Motorsports

Piastri flips script on Norris in title statement amid Red Bull revival

Published

8 months ago

April 21, 2025

Piastri flips script on Norris in title statement amid Red Bull revival

Oscar Piastri just had his first duel for victory with Max Verstappen, and Verstappen came off second best.

They were always likely to come to blows starting alongside each other on the front row at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Both knew it was crucial to claim the apex and the lead to win the race.

But Piastri got the better start, held his nerve on the kerb and came out on to, even if Verstappen attempted to argue the point by cutting the chicane.

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Ballsy Piastri move that ‘won the race’ as Max, Red Bull fume

The flashpoint was brief but important for Piastri. The Australian is a clear title protagonist, and Verstappen is a perpetual frontrunner.

Lando Norris took too long last year to keep his elbows out and stand his ground in his battles with the uncompromising Dutchman.

Piastri laid down a small but important marker that he won’t be pushed around in pursuit of the title — a title he now leads.

PIASTRI TAKES THE TITLE LEAD IN BIG TICK FOR 2025 GAINS

For the first time in 5293 days an Australian leads the Formula 1 world championship, with Piastri holding a 10-point advantage over teammate Norris.

The last Australian to sit at the top the title standings was Mark Webber, Piastri’s now manager, on 24 October 2010. Webber took the lead in that year’s Italian grand prix and led through Singapore and Japan before losing top spot in Korea.

Piastri’s broken that 15-year drought with the first set of back-to-back victories by an Australian in more than a decade, dating back to Daniel Ricciardo’s wins at the Hungarian and Belgian grands prix on either side of the mid-season break in 2014.

‘WOW!’ Piastri stuns with Lewis overtake | 00:43

Three victories from four grands prix makes for the best run of form by an Australian since Alan Jones claimed a second place and three wins across the 1980 and 1981 seasons.

“I’m happy, but I think I’m more proud of the reasons I’m leading the championship rather than the fact I am leading the championship,” Piastri said. “It’s been a great start to the year.

“I worked on the things I wanted to work on from last season, and it’s paying off. That’s what’s given me the most satisfaction at the moment.

Norris CRASHES out in Saudi Q3 | 01:19

“Obviously winning races is fun too, but the fact that I feel like I’ve really taken a step up and scoring the most amount of points when we can is the biggest thing.

“It’s still super early in the championship — I want to be leading it after round 24, not round 5 — but it’s a good start.”

After five rounds Piastri has totally flipped the ledger against Norris, the only driver to whom he can be accurately compared. He’s ahead in the championship and has reversed his qualifying deficit into an advantage.

The fact this has come at the opening five rounds of the season is significant. Over the past two seasons his lowest points have come inevitably at the non-European races, held at tracks where his experience gap is largest because most junior formulae race almost exclusively in Europe.

But with two seasons of F1 under his belt, that experience deficit appears to have vanished.

And having been the highest scoring driver through the European leg of last season, to lead the way after the opening five flyaway rounds of this season makes Piastri look much closer to the finished article and like a formidable title contender.

MISERABLE MAX IN PENALTY PROTEST

It didn’t take Max Verstappen long to get the metaphorical bottom lip out after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“I’m going to keep it quite short,” he said when asked about his race in the pre-podium trackside interview. “I just want to say a big thankyou to the fans in Jeddah. It’s been a great weekend. I love the track.

“The rest is what it is. I’m looking forward to Miami, so I’ll see you there.”

He was hardly verbose speaking to F1 TV about the issue subsequently.

“I think it’s better we don’t talk about it, because we are anyway not allowed to express our opinions on that,” he said.

And to Sky Sports: “To be honest, I think any words towards that is just a waste of time for everyone … the only thing that’s in my interests is looking forward to going home.”

‘F**** lovely’ – Max FUMES after penalty | 01:41

You didn’t have to be an expert in body language to know Verstappen wasn’t happy.

The source of his frustration was the five-second penalty of passing Piastri off track at the first turn.

Pole in Jeddah is on the racing line — that is, on the outside line on the right-hand side heading into the left-hander that enters the chicane.

