'Everything' would've been gone if Joe Gibbs Racing didn't do this

NASCAR Cup Series team owner Joe Gibbs Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

'Everything' would've been gone if Joe Gibbs Racing didn't sign 2024 NASCAR charter agreement

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 7:59 PM ET

On the fifth day of the anti-trust trial between 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR, an emotional testimony seemed to paint a clearer picture of what happened in 2024 when NASCAR produced a new charter agreement for teams to sign.

Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of team owner Joe Gibbs and a co-owner of JGR herself, took to the stand on Friday.

Per The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, Joe Gibbs Racing didn't originally want to sign the charter agreement presented by NASCAR.

But NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell reportedly told JGR president Dave Alpern that the organization would lose its four Cup Series charters if the agreement was not signed.

Heather Gibbs has finished her testimony. She told an emotional story of how she got involved in JGR ownership after her husband Coy “didn’t wake up” in Phoenix.

JGR did not want to sign the charter agreement but felt forced because Steve O’Donnell told Dave Alpern they would…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) December 5, 2025

Heather Gibbs then said that Joe Gibbs, who has been a team owner since 1992, "pleaded" with NASCAR CEO Jim France, but France responded by saying that he was done negotiating the charter agreement.

Heather Gibbs said that NASCAR "held a gun to the head" and also said that if teams didn't sign the charter agreement, "everything is gone", including the legacy of her family that has been built in the sport over three decades.

Michael Jordan’s testimony has concluded. He spent one hour on the stand and spoke of his desire for a “partnership” with NASCAR that would benefit everyone. He said the charter agreement is not fair and needed to be a better compromise.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) December 5, 2025

23XI Racing co-owner and basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan also took to the witness stand on Friday, saying that NASCAR's charter agreement is "not fair" and that the deal needed to be a "better compromise."

23XI and FRM originally sued NASCAR and the France Family in October 2024. The trial in the case began on Dec. 1 and is expected to conclude within two weeks.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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