight logs reportedly showed that the aircraft was traveling over 100 mph at the time of the crash, WCCB stated. The plane was described as a Cessna C550 business jet with tail number N257BW. The outlet also confirmed the plane belonged to Biffle.

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson (N.C.) wrote on X that he was "devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them."

The congressman added, "They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track."

Biffle was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023 for his "spectacular start in the 1990s" that ran through the 2000s.

"Though Biffle has stepped away from full-time competition at the NASCAR national level, the longtime veteran made five starts in 2022, including the season-opening Daytona 500. His last full season was in 2016," NASCAR wrote.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!