NASCAR Realigns Corporate Office
NASCAR is looking to its future in the sport and business of auto racing and has taken the major step of appointing Steve O’Donnell as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) while elevating Ben Kennedy to Chief Operating Officer (COO). While current boss Jim France retains his title as chairman of the board and Lesa France Kennedy serves as executive vice chair, the fact that someone not named “France” will be in charge of Big Bill France’s operation is a sea change.
These corporate adjustments had been planned and take effect immediately, NASCAR revealed. The sanctioning group is acknowledging its 78th year in operation and, for the first time in its history, NASCAR has elected not to have a France family member atop its business model.
Steve O’Donnell, who has, in essence been training for this position, now becomes the fifth CEO in NASCAR’s history, after being named president in March of last year. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer of the company and remains responsible for the day-to-day leadership of all NASCAR and IMSA Series, handling commercial, media and track operations in addition to NASCAR’s four international series and its multiple regional and grassroots properties.
O’Donnell has been in the NASCAR community since 1996 and has risen through the ranks to achieve his current position. He began in marketing as a service rep, was promoted to manage the marketing group and to work on NASCAR’s 50th anniversary project. From the marketing department, O’Donnell moved to Competition as was managing director of events and operations, heading the All-American Series and Touring Series before being named vice president of racing operations, and being placed in charge of the three national series. Over the years he has directed innovative advancements in NASCAR’s Cup Series, including the introduction of the Gen-^ Cup Series car, the current 7th generation Next Gen car and the implementation of case playoff formats for all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
Ben Kennedy, the son of NASCAR executive vice chair Lesa France Kennedy, is a fourth-generation member of the France family and has earned his position by growing up in the sport and immersing himself as both a driver and team owner. He’s come up through the ranks and was the architect behind NASCAR’s 2021 Cup Series race schedule, which changed NASCAR’s manner of scheduling to a more dynamic mode, bringing the sport to city centers. Some of the events he has championed over the past decade include the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the first-ever Chicago street race, the Cup Series’ first international event in Mexico City and this year’s Sa n Diego street race at Naval Base Coronado – all firsts for the sport.
Kennedy began his racing career in 2009 in a four-horsepower quarter midget and most recently raced in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Richard Childress RAcing and GMS Racing. Kennedy’s education in the sport included racing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series from 2014-2016, earning a first victory and series playoff berth in his final 2016 go-round. The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., Kennedy was honored as a Sports Business Journal “40 Under 40” in 2023 and was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame with the Award of Distinction, given for his work in bringing NASCAR to Chicago.
Jim France, 81, has been part of the motorsports community for nearly his entire life, growing up in the early years of stock car racing and learning about the sport from his own experiences and from those of his father. He joined International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in 1959 and has worked in all phases of operations, particularly in his youth. France joined ISC’s board of directors in 1970 and was that company’s secretary, assistant treasurer, vice president, chief operating officer, executive vice president, president and chairman.
In addition to his professional role in stock car racing, Jim France has always been a strong supporter of both sports cars and motorcycle racing in the U.S. In 1999, France founded GRAND-AM Road Racing and in 2012 he was the driving force behind the merger of GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, combining them as a single entity in 2014 as the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which brought sports car racing back to its roots.
Keeping his hand in, Jim France was a starter for the U.S. Motorcycle Grand Prix in the late 1960s. He raced on dirt tracks for nearly five years and prides himself for being a member of the American Motorcyclist Association for nearly 26 years. He’s raced karts on both dirt and asphalt and has served as a board member for ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee of the United States. France retains his chairman’s role and his 54 percent ownership stake in NASCAR; Les France Kennedy holds the remaining 46 percent, so NASCAR, while not headed by someone named France, remains wholly owned by the family.
Drivers were made known about the changes prior to the start of practice at Talladega Superspeedway, where the Cup Series has been racing this weekend. Most members of the NASCAR community don’t believe the change of management will amount to wholesale adjustments – at least not at first. While there were changes when Jim France took over the family’s business in 2018, assuming the role after his nephew, Brian France, had personal issues resulting in a DWI arrest in New York, it was always assumed that his stay at the helm of the company would not be a long-distance event. And so it is not.
“I am incredibly proud of the strength and stability we’ve achieved across the sport, which gives me tremendous confidence in our plan to transition leadership to Steve and NASCAR’s next CEO and Ben as COO,” Jim France acknowledged. “Together they represent the future of the sport, and along with our world-class executive team nd race teams partners in the garage, they will guide NASCAR into its exciting new era.”