NASCAR and two of its Cup Series teams - 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports - hit the courtroom for day four of their ongoing antitrust lawsuit trial on Thursday.

NASCAR President Steve O'Donnell was the latest to take the stand, and despite his testimony set to continue on Friday, we have already learned a lot from what he had to say.

O'Donnell has been part of the NASCAR organization for many years and was appointed President of the sport in March 2025, having been promoted from his previous role as Chief Operating Officer (COO).

With that said, let's take a look at some of the key highlights from Phelps' first day on the stand.

Why NASCAR wanted rid of owners' veto

One key reveal made by O'Donnell that came when he was questioned by 23XI and FRM's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, was regarding NASCAR's decision to remove the 'three strikes' provision from the current charter agreement.

Previously, that provision was a part of the 2016 charter agreement and allowed teams to veto certain decisions made by NASCAR, namely non-safety issues that would increase their costs.

However, O'Donnell revealed that this was removed from the 2024 charter agreement due to NASCAR wanting to eliminate the teams' ability to reject ideas that would grow the sport, but also increase their costs.

Using the example of an overseas race in Mexico City in 2025, O'Donnell explained that had that veto still been in place, it wouldn't have happened: "We would not have been in Mexico City (in 2025), and the TV partner (Amazon Prime Video) would not have paid the money they did.”

Cost of Mexico City and Chicago Street Race

Talking of the race in Mexico City, we learned just how much of a costly venture it proved to be for NASCAR last season, and perhaps why it isn't on the calendar again in 2026.

According to The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, reporting from the courtroom in Charlotte, it was revealed during O'Donnell's testimony that NASCAR lost $6 million by hosting the Cup and Xfinity Series event south of the border.

Furthermore, the stock car racing series also lost a total of $55 million hosting the Chicago Street Race in 2023, 2024 and 2025. This, however, had other benefits, according to O'Donnell.

“Amazon said there was no way they would have engaged with our sport without that,” O’Donnell told NASCAR outside counsel Chris Yates after Kessler finished his questioning.

“It was a long shot, but we were able to pull it off, and it was a successful event.”

NASCAR President's salary revealed

Last but not least, another day one highlight was the NASCAR President's salary being revealed.

Previously, information that was not available to the public, O'Donnell revealed in court on Thursday that he earned $1.2 million per year, plus bonuses.

O'Donnell is not the first man on the stand this week to be questioned on his salary, with 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin revealing he earns $14 million per year as a driver at Joe Gibbs Racing.

O'Donnell is back on the stand on Friday, where no doubt more important information regarding NASCAR and the Cup Series is revealed.