Shumita Basu

For his part, Michael Jordan says he's willing to risk it all.

Here he is after a court hearing in August.

If Jordan loses, he could leave the sport altogether.

But if NASCAR loses, the entire system underpinning how stock car racing works could be upended.

NASCAR could be forced to sell its racetracks, and it could even lead to NASCAR's founding family cashing out of the business.

The dispute traces back to charter negotiations between race teams and NASCAR.

The organization operates differently than other leagues.

Charters, which are roughly equivalent to owning a franchise, are granted to team owners, but they're not permanent.

Having permanent charters was a big sticking point in contract talks, and Jordan's team refused to sign it.

They were one of only two holdouts in NASCAR to reject the charter offer.

Here's Bianchi from The Athletic again.

NASCAR generated $1.7 billion in revenue last year and more than $100 million in profit.

Race car teams, meanwhile, lost an average of $2.5 million per car they operate.

The Athletic describes this case as a combination of ego and money, a clash between two parties who are used to getting what they want in negotiations.

It'll get hashed out and decided by a jury in a North Carolina court over the next few weeks, potentially changing the direction of NASCAR.

Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.

President Trump unlawfully appointed his former attorney as New Jersey's top prosecutor.

That was the judgment of an appeals court yesterday in a ruling that could have national implications.

Alina Haba was appointed on an interim basis, but the White House attempted to bypass the Senate confirmation process and keep her in place beyond the 120-day time limit.

The complaint against her stemmed from criminal defendants who argued she was illegally overseeing her case.