23XI Racing received an unfortunate reminder of their ongoing legal battle with NASCAR after Bubba Wallace coasted down victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On Sunday, Wallace successfully fended off Kyle Larson in the Brickyard 400 to snap his 100-race winless streak. Following the dominant performance, the 31-year-old revealed that he received a special phone call from 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan.
“He was just so proud,” Wallace said of Jordan. “I said, ‘I wish you were here for it.’ He was like, he’s going to have a drink or two for me tonight. So we’ll be celebrating together in spirit.”
Thanks to Wallace’s victory, 23XI – which was founded in 2020 by Jordan, Denny Hamlin and his longtime business partner Curtis Polk – becomes the third “Open” entry to win a NASCAR Cup Series race since the Charter System was put into place.
As a non-chartered “open” team, however, 23XI receives substantially less race revenue compared to other teams on the grid that are competing on charters.
Back in October, 23XI jointly filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France with Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins in North Carolina’s federal court. At the heart of the legal action is a disagreement over allegedly “anti-competitive” charter agreements, which serve as franchises and guarantee teams automatic starting positions and revenue sharing from media rights deals.
Last month, 23XI’s worst fears were realized after the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned a preliminary injunction that allowed the team to race as a chartered entry this season.
To make matters worse, a U.S. District Judge then refused to provide the team a temporary restraining order to prevent NASCAR from revoking their chartered status. In the latest ruling, 23XI was at least guaranteed spots for the rest of the regular season this year.
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Following his first win at one of the four crown jewel races, Wallace thanked his peers at 23XI for sticking with him during these challenging times. “Oh my gosh, man. I’m just so proud of this team,” he said. “That adrenaline rush is crazy because I’m coming off that right now. And I am worn out. But I just want to thank everybody behind me right here. All these guys, all these men and women at Airspeed for making this possible.
“I don’t see my wife and my kid, but welcome to Victory Lane, Becks. That’s pretty cool. Officially, Daytona was Daytona, but to overcome so much, thank you. And to put these people here in Victory Lane, that’s what it’s about. It’s about these people that continue to push in me, believe in me. And man, just so proud. I appreciate all you guys. Thank you.”
When asked what this victory meant to him, Wallace added: “Unbelievable. To win here at the Brickyard – knowing how big this race is, knowing all the noise that’s going on in the background – to set that all aside is a testament to these people here on this 23 team. It’s been getting old running on the cut line.”