Effective Immediately: NASCAR President Taking on New Role
What’s Happening? According to NASCAR, President Steve Phelps is stepping away from his current role and transitioning into the new role…
As of last week, long-time NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell is the new President of NASCAR. Every NASCAR president has a defining moment in their history, and new challenges face the sport consistently; here are five that could define the new President’s tenure.
What’s Happening? According to NASCAR, President Steve Phelps is stepping away from his current role and transitioning into the new role…
Schedule changes are not exactly going to be on O’Donnell’s shoulders, not that he won’t be a part of the decision-making process. Rather, this one falls on the shoulders of Ben Kennedy, SVP of Strategy & Innovation at NASCAR.
However, O’Donnell will get the end of the blame should fans disagree with the decisions. So, on a year-to-year basis, O’Donnell will have questions of when and where, though it may not be entirely on him. That being said, O’Donnell will be a major part of NASCAR’s continued growth outside of the US, including the rumored races in Brazil and Canada.
Another major story to look out for during an O’Donnell presidency is one he often speaks about in interviews. That, of course, is a new location, or location for NASCAR’s championship race. In several interviews during his time as NASCAR COO, O’Donnell hinted at the possibility of a rotating championship, something fans seem to be in favor of. This could happen soon and would be a great start to his legacy as president.
What’s Happening? As we roll into the 2025 NASCAR season, rumors and confirmations for the 2026 NASCAR National Series Schedules will…
One of the often-overlooked storylines of the ongoing NASCAR season is the ensuing departure of NASCAR’s secondary National Series sponsor, Xfinity. While the brand is not leaving NASCAR as a whole, they are leaving the title sponsor role for the Xfinity Series.
This is a crucial sponsorship position in the sport; the sport hasn’t had to worry about replacing Xfinity since Nationwide departed after 2014. Replacing Xfinity will be a massive job for multiple people within NASCAR, and if a major name sponsor is found, it would be a huge win for O’Donnell.
Look at the great PR NASCAR had with the fanbase after Craftsman returned to the sport to the Truck Series. While it’s not a question of if, rather when, this will be an early test of O’Donnell’s popularity in his new role.
What’s Happening? Xfinity will end its 11-year sponsorship of NASCAR’s secondary Series at season’s end. The Comcast-owned telecom company began sponsoring the…
Looking past the Chase era, NASCAR’s playoff format has been the source of scrutiny for the better part of a decade now. This was compounded late last season after a flurry of unpopular winners and on-track decision-making from drivers.
While the format is by no means on the chopping block, a committee of industry veterans, drivers, team owners, and media is currently taking on the challenge of deciding the future of NASCAR’s championship format. This is once again another matter that will define the early portion of O’Donnell’s time in the president’s seat.
The fanbase seems split on what route to go with the format, aside from the opinion that something has to happen. While no decision will be 100% popular with fans, if NASCAR, under O’Donnell’s guidance, makes the wrong decision, this could overshadow his tenure as president.
What’s Happening? NASCAR is publicly seeking a new Playoff or even Championship Points system for the future. This story will unfold…
The NASCAR Next-Gen Car is an inherited challenge for O’Donnell’s “administration,” though it is one the people working under the new president of NASCAR have been dealing with since 2022. The new car, introduced in 2022, has been a major topic of conversation almost race to race.
One moment, it’s the best thing ever at Intermediates. The next, it’s the reason for the fall off of NASCAR’s once great road course and short-track product. Sometimes fans say, ‘This one change, ‘ be it tires or a new rules package, will save the car and the on-track product.
While the car isn’t going anywhere, most are coming to the consensus, much like the playoffs, that something must change. Though the car is still new, the sport has already made a ton of changes; this one thing looks like it will be a thorn in the side of O’Donnell for at least the near future.
What’s Happening? Despite positive fan reception after Phoenix, NASCAR is not expected to have teams choose between multiple tire compounds, such…
NASCAR’s Charter system, alongside the team’s ownership of those Charters, will be remembered as the defining factor of the end of Phelps’s term as president. However, this is bleeding over into O’Donnell’s presidency already.
The same week NASCAR introduced their new President, Legacy Motor Club sued Rick Ware Racing on a charter-related matter; this, combined with the much larger ongoing lawsuit between NASCAR and two of its Charter teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, feels like the start of a major shift in NASCAR.
O’Donnell will have to play not only the teams, meaning keeping them satisfied yet in line, but also keeping up the public perception of the sport with fans. This is far and away the biggest challenge O’Donnell will face as president, one that could make or break the fabric of the sport at this moment.
What’s Happening? The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit will continue for some time. However, many developments will occur along…
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