It means the driver starting second on the grid has a clear view of the apex if they can get a better start than the pole-getter.

That’s exactly what Piastri did, nosing ahead of Verstappen as they reached the first turn.

But then Verstappen pulled out an old trick of his, releasing the brakes to appear ahead as they reached the apex and then cutting the corner under the pretext of being pushed off the road.

It’s a technique that’s worked several times for the Dutchman, but after several run-ins last year, particularly with Norris, and after 19 of 20 drivers lobbied the FIA to reconsider how they policed racing, such a gaming of the rules is now effectively outlawed.

For what it’s worth, Piastri wasn’t particularly aggrieved to be on the receiving end of some Verstappen gamesmanship.

“I knew it was going to be a difficult fight given it’s Max, but I think I did everything I needed to,” he said. “If the shoe was on the other foot, it would have looked identical probably.

“It was good racing and I think it was the right call.”

Max silent in cooldown after Oscar’s win | 01:24

Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner unsurprisingly had a different view.

“We have this notion of ‘let them race’,” he said. “I don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner.”

‘Let them race’ was an approach taken by race control circa 2021, when the sport allowed some borderline and occasionally outright objectionable racing in an attempt to improve the spectacle.

It’s been gradually wound back ever since in part because of the liberties taken by Verstappen.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from the incident was that Red Bull Racing and Verstappen opted against taking up the opportunity to give the place back — notwithstanding they had only around half a lap before the safety car was called.

Had Verstappen let Piastri into the lead, then he would’ve had the chance to roll the dice on strategy rather than playing the unsuccessful defensive game that eventually left him locked into second.

“It probably would’ve been better for everyone if they’d swapped positions, but I’m not going to complain; we finished first and fourth,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown smiled to Sky Sports.

BUT RED BULL RACING HAS MADE GENUINE PROGRESS

The idea that Verstappen could have won with strategy isn’t so farfetched given how much closer Red Bull Racing looked to McLaren on race pace this weekend.

Verstappen obviously had the pace to take pole, but the Dutchman didn’t think much of his victory odds on Saturday night given the poor pace in race simulation during Friday relative to the MCL39.

But rather than the obliteration some had expected, the advantage swung from Piastri to Verstappen during the first stint, and in the second stint the gap remained steady at less than five seconds.

Piastri won the race, but there was no real knockout punch.

“I had to work for that one pretty hard,” Piastri said. “Essentially holding my ground [at the first corner] is what won me the race.

“Trying to stay in the dirty air was pretty much impossible today. I wouldn’t have had enough to go and overtake Max. I was struggling at the end of the medium stint.

“Once I had some clean air I could manage the gap a little bit, but I didn’t have too much more left. I certainly wasn’t trying to disappear up the road in case we had a safety car or something, but I couldn’t have just pulled out a bunch of lap time if I wanted.

“At the end of the first stint Max was quicker. That’s obviously not how we want things to look. I think we’ve got some things to work on after this weekend, because the competition is tight and I think they’re getting closer.”

Brown told Sky Sports that he expected competition to remain close.

“That was a very competitive race,” he said. “[Max] has been competitive all weekend. He’s won this year.

“I think this idea we were going to make it a bit boring — I don’t think we’ve really had a boring race yet.”

For Christian Horner it’s even clearer.

“We’ve lost the race by 2.6 seconds [after serving a five-second penalty],” he told Sky Sports. “I think the most positive thing for us was the pace was there — it was a very positive race.”

Verstappen wasn’t willing to buy into the idea that McLaren was truly within reach but did sound optimistic that the team had made some big gains in its understanding of the troubled RB21.

“The positives are that in the race I think we had quite good pace compared to Friday,” Verstappen said. “We improved a lot.”

“I do think we found a really good set-up on the car, but I think this track suits our car a bit better, plus the degradation is quite low.

“I think we know that we still have things to improve on the car. we just need to get a few updates the car to help that.

“I think what we need to try and work on is just being a little bit more consistent overall.”

