That’ll send shockwaves through the garage.
NASCAR CEO Jim France, who has served as the leader of the sport since 2018, will be stepping down and replaced by current President Steve O’Donnell, according to a report from Jordan Bianchi with The Athletic. The move is expected to be announced to teams ahead of this weekend’s Jack Links 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 81-year old France is the son of NASCAR founder Bill France, and along with his brother Bill France Jr. inherited the sport when his father passed away in 1992. While Bill France Jr. took on the role of CEO after their father’s death, Jim has served a prominent role in the sport, ultimately assuming his current position in 2018 following the resignation of his nephew, Brian France.
Jim France was always somewhat of a reluctant CEO: He took the job following personal troubles for Brian France, who was the son of Bill France Jr., and didn’t seem to have any interest in serving as the public face of NASCAR.
Steve O’Donnell, the current President of NASCAR, is expected to be named the successor to France, the first CEO of the sport who has not been a member of its founding family. O’Donnell has been involved with NASCAR since joining the sport’s marketing department in 1996, and has served in his current position since 2025.
As a 54% owner of the sport, France will remain on as chairman of NASCAR. (The remainder of NASCAR is owned by Lesa France Kennedy, the daughter of Bill France Jr.)
NASCAR is also expected to promote Ben Kennedy, the son of Lesa France Kennedy, to Chief Operating Officer. Ben currently serves as the sport’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovations Officer. (If nothing else, his new title will be easier to fit on his business cards).
Obviously it’s a major change for NASCAR to be run by someone outside the France family: Since the sport’s inception, the family has been known for maintaining a tight grip on their control, and at times ruling with an iron fist.
But it’s that same iron fist that found NASCAR in court last year after a bombshell antitrust lawsuit filed by two of its teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The lawsuit was an unprecedented challenge to the power of a family that has largely gone unchallenged throughout their time at the top of the sport, and the resulting settlement ultimately forced the family – and the sport – to cede some of the power they had tried to hold on to.
Yet O’Donnell says that the lawsuit isn’t the reason for the change at the top of the sport. According to Bianchi:
“He said a succession plan has long been in place and follows the league reaching a level of stability it has not experienced in several years due to recently reaching media rights deals that extend through the 2031 season, securing a charter agreement with the teams, and implementing a new championship “Chase” playoff format.”
The changes at the top of the sport come just months after the departure of former NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, who resigned in January following outrage over text messages and testimony that came out during the lawsuit in late 2025.
There’s no denying all that the France family has done to build the sport from grassroots racing to the top form of motorsports in the United States. But over the past few years, it seems that more and more fans have been asking for a change in direction following unpopular decisions from NASCAR and declining viewership.
O’Donnell has seemed to be the most in-touch with fans among NASCAR leadership, acknowledging their concerns and admitting that leadership shares some of those same concerns. The sport has put a heavy emphasis on getting back to its roots, and has been working to win back fans who have lost interest in NASCAR due to decisions that have been made over the last decade or so.
I think the new leadership will serve NASCAR well, at a time when things already seem to be moving in a positive direction. Let’s just hope O’Donnell will listen to fans, teams and drivers and make the decisions necessary to get NASCAR back to the sport we all know and love.
