Jeff Gordon\u2019s name raised eyebrows after appearing in the exhibit list submitted by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports ahead of the Dec. 1 trial. The document includes everything from the original charter member agreement and media rights contracts to private chat transcripts and even photos of racetracks such as Five Flags Speedway.<\/p>\n
So why is Gordon listed at all, especially when Rick Hendrick, his team owner and one of the most influential voices in the sport, has already filed a declaration supporting NASCAR<\/a>\u2019s charter system? If that name drop says anything, it\u2019s this: the gloves are off, Michael Jordan and his attorneys aren\u2019t walking into this courtroom, they\u2019re storming it.<\/p>\n Why Jeff Gordon\u2019s Inclusion Shifts the Stakes in 23XI\u2019s fight against NASCAR<\/p>\n 23XI and FRM have officially revealed their exhibit list just days before their antitrust showdown with NASCAR begins, and it\u2019s already turning heads.<\/p>\n Filed on Wednesday, the 44-page document<\/a> outlines the evidence their legal team plans to present in court over what\u2019s expected to be a tense 10-day trial. And while many anticipated financial breakdowns, contracts, and internal records, the contents go much deeper and far more personal than most expected.<\/p>\n The list confirms that unsealed private message threads between high-ranking NASCAR figures and team executives will be presented. Among them: exchanges between Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Scott Prime and Commissioner Steve Phelps, conversations involving Roger Penske and Jim France, messages between Hendrick and France, and chats with Steve O\u2019Donnell, Phelps, and Ben Kennedy.<\/p>\n Even communication involving Jeff Dickerson and Prime is flagged, setting the stage for internal politics and behind-the-scenes power dynamics to take center stage. But that\u2019s only part of the story.<\/p>\n When the exhibit list surfaced online, one name immediately caught the attention of experts: Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup champion and Vice Chairman of HMS. In a striking move, the plaintiffs are highlighting a statement from the veteran noting that HMS hasn\u2019t turned a profit in 10 years.<\/p>\n In 2022, Gordon joined 23XI investor Curtis Polk, Joe Gibbs Racing president Dave Alpern, and RFK Racing president Steve Newmark in publicly voicing concerns about NASCAR\u2019s economic model ahead of negotiations for the series\u2019 next domestic TV rights deal.<\/p>\n Polk was blunt: \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten to the point where teams realise the sustainability in the sport is not very long-term. This is not a fair system.\u201d Gordon, though, echoed the sentiment<\/a> more cautiously, \u201cWhere we\u2019re currently at is not sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n