NORRIS COMEBACK STIFLED BY FERRARI IN SINGLE HAMILTON BRIGHT SPOT

How you judge Norris’s comeback from 10th to fourth depends on your perspective.

You could argue he had the car in qualifying to start from the front row and probably pole. No comeback should have been required.

Alternatively you might put that he gained six places on an afternoon overtaking wasn’t easy.

“I think I’m pleased on the whole,” he told Sky Sports. “I just make life tough for myself, especially when it’s a race like that.

“It would’ve been much easier, a lot more chilled, to just drive up the front, so I’ve got to help myself out a little bit and have better Saturdays.”

But you could also say that a podium should have been comfortably within his reach in a car that was much faster than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Instead he fell just over a second short of the Monegasque, having run out of laps to catch and challenge him for a trophy.

The reason for this marginal underperformance, his first non-podium finish of the year, was twofold.

The first was a superb race from Leclerc — who after a slightly shaky start to the season seems to be back in the groove he enjoyed for much of last year — and excellent execution from the team.

Leclerc ran long on a set of medium tyres — much longer than expected — to give himself a better hit at the hard tyres at the end.

It effectively neutralised Norris’s strategy — similar but switching from hard to medium — and gave him a fighting chance of keeping his nose ahead.

“I think we did the perfect race,” Leclerc said. “Today I don’t feel like there was anything more on the table.

“There were no mistakes. Strategy perfect. Pit stops again perfect.

“Overall it’s been the perfect race, and today I couldn’t do anymore more than P3.”

But Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari also played a role in preventing Norris from finishing higher than fourth — somewhat ironic given he was never in contention to get anywhere near the podium.

Hamilton’s big impact came between laps 12 and 15, when Norris was attempting to pass him in his gradual slog up the order before the pit stops.

The Ferrari driver defended relentlessly and cleverly, playing with the positioning of the DRS detection point before the final corner to let Norris through early only to blast back past him into the first turn with his rear wing open.

It took Norris three laps to understand the game and get through, costing him around four seconds.

He finished just one second behind Leclerc at the flag.

It was the single bright spot in Hamilton’s otherwise miserable weekend, the seven-time champion finishing 39 seconds off the lead and 31 seconds behind Leclerc.

“There wasn’t one second [when I felt comfortable in the car],” he told Sky Sports. “Clearly the car is capable of being P3. Charles did a great job today. I can’t blame the car.”

He was even more downcast speaking to F1 TV when asked whether the weekend off before the upcoming Miami Grand Prix would give him a chance to digest the lessons of his opening stanza of races and bounce back.

“If you want to look at it positively, yes, but I mean, honestly, I don’t’ think so,” he said. “It’s not going to make any difference.”

Reality is hitting hard in Hamilton’s Ferrari switch.

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Lando Norris pips Max Verstappen to go quickest in FP1

Published

8 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Lando Norris went quickest in opening practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the weekend that he could claim his maiden Formula 1 world championship.

The McLaren driver set a 1m24.485s on used soft tyres, which meant he pipped second-placed Max Verstappen who is also his nearest challenger in the championship.

Norris will become champion should he claim a podium on Sunday, as he is 12 points above the Red Bull driver and 16 ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who was one of nine drivers to sit out first practice.

That’s because F1 rules dictate that drivers must skip at least two FP1s during the season and give their seat to a driver with no more than two grand prix starts.

IndyCar star Pato O’Ward therefore took Piastri’s place and he was one of nine rookies to contest opening practice at Yas Marina Circuit, which was hot and sunny for the final weekend of the 2025 campaign.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

With it being the season finale, all cars were quick to enter the track during the opening five minutes, and it was Verstappen who set the early pace with a 1m27.130s on the hard tyre.

This was 0.038s quicker than runner-up George Russell on the same rubber, though not everybody started on the hards with O’Ward using soft tyres and several others – including Norris – opting for the mediums.

Such variety took place during an opening 30 minutes that was dictated by track evolution, as various names greeted the top of the leaderboard from Norris to Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar – who this week was announced as Verstappen’s Red Bull 2026 team-mate.

