CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Chairman Jim France is continuing testimony Wednesday as the final witness called by Michael Jordan’s side in the federal antitrust lawsuit lodged against the top motorsports series in the United States.
France returned to the stand on the eighth day of the trial to continue answering questions about his refusal to budge on key issues NASCAR teams asked for while negotiating their latest revenue-sharing model.
NASCAR implemented charters in 2016 as an answer to teams pleading for monetary assistance as they said they were bleeding money at an unsustainable rate. A charter is similar to a franchise in other sports, and in NASCAR it guarantees cars a spot in the 40-car field each week, as well as specified financial terms.
The extension offer presented in September 2024 did increase annual revenue promised to the teams but fell short of the team' request for $720 million — a sum NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps testified would have put NASCAR out of business.
The offer given to teams on the Friday night of the opening weekend of the 2024 playoffs was 112-pages, had a midnight deadline to sign, and fell short of the four “pillars” the teams were demanding. Teams ended up receiving $431 million annually in increased revenue, but were not granted permanent charters, did not get a voice in governance or the terms they sought on new business streams.
23XI Racing, which is owned by basketball Hall of Famer Jordan, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Jordan's financial adviser, Curtis Polk, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, were the only two teams out of 15 organizations that refused to sign. They sued instead.
Evidence has been introduced that shows the top team owners in NASCAR all wrote personal letters pleading for France to make the renewable charters permanent. The plaintiffs also introduced several documents detailing communication between NASCAR executives that showed France was stubbornly opposed to permanent charters throughout the two-plus years of bitter negotiations.
Asked by plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler if he has changed his stance on making charters permanent, France testified Tuesday “No, I have not.”
Kessler later introduced a summary of notes from the first meeting of NASCAR executives on how they would approach negotiations with the teams. Steve O’Donnell, now the president of NASCAR, wrote in those notes, “Jim’s overarching comments — we are in a competition. We are going to win.”
France’s position never changed, even though he received pleas from Hall of Fame team owners Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush and Roger Penske. All four are close personal friends, France said on the stand.
The Florida-based France family founded NASCAR in 1948 and the company has always been privately owned. Jim France is the second son of founder Bill France Sr.
Jim France, 81, was soft-spoken on the stand and needed many questions repeated. He said on numerous topics that he was either unable to recall, did not remember or was not sure. His inability to recall specifics even applied to testimony given last week by Gibbs' daughter-in-law, who wrote an emotional letter to France during the negotiations explaining why her family was desperate for the charters to become permanent.
Evidence showed that as France read Heather Gibbs' letter, O'Donnell texted France's nephew, Ben Kennedy, that France was cursing as he read it aloud.
“I don't believe I swore or got angry,” France testified.
Kessler then went through the letter by paragraphs asking France if anything written made him upset. France said ‘no’ to every citation, but neither he nor O'Donnell have been able to explain why O'Donnell characterized France's reaction the way he did to Kennedy.
France also disputed some of Heather Gibbs' testimony about the night of the “take-it-or-leave-it” charter offers. She said she left her father-in-law, then 84, sitting alone in a dark room, his blood sugar monitors going off, as he pleaded on the phone with France for concessions.
She testified that Joe Gibbs told her France was not open to conversation and told the team owner he'd be “at peace” with however many teams signed the agreements. Those who didn't would lose their charters, which is why so many teams felt they had to sign.
France denied telling Joe Gibbs he'd be “at peace” with however the dust settled.
“I never said anything like that. I'm not saying I did, I'm not sure I didn't, but I don't recall,” France testified. “I don't think I would have said anything like that to coach.”
He also didn't remember the call from Joe Gibbs that night being of the pleading nature.
“He did not say that, that I can remember, no,” said France, who claimed the conversation was more about specific language regarding revenue.
France is the final witness for 23XI and Front Row. NASCAR will begin its defense following his testimony.
NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates told the court he is hopeful to wrap his defense by Friday.
The nine-person jury will have to decide if NASCAR violated antitrust laws, and if so, what the damages are to 23XI and Front Row. An economist has previously testified that NASCAR owes 23XI and Front Row $364.7 million in damages, and that NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021-24.
Should NASCAR lose the case, it will be up to U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell to unravel the monopoly, and he can make any decisions he chooses. Among them are forcing the France family to sell NASCAR, the racetracks they own, and even dismantling or changing the charter system.
A win for 23XI and Front Row does not guarantee the teams will receive a combined six charters from NASCAR. They have both said they will go out of business if they are not chartered teams.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - CEO and Chairman of NASCAR Jim France, right, along with the Executive Vice President of NASCAR Lesa Kennedy announce the Landmark Award to Edsel Ford II the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Charlotte, N.C. Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)
FILE - Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, sits in his pit box during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/ Butch Dill, File)
NASCAR chairman Jim France enters federal court in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday Dec 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenna Fryer)
The least productive start of Patrick Mahomes' career ended Kansas City's nine-year run of division titles and put another remarkable streak in jeopardy.
Jalen Hurts was even worse a night later for the Philadelphia Eagles, as the two starting quarterbacks from last season's Super Bowl combined for a week that had never before been seen in the NFL.
Mahomes threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in the Chiefs' 20-10 loss to Houston that dealt a major blow to their playoff hopes. Hurts threw four interceptions, lost a fumble and had no TDs in a 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It marked the first time that the two starting QBs from the previous season's Super Bowl each threw at least three interceptions and had no TD passes in the same week.
