NASCAR suspended Evanna Howell indefinitely after Cabarrus County court records show she was arrested following an alleged assault at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 23.
The sanction appeared in NASCAR’s weekly penalty report on Wednesday, May 27, which listed Howell by name and described the action as an indefinite suspension for a behavioral incident. Court records say Howell was arrested the same weekend and an arrest warrant alleged she used a golf cart to assault a man at the track.
A Concord police report, cited in court documents, said the alleged incident occurred Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway and that the man — identified in the report only by age — was 77 years old and sustained a severe laceration. The warrant and charging paperwork say Howell was charged with assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury.
Records show Howell was held at the Cabarrus County jail and released on May 26 after posting a $125,000 bond. The timeline in public records places the arrest on Saturday, May 23; her release three days later on May 26; and NASCAR’s listing of her suspension in the May 27 penalty report.
Howell’s LinkedIn profile lists her as a senior account manager for 23XI Racing and says she has been with the team since 2021. 23XI Racing is co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and the team has been identified in filings and public profiles as Howell’s employer.
The evanna howell nascar suspension listed by NASCAR is a disciplinary response from the sport’s governing body; it carries no criminal consequence beyond the ban and is separate from the criminal charge Howell faces in Cabarrus County. NASCAR’s weekly penalty report is the only public notice of the sport’s action to date.
That separation highlights the central tension in this episode: a high-profile sporting body moved quickly to bar a team member from competition pending further action, while the criminal allegation that prompted that move remains an open case in the local court system. Neither 23XI Racing nor NASCAR issued additional public statements in the records reviewed, and public filings do not show any team-level discipline beyond the listing in the penalty report.
The alleged use of a golf cart as the instrument in an assault at a major track, combined with the age and serious injury of the victim, raises questions about safety and conduct at the venue that are not answered in the public documents. Court records and the police report provide the factual spine of the case; they do not explain motive, how the encounter unfolded before the alleged assault, or whether other parties were involved.
Howell now faces a criminal prosecution on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, and the legal process will determine whether prosecutors can prove the allegation. In the short term, she is barred from participation by NASCAR’s indefinite suspension and remains listed in the league’s May 27 penalty report. Howell’s LinkedIn identifies her role with 23XI Racing since 2021; the team’s ownership by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin is a noted detail in public records about the organization.
For readers wondering why NASCAR acted: the governing body suspended Howell after her arrest and the charge that followed, according to the penalty report and court documents. What comes next is twofold — the criminal case will proceed through Cabarrus County courts, and NASCAR and 23XI Racing will decide whether to extend, lift or formalize further discipline as the legal process unfolds. Those are the next, consequential steps; until they play out, the suspension stands and the charge remains pending.