It was only until the halfway mark when drivers converged onto the softs that the usual frontrunners rose to the top. Verstappen was first to do so, breaking the 1m25s barrier with a 1m24.493s on his opening soft tyre run, 0.026s quicker than Norris and 0.074s above third-placed Charles Leclerc.

The championship top two would then trade positions as Norris pipped the four-time world champion by 0.008s with a lap time that would subsequently go unbeaten.

That’s because several cars went back onto the other compounds, including Verstappen with the hards, to complete their long-run programmes in a dramaless end to FP1.

Arthur Leclerc was one of nine rookies in action in FP1

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

So, the leaderboard largely remained as it was following the short soft-tyre window, as Leclerc completed the top three with a 1m24.501s, 0.016s behind Norris, but still complained of no grip and being “so slow”.

Mercedes teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli was then 0.123s off the Monegasque in fourth with Nico Hulkenberg completing the top five. Russell was sixth in the sister Mercedes, 0.248s off the pace and one spot above Hulkenberg’s team-mate Bortoleto in a strong showing for Sauber, which will enjoy its final race before becoming Audi.

The top seven times were all set on the soft tyre, and it was Oliver Bearman in eighth who went quickest on the mediums, as he completed a 1m24.759s for Haas.

Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto then rounded up the top 10, meaning all nine rookies finished in the bottom half of the order.

Endurance world champion Ryo Hirakawa was quickest of the nine with a 1m24,934s, ahead of Paul Aron (13th), O’Ward (14th), Arvid Lindblad (15th), Arthur Leclerc (16th), Ayumu Iwasa (17th), Luke Browning (18th), Jak Crawford (19th) and Cian Shields (20th).

F1 Abu Dhabi GP – FP1 results

Photos from Abu Dhabi GP – Practice

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Paul Aron, Alpine F1, Arthur Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Alexandra Saint Mleux

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

Abu Dhabi GP – Friday, in photos

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Ex-NASCAR driver dead at 39 as JR Motorsports issues statement – Motorsport – Sports

Published

25 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

JR Motorsports has confirmed the death of former driver Michael Annett.

On Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR team, JR Motorsports (JRM), announced that Annett, the 39-year-old former driver for the team, had died. Annett had spent time driving in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series — now called the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — and Truck Series.

In October 2021, Annett announced he would retire from full-time competition at the end of the 2021 season. The news of Annett’s death comes days after JRM revealed a new color scheme honoring the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” JRM’s statement on social media began. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

The Xfinity Racing X account also posted on Annett’s passing, writing: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of former Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett at the age of 39. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Annett family in this difficult time.”

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Drivers from throughout the various levels of NASCAR also posted their condolences after hearing the news of the 39-year-old’s death. “RIP Michael Annett — I was on the radio with him at Hawkeye Downs Speedway the first time he drove a big car on asphalt. Life is precious,” Landon Cassill posted on X.

Front Row Motorsports’ Noah Gragson added: “Love you diesel Mike. Will always cherish my time with you buddy!” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also posted: “Sad to get the news of Big Mikes passing. Raced each other for a long time coming up through ARCA together. Spent a lot of days in the gym together before he retired.”

Zachary Tinkle, a driver in the ARCA Menards Series East, posted a lengthy message on social media, recalling memories of the recently passed Annett. “Saddened to hear of the loss of Michael Annett tonight, gone way too soon,” Tinkle’s post on X began. “I’d like to send my thoughts and prayers to the Annett family during this difficult time.

“I will always fondly remember seeing those Pilot / Flying J colors Michael had on his car on the racetrack growing up as one of my favorite cars to see on the Nationwide/Xfinity series track every week, and watching live to see Michael finally break through to win at Daytona. You will be missed by everyone in the NASCAR family, Rest In Peace, Michael.”

NASCAR star Matt Tifft added: “Thoughts and prayers with Michael Annetts family and friends tonight, one of the nicest guys in the garage.”

Annett’s cause of death is currently unknown.