The 19.8 passer rating for Mahomes and 31.3 for Hurts are the two lowest this season among quarterbacks with at least 25 attempts in a game as neither looked close to the level they reached last season on their runs to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes' rating was the lowest for any Chiefs QB with at least 20 attempts since Matt Cassel had a 19.1 in the 2010 season finale against the Raiders. The 10 points were the fewest ever scored by Kansas City in a game started by Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium.
The loss eliminated Kansas City from contention in the AFC West after nine straight titles and put their run of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game in jeopardy. The Patriots are the only other team with longer streaks, having won 11 straight division titles from 2009-19 and made eight straight AFC title games from 2011-18 with Tom Brady.
It also dropped Kansas City's chances of making the playoffs to 11%, according to the NFL NextGen Stats model. Barring a shocking turn of events, this could set up the first AFC championship game without either Mahomes or Brady at quarterback since the 2010 season.
Hurts' performance wasn't nearly as damaging to Philadelphia's playoff hopes as the Eagles still hold a 1 1/2-game lead over Dallas in the NFC East but provided a moment that had never before been seen in the modern NFL.
It happened when Hurts threw his second interception of the game in the second quarter. Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand caught it and started his return. He then fumbled when he was hit by the Eagles’ Will Shipley. Hurts recovered, but immediately fumbled right back after getting hit by Los Angeles' Jamaree Caldwell. Troy Dye recovered for the Chargers, giving Hurts both an interception and a lost fumble on the same play.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Hurts was the first player to commit two turnovers on the same play as far as records go back to 1978.
He threw two more interceptions, including a game-ending one in overtime to become the first Philadelphia player with five turnovers in a game since Donovan McNabb did it in 1999 as a rookie against Indianapolis.
While Shedeur Sanders was named the starter for the rest of the season in Cleveland, some of the other franchises might be looking for new starters.
The New York Jets could be forced to use a new starter with Tyrod Taylor dealing with a groin injury and Justin Fields slowed by a knee injury. Rookie Brady Cook made his NFL debut in relief of Taylor on Sunday and could be in line for a start this week against Jacksonville that would make him the team's 41st starting QB since Joe Namath's last start in 1976 and the 46th since the merger.
The Browns have used the most starting quarterbacks since the merger with 60, with the only other teams using more than the Jets being Chicago (54), the Rams and Cardinals (49 each) and Washington (47).
Indianapolis could use its 44th starting QB since the merger after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles — or do something even more surprising. The Colts signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to the practice squad this week even though he last played in the 2020 season. Riley Leonard and Brett Rypien are the options if Rivers isn't ready to go.
The Colts have lost four out of five games to go from 7-1 and the top spot in the conference to in danger of missing the playoffs. Only five of the 127 teams that started a season 7-1 or better since the merger missed the playoffs with it last happening with Chicago in 2012. Washington missed out in 1996, New Orleans in 1988, San Diego in the strike-impacted 1987 season and Miami in 1975.
Seattle rookie defensive back Nick Emmanwori and Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford put together some performances for the record book on Sunday.
Emmanwori had a sack, an interception and blocked a field goal in the Seahawks' 37-9 win at Atlanta. Only three other players since at least 2000 had a sack, interception and blocked kick in the same game with Emmanwori's teammate Leonard Williams the last to do it in 2024 for Seattle against the New York Jets.
Arizona's Adrian Wilson did it in the 2010 season opener against the Rams and Hall of Famer Julius Peppers did it in Week 12 of the 2004 season against Tampa Bay.
Benford had a game-changing pick-6 in the Bills' win over Cincinnati a week after returning a fumble for a touchdown against Pittsburgh. He is the first Bills player ever to score a defensive TD in back-to-back games and the first on any team to do it since Nik Bonitto did it for Denver last December.
Benford's 63-yard return on Sunday when Cincinnati was in Bills territory with a 28-25 lead with less than 6 minutes remaining gave Buffalo the lead and completely changed the game. According to the NFL's NextGen Stats, the play increased Buffalo's win probability from 16.2% to 77% — with the 60.8 percentage point increase in win probability the largest of any play outside of the last 2 minutes in 10 seasons of NextGen Stats data.
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off a feat that hadn't been done in more than three decades.
One week after losing 26-0 at Seattle, the Vikings turned the tables on Washington and beat the Commanders 31-0 at home in a turnaround last accomplished by the 1992 Denver Broncos.
Minnesota was the fifth team in the Super Bowl era to shut out an opponent after getting blanked the previous game. John Elway's Broncos were the last to do it in 1992 when they followed up a 30-0 loss to Philadelphia in Week 3 with a 12-0 win at Cleveland the next week.
While that kind of turnaround is rare in the modern game it wasn't uncommon in the early days of the NFL when shutouts were far more common and there were 73 scoreless draws in the league's first quarter century. According to Sportradar, there were 160 instances in the pre-Super Bowl era when a team followed a shutout loss with a shutout win.
Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.
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FILE - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3) celebrates his interception against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) celebrates sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow with teammate cornerback Jordan Hancock (37) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) slides under Los Angeles Chargers free safety Derwin James (3) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Houston Texans defensive tackle Tommy Togiai during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
