However, it was not clear whether Phelps had been pressured to resign by the owning France family after contentious emails and text messages from Phelps emerged during the trial. Opinions of industry executives who spoke to Sports Business Journal were split. Some felt the sanctioning body was right to signal a new chapter after the bruising last few years, while others felt Phelps\u2019 departure appeared to be a misguided search for a scapegoat, given his overall tenure, value and skills. Phelps came to NASCAR from the NFL, and his ability to operate as a racing executive who fit in with big brands, networks and well-heeled business partners was something long seen as beneficial for the sport.<\/p>\n
What will determine whether the move was right or wrong is what NASCAR does from here, according to industry executives.<\/p>\n
In the settlement that NASCAR negotiated with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, charters essentially became permanent to all 15 teams that hold them. Industry executives familiar with the charter market believe the charters have doubled in value, from a prior high of $45 million to a range of $90 million to $100 million, SBJ previously reported. All 15 teams also now have increased governance rights.<\/p>\n
The two teams that settled with NASCAR are likely to have received millions of dollars as part of their deal. But the 15 teams overall didn\u2019t get more recurring annual revenue, and any realization of the increase in charter values would only come from selling them. Some team executives feel their current business model remains challenging, and the loss of Phelps, one of the top business minds in the sport, was unlikely to be a positive. Others said his exit was justified because it was time for NASCAR to signal change.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve brought a very pragmatic, steady approach. He listened to the sport\u2019s stakeholders, wasn\u2019t afraid to ask hard questions and genuinely wanted to make NASCAR better at every level,\u201d Jeff Gordon, vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, told SBJ in an email. \u201cHis leadership during COVID was a defining example \u2014 navigating unprecedented uncertainty and helping the sport move forward at a historic moment in time. Steve has a unique ability to move comfortably between different groups, from broadcast partners, OEMs and competitors to tracks, sponsors and members of the media. That will be hard to replace.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Gordon added: \u201cAt the same time, this marks a necessary transition point. Steve helped position NASCAR for its next chapter, and now it\u2019s on the leaders across the industry to step up, build on that foundation and keep the sport moving forward. He pushed NASCAR to take smart risks and be more welcoming to new and existing fans, and I believe that will have a lasting influence.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of NASCAR\u2019s issues is that Phelps has been a key conduit between the teams and sanctioning body for years, even as the lawsuit progressed since late 2024. He became NASCAR president in 2018 before becoming its first commissioner in March 2025, with key accomplishments including helping NASCAR navigate the pandemic such that it was one of the first sports to return to competition after the global shutdown. <\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/HBRBZFEHLNCJNIRPOB3O2UJ3MU.jpg\")
Michael Jordan\u2019s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports brought change with their lawsuit, but where will that leave NASCAR? AP Images <\/p>\n
In the immediate term, what will ease Phelps\u2019 absence is the presence of NASCAR President Steve O\u2019Donnell, who assumed much of the day-to-day oversight of the sanctioning body almost a year ago when Phelps pivoted to long-term and international projects as commissioner.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve will be remembered by how he led NASCAR through some of its most transformational times,\u201d Ed Laukes, former longtime Toyota executive, told SBJ in a message. \u201cHe was always looking for ways to improve the fan experience whether it be at track, online or in broadcast. He gave tremendous support to the drivers, teams and the manufacturers.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its announcement, NASCAR said no replacement would be named for Phelps, and no other staff changes were expected. France and his niece, Lesa France Kennedy, own NASCAR collectively but rarely speak publicly. As a result, NASCAR\u2019s public presence will now seemingly fall mainly on the shoulders of O\u2019Donnell and Ben Kennedy, the latter of whom is presumed to be working his way to eventually running the sport as the scion of the France family.<\/p>\n
Some in the industry have wondered in recent months if the antitrust lawsuit could lead the France family to evaluate selling part or all of the company. Also, some teams would be intrigued by the concept of buying the league if it was ever put up for sale, as SBJ previously reported. There\u2019s been speculation about whether an entertainment giant, like TKO Group Holdings, would be interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealing starts with trust: Leadership needs a real reset \u2014 consistent dialogue, clear timelines and fewer public knife fights,\u201d Ramsey Poston, a former NASCAR communications strategist who helped guide the sport through the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in 2001, wrote in a text message. \u201cNext, a bold, tangible teams-and-sanctioning-body agreement that delivers real stability and shared upside is needed. Then everyone has to get back to a hyper fan-focused mindset \u2014 make the product better, improve the access, and make every decision about engaging the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
SBJ spoke to roughly two dozen industry executives about Phelps\u2019 resignation and what should come next to get NASCAR on the right track after its tumultuous offseason. Some of the people were granted anonymity to speak freely.<\/p>\n
Dave Alpern, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, wrote in an email that JGR is \u201cfocused and excited about what is really a new chapter for our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA big focus should be on the experience of our passionate fan base. The racing, the track and broadcast experience, all of it,\u201d Alpern added. \u201cAt its core, NASCAR is about a fan\u2019s connection to the drivers and teams. Hopefully NASCAR and the teams can work even better together to keep improving the amazing experience that is a NASCAR race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad Keselowski, co-owner of RFK Racing, said the sport needs to \u201cembrace the idea that NASCAR is [at its] peak when it has 36 big events,\u201d and said other priorities include having a better competitive balance between teams and bringing in two more carmakers in the top-tier Cup Series to help with cash flow and marketing budgets. Rick Ware, the owner of Rick Ware Racing, also suggested a budget cap for teams, something that wasn\u2019t agreed to during the original charter negotiation process.<\/p>\n
A third team owner pointed out that the change in leadership provides the opportunity for NASCAR to make more sweeping changes to get back in the good graces of fans, and that there needs to be a more clear and actionable plan between the teams and the sanctioning body on tangible steps to grow the sport.<\/p>\n
An executive with ties to the track side pointed to the famous quote from Bruton Smith \u2014 \u201cWe work for the fans\u201d \u2014 when asked what NASCAR needs to prioritize. One of the first tests of how NASCAR\u2019s fan base is responding to the offseason of changes will come this week, when the sport announces its new championship format.<\/p>\n
That comes after years of complaints from some hardcore fans about the prior system, which came down to one race and led to accusations that NASCAR was artificially seeking Game 7 stick-and-ball-type moments at the expense of motorsport legitimacy.<\/p>\n
One positive for the sport is that Phelps helped lock up a seven-year media rights deal, at a 40% increase in value in 2023, that started last year and goes through 2031. That will give NASCAR a runway to get its house in order while collecting $1.1 billion in annual licensing fees.<\/p>\n
In the first year of its new rights deal last year, NASCAR averaged 2.5 million viewers per race across channels from Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery, down from 2.890 million in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is getting back to the racetrack and doing what NASCAR does best \u2014 putting on great racing for our fans,\u201d Gordon wrote. \u201cBut to fully realize the opportunity in front of us, it has to come with genuine partnership and collaboration across the industry. We can\u2019t expect different results by doing things the same way we always have. There are real opportunities to grow the sport, strengthen the business and reach more people if we stay focused on the big picture and keep our fans at the center of every decision.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The fallout from NASCAR Holdings\u2019 antitrust trial has sparked fierce debate in the racing world, but what people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399057,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,12716,634,39932,82,63078],"class_list":["post-399056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-motorsports","tag-nascar","tag-print","tag-sports","tag-upfront"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}