“F*ck the Teams”: NASCAR Boss’ Hateful Texts Out in Public Display in Courtroom Drama

The gloves are off. The two sides squared off in court today over the injunction request, and by all accounts, the hearing was nothing short of explosive. NASCAR and 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports are done playing nice. Until now, most of the discovery exchange in the case has been kept under wraps, something the judge didn’t seem too happy about. But once certain text messages came to light during the hearing, it became crystal clear that both camps or desperate to keep this evidence away from public view.

One bombshell message from NASCAR president Steve Phelps bluntly stated that the proposed charter agreement offered zero wins for the teams, and his thoughts on the very teams that make up the sport? “F— the teams.” Not to be outdone, 23XI Racing’s co-owner Michael Jordan let loose in a text of his own, ripping into teams that had signed the charter agreement back then. He branded Joe Gibbs Racing as “f——“ for signing and dismissed the rest as “p——“ for failing to push back against NASCAR’s demands.

Another message from Denny Hamlin took aim at the France family, including NASCAR CEO Jim France, declaring that his “despise for the France family runs deep.” Meanwhile, 23XI Racing executive Steve Lautletta didn’t hold back either, saying the only solution to the sport’s problem was “Jim France dying.”

As others have noted, the internal chats had spice.
Michael Jordan called JGR “f*ckers” and other teams “p*ssies” after they signed charter agreement.
Denny Hamlin said in a text “his despise of France family runs deep.”
Messages on the NASCAR side had Steve Phelps saying “0…

— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) August 28, 2025

In a separate revelation, reports surface that NASCAR has been ready to move forward without the Cup Series teams entirely if a charter deal wasn’t reached after the 2024 season. Their alleged plan? Lean on the Truck Series and Xfinity Series while blocking the Cup teams from forming their own rival series by locking them out of race tracks. Pure chaos. The judge didn’t issue a ruling on the injunction today, saying that the decision will arrive next week. But he did have a stark warning for both camps: if a settlement isn’t reached, this will head to trial, and if either side thinks they are guaranteed a win, they are wrong. It is an ugly standoff, and right now neither party seems remotely interested in finding an exit ramp before things escalate even further.

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