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Viking Motorsports Expands to Two-Car Operation for 2026 Season – Speedway Digest

Published

41 minutes ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Viking Motorsports announced today that the organization will expand to a two-car NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program for the 2026 season. The team will field the newly established No. 96 Chevrolet, driven by Anthony Alfredo, with Josh Graham — who previously worked with Alfredo earlier in his career — returning as his crew chief as the pair reunite for another competitive run together.

This expansion marks a major step in the team’s evolution as Viking Motorsports enters its second full-time season at the national level. The move underscores the organization’s commitment to continued growth, performance, and long-term competitiveness.

Team owner Don Sackett expressed his enthusiasm for the team’s next phase:

“Expanding to a second full-time car is a major moment for our organization. Anthony brings experience, professionalism, and a tremendous work ethic that aligns perfectly with where Viking Motorsports is heading. Reuniting him with Josh gives us a strong foundation for this new team. Their chemistry, trust, and history together will help accelerate our growth and elevate our entire program.”

Alfredo, who joins Viking Motorsports with multiple years of NASCAR national series experience, is eager to reteam with Graham.

“I’m fired up to join Viking Motorsports and drive the No. 96 Chevrolet in 2026. Having the chance to work with Josh again is something I’m really excited about — we’ve had success together, and I know what we can accomplish as a team. You can see how much Viking is building and investing in its future. Being part of their expansion to a two-car program is a big opportunity, and I can’t wait to get going.”

The team will announce primary and associate partners for the No. 96 Chevrolet in the coming weeks.

Viking Motorsports PR

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Mark Martin is worried about the NASCAR lawsuit hurting the sport

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“I’m worried about our sport. I want it to thrive.”

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently suing NASCAR for alleged antitrust violations. The trial began on Monday and they have been in court every day this week.

There’s been a lot of news to come out of the trial. Both NASCAR and the teams involved have egg on their face as private messages surface in court.

Richard Childress is considering legal action against NASCAR he was called a ‘redneck’

The trial is expected to last just a few weeks. However, the loser will likely appeal, dragging this case on for a lengthy amount of time.

A settlement could bring it all to a stop. Settlement discussions took place leading up to Monday’s opening in court but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.

All of this has Mark Martin worried…

NASCAR team owner says he’s lost $100M in the sport

Mark Martin comments

“This lawsuit is devastating to the sport we love. I really hope we as fans come out of this better off, but I just don’t see a pathway that leads us to that,” Mark Martin stated via X.

He added, “I’m worried about our sport. I want it to thrive.”

He’s not alone. Earlier this year, Brad Keselowski noted that this lawsuit was the greatest threat to the sport.

Brad Keselowski says the NASCAR lawsuit is a threat to the sport

Before the trial began, Judge Kenneth Bell encouraged both sides to come to an agreement before trial. He noted that otherwise, both sides would be “burning the house down”.

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‘Built on Legacy’: Carolina Carports unveils race car honoring Earnhardt | News

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2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

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Michael Jordan — ‘Someone had to step forward and challenge’ NASCAR

Published

2 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Retired NBA great Michael Jordan took the stand in the landmark NASCAR antitrust case and testified Friday that he has been a fan of the stock car series since he was a child but felt he had little choice but to sue to force changes in a business model he sees as shortchanging teams and drivers risking their lives to keep the sport going.

Jordan testified before a packed courtroom for an hour. His celebrity drew quips from the judge and even a defense attorney as he outlined why the team he co-owns, 23XI, had joined Front Row Motorsports in going to court against the top auto racing series in the United States.

“Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity,” soft-spoken Jordan told the jury. “I sat in those meetings with longtime owners who were brow-beaten for so many years trying to make change. I was a new person, I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole. I felt as far as the sport, it needed to be looked at from a different view.”

Jordan’s highly anticipated appearance followed dramatic testimony from Heather Gibbs, the daughter-in-law of race team owner Joe Gibbs, about the chaotic six-hour period in which teams had to sign an extension or forfeit the charters that guarantee revenue week to week throughout NASCAR’s 38-race season.

