NASCAR still has big ambitions globally, according to CEO Steve O’Donnell, recently making a new hire in that department to develop projects that would grow the sport around the world.

Former NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps’ departure in the offseason raised questions about who will keep the company moving forward on international ventures after Phelps added those duties when he was promoted from president last year. But in a phone interview this month, O’Donnell, Phelps’ successor, said the racing property is still forging ahead with plans to try to grow more globally, at a time when the worldly F1 has looked to gain ground in NASCAR’s backyard of the U.S. market.

Despite long being viewed as U.S.-centric, NASCAR has been building its worldwide presence for years with standalone series in Europe, Mexico, Canada and Brazil. Executives have flown all over the world to countries like Saudi Arabia and have hosted top officials and royalty from other nations at the Daytona 500, among other races, to discuss business.

NASCAR last month hired UFC SVP/International & Content Adam Layton as SVP/NASCAR International in a role that includes strategy development, event operations and revenue generation for its three national series in the U.S. and its international circuits, according to a company biography seen by SBJ. He will be based in Charlotte after previously being based in Las Vegas for UFC. At the fighting property, Layton was responsible for commercial pay-per-view efforts both in the U.S. and internationally and helped with global strategy and marketing.

Layton will report to NASCAR EVP & Chief Strategy Officer Scott Prime. Chief International Officer Chad Seigler remains with the company and will oversee the four foreign series and report to Layton, who will oversee broadcast and market expansion efforts.

Layton’s hire had not been previously reported.

“We have racing series [in foreign countries], but we’re really taking a hard look at where we can go with the sport internationally,” O’Donnell said. “[We] certainly want to maximize what we’re doing in North America, but we believe we have some really great opportunities internationally as well.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean Cup. It means developing the brand with the ultimate goal, when you talk to people, to be the biggest form of sports and entertainment in the world. We’ve got a ways to go to get there, but that’s the goal. And so we want to rally everyone around that, work together and see what we need to do in each of those areas.”

O’Donnell identified Canada, Europe and England as places where NASCAR is considering events beyond just regional leagues. The Historic Sportscar Racing series owned by NASCAR’s IMSA property raced at Le Mans this month with a NASCAR-themed event. That follows NASCAR’s Garage 56 venture in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2023.

O’Donnell said the NASCAR Euro Series is “putting 50,000 in the stands at Brands Hatch [a track in England] for our European touring series, [so] you know there’s demand in England.”

Domestically, O’Donnell said figuring out where NASCAR wants to go can be determined by looking “at where we are not,” like the Pacific Northwest. For 2027, a return to the Chicago street race was not “a sure thing by any means,” he said, but it’s something that NASCAR continues to work on, along with discussions with the U.S. Navy about a return to Naval Base Coronado.

“We certainly want to continue to innovate where we can. … … A lot of those discussions are ongoing,” O’Donnell said. “I wouldn’t promise something new every year, but I would say that it’s a focal point for us of how do we introduce some new things while also making sure that our iconic events are treated as they should be so that we have 36 Daytonas and 36 San Diegos when we look at our schedule in terms of the fan enthusiasm and what takes place every weekend.”