TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Michael Jordan arrived at Talladega Superspeedway about 30 minutes before the start of the playoff race and made his way directly to Bubba Wallace’s pit stand for a quick visit with his guys.
The NBA great eventually made his way down pit road to Tyler Reddick’s stand, where he sat on the wall and waited for Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins. Both NASCAR team owners have refused to sign NASCAR’s charter agreement and last week filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the stock car series.
The brief exchange Sunday was planned as a show of solidarity by the only two teams that chose not to accept NASCAR’s terms for its new revenue-sharing model. 23XI Racing and Front Row want a jury to decide if NASCAR is, indeed, “monopolistic bullies” as the suit alleges.
Jordan said before the race the lawsuit is on behalf of all Cup Series teams; 13 organizations signed the charter agreement, with 23XI and Front Row the only holdouts. Many team owners have said they signed on deadline and under threat of having the entire charter system revoked.
“I think everybody should have an opportunity to be successful in any business and my voice is saying it hasn’t been happening,” Jordan told Fox Sports.