“The document was something in business you would never sign,” said Heather Gibbs, who is also a licensed real estate agent. “It was like a gun to your head: If you don’t sign, you have nothing.”

Charters are the equivalent of the franchise model used in other sports, and NASCAR guarantees every chartered car a spot in every race, plus a defined payout from the series. The system was created in 2016, and, during the two-plus years of bitter negotiations on an extension, teams begged for the renewable charters to be made permanent for revenue stability.

When NASCAR refused to make them permanent and gave the teams six hours in September 2024 to sign the 112-page extension, 23XI and Front Row Motorsports were the only two organizations out of 15 to refuse. They instead filed the antitrust suit, and the trial opened Monday to hear their allegations that NASCAR is a monopolistic bully. 23XI is co-owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row is owned by fast food franchiser Bob Jenkins.

Jordan testified that 23XI bought a third charter late in 2024 for $28 million even with all the uncertainty.

“I’m pretty sure they know I love to win,” the six-time NBA champion said. “Denny convinced me getting a third driver improved our chances to win, so I dove in.”

Like other witnesses this week, Jordan described a NASCAR that refused to discuss options or potential changes to the charter system, which he supports. He was asked why 23XI didn’t sign the extensions last fall.

“One, I didn’t think it was economically viable. Two, it said you could not sue NASCAR; that was an antitrust violation, I felt. Three, they gave us an ultimatum I didn’t think was fair to 23XI,” Jordan said, adding: “I wanted a partnership, and permanent charters wasn’t even a consideration. The pillars that the teams wanted, no one on the NASCAR side even negotiated or compromised. They were not even open-minded to welcome those conversations, so this is where we ended up.”

Jordan referred to the NBA business model, which shares approximately half its revenue with players, far more than NASCAR.

“The revenue split was far less than any business I’ve ever been a part of. We didn’t think we’d ever get to what basketball was getting, but we wanted to move in that direction,” he said. “The thing I see in NASCAR that I think is absent is a shared responsibility of growth as well as loss.”

Jordan said he owns 60% of 23XI and has invested $35 million to $40 million in the team. Jenkins testified earlier this week that he has never turned a profit since launching his NASCAR team in the early 2000s and estimates he has lost $100 million even while winning the Daytona 500 in 2021.

Heather Gibbs earlier told the jury how she became co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing the day after her husband, Coy, unexpectedly died in his sleep the same night their son Ty won NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series championship in 2022. Coy Gibbs had moved into a leadership role with JGR following the death of his older brother, J.D., in 2019.

Because Joe Gibbs had lost both his sons and had built the team as a legacy for his family, his daughter-in-law took an active role in the organization and personally participated in negotiations for the charter extensions. When NASCAR made its final offer at 6 p.m. on a Friday with just hours to sign, the agreement did not include permanent charters. Gibbs testified that the Gibbs organization was devastated.

“Everything was going so fast, the legacy of Coy, the legacy of J.D., everyone at JGR was very upset,” she told the jury. She said her father-in-law called NASCAR chairman Jim France pleading for a resolution.

“Joe said, ‘Jim, you can’t do this,'” she said. “And Jim was done with the conversation.”

Heather Gibbs said she had to leave to take her son to a baseball game in Chapel Hill and left worried about her father-in-law, who was 84 at the time.

“I left him sitting in the dark, listening to his blood sugar monitors going off,” she testified. “We decided we had to sign. We can’t lose everything. I did not think it was a fair deal to the teams.”

Joe Gibbs is an NFL Hall of Fame coach as well as a Hall of Fame NASCAR owner. He led the Washington football team to three Super Bowl titles, and JGR has won five Cup Series championships. JGR has 450 employees, has charters for four Cup cars and relies solely on outside sponsorship and investors to keep the team afloat. The team will mark its 35th season next year, and Heather Gibbs told the jury that JGR needs permanent charters to protect its investment in NASCAR.

“It’s the most important point, a permanent place in their history books,” she testified. “It is absolutely vital to the teams for us to know we have security, it can’t be taken away, to know what we’ve invested in is ours.”

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