The timing of Steve Phelps’s resignation was no coincidence. Less than one week before NASCAR unveiled its new Chase format, Phelps announced that he plans to step away from his role as NASCAR’s commissioner at the end of January.
The decision came after a series of texts between Phelps and other executives discussing prominent figures in NASCAR in a negative light were made public at trial.
When the NASCAR vs. 23XI and FRM Racing case settlement news broke, I said that either Steve Phelps or Steve O’Donnell would be the first to fall on the sword for NASCAR’s handling of the case and its materials. Phelps marked the first domino to fall in the wake of one of the most monumental court cases in motorsport, and NASCAR immediately followed that news with a fresh talking point for fans as race season is fast approaching.
Check out Frontstretch‘s top 10 NASCAR storylines for the 2026 season here
Good play, NASCAR.
But a pertinent question still remains: Who, if anyone, will replace Phelps as commissioner? To answer that question, we first have to look at the pond NASCAR was fishing in when it found Phelps in the first place, before he began a 20-year career with NASCAR.
Phelps formerly worked for the NFL until 2004, serving as the vice president of corporate marketing. Keep in mind, this was the height of NASCAR’s powers in the early 2000s. Recruiting an NFL executive would raise eyebrows now, but then, not many batted an eye.
That being said, NASCAR is in a very different place as we roll into 2026. There’s a legitimate viewership problem, and the sport isn’t adapting to a new generation of fans as quickly as it needs to, resulting in a loss of market share. Unless a lucrative offer is made, it will be difficult to pull anyone away from the NFL or NBA, and the MLB faces similar challenges. That poses NASCAR’s first problem: Its old hiring pool might be fished out.
In his role as commissioner, Phelps oversaw all internal affairs across NASCAR, IMSA and 15 other NASCAR-owned or operated tracks while simultaneously handling global fan engagement. To be blunt, someone other than the commissioner can handle internal affairs. NASCAR’s next hire has to be about growth, so where will it look?
There’s no sport gaining traffic faster than college football. Amidst one of the most chaotic periods in the sport’s history, revenue has never been higher and the lights have never been brighter. For those unaware, the college football landscape comprises several athletic conferences, such as the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 10, the Big 12 and so forth.
While the commissioners of those conferences might be untouchable, the others within them could not be. For instance, Matthew Evans currently serves as an assistant commissioner for the SEC, where he oversees Network Relations. Evans spent seven years working for ESPN in programming and acquisitions. In fact, his resumé is more than comparable to Phelps’ background when he was brought on by NASCAR.
Each conference is filled with people like Evans who have high-value experience with high-value corporations and know the current landscape better than anyone. NASCAR’s next commissioner has to come from the sporting world, and if that’s the case, all eyes in Charlotte should turn toward college football.
The other direction NASCAR could lean is that of a media executive, which would, in theory, be much easier to poach than a sitting, outward-facing executive. Someone with both ties to and knowledge of the modern media industry would undoubtedly help the company attract different demographics to the product.
However, it couldn’t be one of the old guard members of the television landscape. A washed-up Turner executive, for instance, isn’t going to move the needle for a company that needs an influx of youth into both its offices and fan base.
This path is unlikely, though, given that the new TV deal is still in its early stages. As horrible as it might be for consistency’s sake, there’s no rearranging it any time soon, and therefore, any new media negotiations will be held a bit further into the future.
It’s also worth noting that NASCAR created this position for Phelps in March of last year. If there’s any position the top brass might simply strike from its directory, it could be this one. I don’t think that’s the smartest decision for the moment, but it wouldn’t surprise me, either.
Given that NASCAR has the opportunity, though, to bring fresh blood into the executive offices, it should take it as quickly as possible. Because if the response is going to be, “We’ll see what bringing the Chase back does,” and that’s all, 2026 will end up as a wash en route to another disappointing season.
To put it lightly, that can’t happen. NASCAR has rebounded from its legal issues in about the best way possible by bringing back The Chase, increasing horsepower at certain tracks and getting the model a bit closer to what most fans have been clamoring for. Another misstep could be costly at this point in the game, so if anyone is going to be hired to replace Phelps, it needs to be a home run.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for multiple automotive news outlets, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host, and a PhD. student at a premier college of media and mass communication. Tanner began working with Frontstretch in 2022, covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Thought provoking read.
When pulling from college football was first mentioned above, my initial reaction was despite ratings being quite high, college sports are a total mess right now, possibly primed for their own decline.
But, after thinking about it a moment, this makes all the sense in the world. Nearly all of the problems in college sports can be laid at the feet of the NCAA, not the conferences or schools. The NCAA did much the same as NASCAR, treating those below as indentured servants. Eventually, the players (and some schools) tired of this, sued the NCAA, and now we have the wild west. This all could have been avoided, had the NCAA been reasonable in their decisions, and acted in good faith to all parties. Sound familiar?
