Watch: Denny Hamlin, Michael Jordan and Jeffrey Kessler raise a glass to revolutionary settlement in NASCAR antitrust trial

Denny Hamlin has posted an image on his Instagram story, showing him with 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan and their attorney Jeffrey Kessler raising a glass after the major settlement in the federal antitrust trial against NASCAR on Tuesday.

The lawsuit, which began in late 2024, saw 23XI and Front Row Motorsports challenge the sanctioning body over its handling of the new charter agreement and related revenue terms. Most teams signed the new 112-page charter agreement in September last year, but two Cup teams said that the terms were unfair and unsustainable.

The trial for the case ended on the ninth day after the parties reached a compromise. NASCAR agreed to amend its charter system to give teams evergreen and permanent charter status.

In an Instagram story on Tuesday, Hamlin shared a picture of the group celebrating with smiles after over 15 months of legal battle.

Denny Hamlin's story on Instagram (December 11). Source: Screenshot @dennyhamlin on Instagram

The settlement also restored charters that teams lost during the dispute. Financial and legal details remain private, but Hamlin and Michael Jordan have described the deal as a practical win for the sport and fans.

"Both compromised on both of our agendas" - Michael Jordan on settlement terms being 'better for the sport'

23XI and FRM purchased their third NASCAR Cup Series charter in 2024 but lost that status in July this year. The former team, which debuted in 2021, ran as an uncharted competitor for much of the 2025 season and won the Brickyard 400 in July.

Following the settlement announcement outside the court in North Carolina, Michael Jordan spoke to the media and praised the outcome as a progress for the sport. The NBA legend and majority owner of 23XI stressed that protecting NASCAR's long-term interests was as important as winning specific points in the court.

"I think that you can say that we both compromised on both of our agendas, and I think we both come to the conclusion that it's better for the sport," Michael Jordan said after the settlement. "And I think both parties got to that point, and we realized that we can have an opportunity to settle this, and we dove in, and we actually did it. Unfortunately, it took us that long, but we got here and that's all that matters," he added.

However, most of the settlement terms were not publicly disclosed, nor were the details of the updated charter agreements.

Denny Hamlin also wrote a strong message on social media about standing up when it was easy to remain silent. Hamlin also said that the agreement would grow NASCAR and help teams plan with less legal risk.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam