A federal district court judge on Thursday approved an agreement between NASCAR and 23XI racing involving a charter from Stewart Haas Racing, according to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. The approval from the courts for what is effectively injunctive relief allows the legal process to move to appeals on various injunctions granted.

The NASCAR antitrust lawsuit brought by Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports saw its biggest development yet on Wednesday, as a judge ruled the teams will be allowed to race as charter teams in 2025 as part of a preliminary injunction ruling.

XI Racing, which is owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports filed a brief Monday morning urging U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell to deny NASCAR’s motion for a stay of a preliminary injunction.

Denny Hamlin is getting into the Christmas spirit after being gifted some tremendous news pertaining to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports‘ joint legal battle with NASCAR.

The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint were granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that will allow them to compete as chartered teams next year.

In a move that shifts the gravity of the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports antitrust case against NASCAR to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell on Monday denied NASCAR’s motion to stay—pending NASCAR’s appeal to the Fourth Circuit—the injunction Bell ordered last week.

The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint were granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that allowed them to compete as chartered teams in the 2025 season. 23XI Racing, the team owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin,

As a matter of practicality, NASCAR and 23XI Racing have come to an agreement of sorts on Christmas Eve concerning the charter it is acquiring from Stewart-Haas Racing. Last week, the federal judge overseeing the antitrust lawsuit granted Front Row Motorsports its injunction request to force NASCAR to approve its own charter acquisition from the shuttered Stewart-Haas.

NASCAR has lost the appeal in court NASCAR charters are attached to team entries and guarantee a starting position for all 36 charter holders. The charter teams also earn significantly more than open teams from race results.