But, somehow the schools and conferences have found a way to flourish during incredible upheaval. So, Tanner’s assertions make all the sense in the world. These people know how to navigate choppy seas, and they also know how to maintain some traditions and sanctity of the sport, while making other necessary changes to keep the lights on, and the fans mentally invested.
I still feel the recent rule changes and rollbacks are not enough. Increasingly, it seems these “entertainment” rules just might be the primary cause of decline. Yes, NASCAR must find a way to attract younger fans. But a somewhat arbitrary system of determining winners and champions does not appear to be the path, as viewership numbers have shown. Younger fans are not stupid. Just as older fans, they see the contrived drama which accompanies nearly every modern NASCAR race.
Hopefully, NASCAR still has a few thinking people amongst their ranks.
Hopefully, NASCAR will hire a new commissioner.
Hopefully, the commissioner will be wise enough to return the sport to awarding true merit and skill.
Hopefully, the commissioner will find ways to attract newer, younger fans, not through arbitrary rules, but through making the skill, the people, the engineering of NASCAR accessible and relatable.
Hopefully.
That is a LOT to hope for, given the history of NA$CAR.
How Steve O’Donnell still has his job is beyond me.
I’m not so sure the college football is thriving as much as people think. I think the playoff is a positive for the sport but the ratings for these games should be much higher than they are. Maybe the fans are just too team oriented, where they don’t care unless it involves their team.
But I have another theory. There is too much time between rounds and nobody knows when the games are. The teams with 1st round byes don’t play for a month after the regular season ends. That’s way too long. Same with the semifinals and championship. Those rounds are each 10 or so days apart from each other.
I don’t care who the next commish is but he better have an appreciation for the fans and not just give lip service to it. Nascar’s credibility is as low as its been in a long time.
I think the team theory makes sense. People like a winner, and teams which win all the time inherently pull more interest. I’d guess the championship game ratings will be down slightly, as there’s no Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, etc. in there.
Some may tune in with the hopes Indiana will whoop Miami, because of Miami’s history as being the brash bad guys, “Tha U”.
Agree the playoffs keep an odd schedule, and due to having to be at work early, I’ve watched very little of them thus far. Not sure I’d watch anyway…the older I get, the less tolerance I have for constant commercial breaks. Team A scores, go to commercial. Team A kicks off, go to commercial. Then breaks for minor injuries, time outs, and anything else they can come up with. Gets old.
Good posts from everyone, I enjoyed the info and opinions, and agree about the new commish direction. No more old stooges, nephews, cousins, etc…
As always, glad you enjoyed the read, daytight. I think it makes sense given the model that NASCAR says it wants to lean towards. While the previous leadership consistently missed the mark on what that model should look like when adapted to racing, I believe bringing in someone from a world where that mark is consistently being hit will help matters. There’s a lot to get done, but I think it can be done, especially if the sport is viewed through some fresh eyes.
I completely agree, and thanks for bringing to light an idea which makes all the sense in the world.
Gotta say, cool points awarded for consistently reading and replying to we of the unwashed masses, scuttling around in the comments section. Few journalists do this, but when it happens, it’s always interesting to see the observations of those who are directly plugged into the sport.
Before Twitter became a wasteland, I enjoyed interacting with journalists over there. Now though, I just can’t stomach the constant nonsense, drama, and mis-truths on mainstream social media, so I tend to only interact at sites like Frontstretch, which are specific to my interests. Nice to have this outlet, and the interaction which comes with it.
Anytime. The easy part of writing is catching new eyes. The hard part is getting them to stick around and keep reading. Our commenters here at Frontstretch do just that, and I’m always appreciative of it. We’re less than a couple weeks out from being back on 4BQ, too, so I always get excited this time of year.
Taylor Reimer name only mentioned in Pinnacle article about their drivers for 2026, but she should be considered for the full schedule in ARCA along with others as she drove really well at Kansas and other tracks, yes on dirt is great
but I believe she should run entire schedule in ARCA. She certainly showed her ability in 2025 in her first attempts on major courses.
Young Commish or old commish – Not sure it matters. As long as the racing is good is what is important at this point. And excuse me for not rejoicing over the new (old and recycled) chase format as it wasnt all that great in 04 and still wont be great in 2026. Just wait until a backmarker wrecks a top contender in the chase thus affecting the championship out come. The playoff –uh excuse me- the chase drivers always needed their own points vs each other. At least they got one thing right finally after this time-more points for a win over second. If they would have just done that back in beginning, we might not even be in this mess.
Agree. Though the rules changes were small steps in the right direction, they were just that…small steps.
Fixing the promotion of the sport is needed, but until the on track product consists of decent racing, without a bunch of nonsense to bring “entertainment”, the sport will likely continue to flounder.
As the old adage goes, “you can’t polish a turd”, and the hilariously contrived current product is very much a turd.
What NASCAR needs is a top-notch promoter… a Humpy Wheeler of the current century. Someone who knows how to focus on the spectacle, both on television and at the track. You gotta get folks in the stands and in front of their televions. Maybe that person shouldn’t be a commissioner, but a decent promoter is still a necessity.