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NASCAR announced today that Steve Phelps has made the personal decision to step away from the organization and his role as Commissioner of America\u2019s top motorsport. Phelps, who joined NASCAR in 2005, will officially transition out of the company by the end of the month, closing a two-decade chapter marked by growth, innovation, and transformative leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR\u2019s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years,\u201d Phelps said. \u201cOur sport is built on the passion of our fans, the dedication of our teams and partners, and the commitment of our wonderful employees. It has been an honor to help synthesize the enthusiasm of long-standing NASCAR stakeholders with that of new entrants to our ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelps added that as he embarks on new pursuits across sports and other industries, he remains deeply grateful for the trust placed in him by the France family, his colleagues, and NASCAR fans. \u201cWords cannot fully convey the deep appreciation I have for this life-changing experience and for having a place in NASCAR\u2019s amazing history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During Phelps\u2019s tenure, NASCAR underwent sweeping changes aimed at modernizing the sport while expanding its reach. Under his leadership, the sanctioning body reshaped its annual schedule with new marquee events and fan-focused experiences, expanded its international footprint, secured long-term media rights and charter agreements, and built a leadership team centered on long-term growth. His accomplishments also include overseeing NASCAR\u2019s merger with International Speedway Corporation, launching the Next Gen race car in 2022\u2014just the seventh new vehicle platform in the sport\u2019s history\u2014and prioritizing inclusion and accessibility for fans across the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR\u2019s most impactful leaders,\u201d said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France. \u201cHe has worked tirelessly to thrill fans, support teams, and execute a vision that delivered some of the most memorable moments in our nearly 80-year history. From returning to competition during the COVID-19 pandemic to launching new events like the LA Memorial Coliseum race and NASCAR\u2019s first street race in downtown Chicago, Steve leaves behind a transformative legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASCAR Executive Vice Chair Lesa France Kennedy echoed those sentiments, praising Phelps\u2019s leadership and dedication to fans. \u201cOver his two decades at NASCAR, Steve balanced strong leadership with a sincere commitment to excellence and inclusivity,\u201d she said. \u201cHe laid an incredible foundation for continued growth and success, and while his career may take him elsewhere, he will always be part of the NASCAR family.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASCAR confirmed that no additional leadership or personnel changes have been announced at this time. The organization stated there are no immediate plans to replace the Commissioner role, with Phelps\u2019s responsibilities to be delegated internally through NASCAR President Steve O\u2019Donnell and the executive leadership team, ensuring continuity and stability moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NASCAR announced today that Steve Phelps has made the personal decision to step away from the organization and his role as Commissioner of America\u2019s top motorsport.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":91899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3470],"tags":[12907,12913,12908,12910,12904,12900,12906,12916,12902,12909,12914,12903,11338,12911,12912,12917,12905,12901,12899,12915],"class_list":["post-104165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-jim-france-statement-nascar","tag-la-coliseum-nascar-race","tag-lesa-france-kennedy-comments","tag-nascar-charter-agreement","tag-nascar-commissioner-departure","tag-nascar-commissioner-steps-down","tag-nascar-executive-news","tag-nascar-future-leadership","tag-nascar-leadership-change","tag-nascar-media-rights-deal","tag-nascar-merger-isc","tag-nascar-news-today","tag-nascar-next-gen-car","tag-nascar-schedule-changes","tag-nascar-street-race-chicago","tag-racingjunk-nascar-news","tag-steve-phelps-career","tag-steve-phelps-leaving-nascar","tag-steve-phelps-nascar","tag-stock-car-racing-leadership"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/NASCAR-logo-min-e1691017688779.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-r65","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104166,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104165\/revisions\/104166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}