NASCAR suspends 23XI Racing account manager accused of assaulting 77-year-old man with a golf cart

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CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has indefinitely suspended a member of Michael Jordan’s race team after she allegedly used a golf cart to assault a 77-year-old man at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend.

The sanctioning body announced Evanna Daneen Howell’s punishment in its weekly penalty report Wednesday for a “behavioral” incident.

According to Cabarrus County court records, Howell, 35, was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting Dennis Manchester at the track. Incident details were not immediately available, but court records show Judge Matthew Black found probable cause that the defendant “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did assault Dennis Manchester with golf cart used to assault the victim deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury.”

Howell was released on a $125,000 bond following her first appearance Tuesday, court records show. She has retained attorney Harold Cogdell Jr., who did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press for comment.

Officials at 23XI Racing and NASCAR also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Howell lives in Charlotte and is a senior account manager for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin. According to her LinkedIn profile, Howell has been with the race team since 2021.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing