2 weeks Ago By Matthew Neschis
The France family is currently at war with NBA legend Michael Jordan over accusations that NASCAR - the company they formed - is a monopoly. Back in 1948, race car driver Bill France Sr. founded the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing and soon after built his first speedway in Daytona.
Since then, NASCAR has grown into one of the world's largest motorsports organizations, overseeing more than 1,500 races across 100 tracks in 48 locations stateside, as well as abroad in Canada, Brazil , Mexico and Europe. Over the years, NASCAR has remained firmly under the control of the France Family, with Bill’s descendants often reaping the rewards of the auto racing company and retaining ownership of the racetracks. This is a stark contrast to other sports in the United States such as the NFL or MLB, which consist of a collection of team owners who come together to form a league.
Frankie Muniz announces he's set to pursue full-time NASCAR career - but not in Cup Series Ryan Blaney's despair to NACAR Las Vegas sums up his playoff chances The unorthodox setup has drawn the ire of Jordan, who founded 23XI Racing in 2020 alongside Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and longtime business partner Curtis Polk. Earlier this month, the 61-year-old’s team and Front Row Motorsports filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France - Bill’s son who’s served in the role since 2018 - alleging that the sanctioning body has “used anti-competitive practices to prevent fair competition in the sport.” A joint statement from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports read: “Together, we brought this antitrust case so that racing can thrive and become a more competitive and fair sport in ways that will benefit teams, drivers, sponsors, and, most importantly, fans.
” NASCAR and France are accused of governing stock car racing without full transparency, smothering their competition and unfairly seizing control of motorsport in order to disadvantage opposing team owners, drivers, partners, fans and sponsors. The lawsuit specifically points out how NASCAR owns the premier racetracks that are solely used for its races and allegedly forces teams to purchase their parts from a single-source supplier hand-picked by the sanctioning body. DON'T MISS: Angel Reese announcement angers fans as Caitlin Clark's sponsor faces criticism Kamala Harris blocked from Barstool Sports podcast appearance by Dave Portnoy Caitlin Clark tipped to turn down huge offer to play with Angel Reese In a recent court filing, Jordan and his attorney accused NASCAR of acting like a “monopolistic bully” by targeting those who attempt “to question their authority.
” France, meanwhile, claimed that the ex-basketball star is using the expedited discovery process “as a weapon,” while his legal team’s demand for a preliminary injunction is a “masterclass in contradiction” and an attempt to “secure more money.” Discussing the motivation behind the lawsuit, Hamlin said: “It’s not like just one day we woke up and said, ‘This is going to happen.’ It’s provided relief for me to put more focus on [driving] the No.
11 car and everything I have to do there since [the lawsuit] is out and now there are other people out to speak on it from the legality standpoint.”.
