Has There Been a NASCAR Leadership Change?

One week ago, on Thursday, Dec. 11, the biggest trial in NASCAR history was settled. But the fallout from it is still far from settling down.

It was that Thursday morning when the NASCAR vs. 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports antitrust lawsuit concluded with both sides reaching an agreement. The result? The teams got everything they wanted, including permanent charters and a share of all international revenue.

But is who gets the money all that’s changed as a result of this case? As many fans have asked Frontstretch this week, what will result from the trial to make the sport better for them?

It’s a big question, almost impossible to answer this quickly, so let’s start here: have there been or will there be changes within NASCAR’s leadership because of everything discovered from this trial?

When the message sent by NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps calling Richard Childress a “dumb redneck” went public, it felt like Phelps’ days in the sport may be numbered. There are still a lot of fans who would describe themselves as rednecks (heck, I consider myself at least a bit of one as a journalist). To use that word in a disparaging way, leading this sport, I just don’t see how it’s possible for him to ever come back from that.

Phelps’ future in NASCAR became even more questionable when Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris wrote a letter critical of Phelps. That letter was released the day before the trial got cut short, and if you didn’t notice, Phelps was nowhere to be seen around the courthouse on settlement day. I don’t know if that’s because he had a prior commitment, if NASCAR thought he should lay low after the Morris letter, or if it meant he wasn’t going to be around much longer.

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris: “… the commissioner’s recently revealed contempt for Richard Childress makes it abundantly clear that he and his lieutenants are not capable of being fair and objective when it comes to impartially enforcing the rules and regulations…” pic.twitter.com/ThoQ4BfwTx

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 11, 2025

Nothing has been said by Phelps or NASCAR to indicate the former won’t be back next year, but it’d probably be best for everyone if Phelps resigned from his role. I think he’s a good guy who did a lot of good his first few years as president. Reading between the lines of the text messages, it felt like he really was trying to do the right things. But you don’t have to convince me, NASCAR; the fans are going to be much more difficult to convince that Phelps sticking around would be a good thing. Maybe the PGA still wants him.

But if Phelps is the lone casualty in the trial aftermath, all he would be is the fall guy. Jim France would still be the one calling the shots. If France is still in charge next year, then all this trial produced was a bunch of billionaires and millionaires swapping money. From a fan’s perspective, it’s hard to point to things actually changing in terms of the sport’s future direction. The trial is resolved, but many of the problems that fans have (like the Next Gen car, the playoff format, stage racing) still exist. If France is as stubborn about those things as he was about permanent charters, then how will any groundbreaking change truly happen for the fans to rally behind?

I argued last year that France wasn’t doing a good job as CEO (this was after it took 27 minutes to decide whether William Byron or Christopher Bell would make the Championship 4) with an article on Frontstretch titled NASCAR Had Better Leadership With Brian France. Of course, many fans only read the headline and thought it was absurd. And to be fair, I probably could’ve done a better job at illustrating my point that, no, Brian France returning as CEO wouldn’t be a magic pill to save NASCAR. The point was that things had gotten so low among the fanbase that it seemed NASCAR wasn’t any better off with Jim instead of Brian.

I’m not the only media member calling into question Jim France as CEO. On Dec. 12, The Athletic published an article by Jeff Gluck saying that it’s time for France to step aside. For someone of Gluck’s stature — he’s been working in NASCAR for over 20 years, has become somewhat of a household name in NASCAR homes, is a fan favorite and is genuinely one of the nicest people you could ever meet — to say that about France is pretty condemning.

Maybe the plan already is for France to step down as CEO at the end of the year. As with Phelps, no one has heard one way or the other. But also like with Phelps, there is no way he can recover with the fanbase after the discoveries of the trial. Would he really miss the $3.5 million CEO salary when he’d still be making millions and not paying taxes as an owner of NASCAR? Plus, the guy is 81 years old. He should enjoy some retirement time without the stresses of running the premier stock car racing division in the U.S.

Gluck said in his article that current NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer (and France’s great nephew) Ben Kennedy should become the new CEO. I disagree with that. Kennedy might do a great job, but he is still a member of the France family. The fans will not accept anyone from that family running NASCAR for the time being. Plus, Kennedy is only 33 years old and could probably stand to learn from someone else for a bit before eventually becoming the CEO.

As things stand, NASCAR needs to hire fresh blood to be its new CEO. It needs an outsider with a strong will but who is also looking to collaborate with his/her employees, the teams and others involved. It needs someone who will be visible, unlike Brian France was and Jim France has been, and charismatic.

If NASCAR wants to make a big splash in hiring a new CEO, then go get someone like Tony Stewart. Having played the roles of a racer, a team owner and a series leader (the SRX Series), Stewart would automatically have the respect of his peers and fans alike. Plus, his larger-than-life, take-no-crap persona would insert a plethora of personality into a league that’s been lacking that from top to bottom. Yet one would imagine he would present that persona to the public and behind closed doors work closely and listen to those he needs to.

Would Stewart want to do a job like that? I lean toward no, which is why I said “someone like” him. But you never know. After his falling out of love with NASCAR, it would be a cool full-circle moment.

Whether it’s Stewart or someone else, whether a leadership change is planned to or not, it’s clear more than ever that NASCAR needs a major shakeup in its leadership structure. Its leadership needs to earn back the respect of the fans, and that’ll be a whole lot easier with some fresh faces at the very top.

Content Director at Frontstretch

Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.

Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.