NASCAR brings F1 Las Vegas GP executive in ‘second-highest echelon for vice presidents’ role

NASCAR has hired Craig Stimmel as the sport's new Chief Commercial Officer ahead of the 2025 season. Before the hiring, Stimmel was a Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix executive.

As per an article from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, Stimmel will serve as the "second-highest echelon for vice presidents," and will report to EVP & Chief Media and Revenue Officer Brian Herbst. According to the article, Stimmel starts in his new role this week and will oversee all company sales.

Stern penned a post on X sharing the news along with his article link, writing:

".@NASCAR's new chief commercial officer will be based in New York City, where industry executives think the series needs more of a presence amid @F1's hot streak with selling sponsorships."

According to SBJ, Stimmel has a tall task ahead in his first days on the job as he'll look for a replacement for one of NASCAR's premier partners.

"One of Stimmel’s first tasks figures to be finding a replacement for Geico, after the Berkshire Hathaway-owned insurer exited NASCAR after this past season," the article reads.

According to his LinkedIn page, Stimmel has a litany of work history, including WWE. He spent nearly two years at WWE after starting in the summer of 2022, and reported on his LinkedIn that the wrestling organization increased 41 percent in client spend in 2023. At the F1 Las Vegas GP, Stimmel worked in ticketing, marketing, sponsorship, analytics and consumer PR. He also worked at Snap and Proctor & Gamble.

In a prepared statement, Herbst explained NASCAR's decision to hire Stimmel as they believe his qualities are best fit for the role.

“[NASCAR hired Stimmel because of his] proven track record of driving results and building billion-dollar brands in a multi-faceted environment like ours," the statement read.

Stimmel replaces Daryl Wolfe in the role after the latter retired from the position at the end of the 2024 NASCAR season. While Wolfe was based in Daytona Beach, Stimmel will be based in New York when he takes over the position this week.

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NASCAR didn't purchase the Long Beach Grand Prix despite the opportunity

The Long Beach Grand Prix held in Southern California will continue to be a staple of the IndyCar Series. Penske Entertainment Group, a parent company of the series, purchased the street race a few weeks ago.

There was speculation that NASCAR could acquire the Long Beach GP amid the sport's intentions to hold a race in Southern California. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer said to RACER in a statement last March:

"The Southern California market is extremely important to NASCAR. We have explored several different options in the area, and will continue to do so. I won’t speak specifically to any particular racetrack in Southern California, but will say that if we had our druthers, we would have a race in Southern California every year.”

However, the rumors were silenced when longtime IndyCar owner Gerry Forsythe purchased a 50 percent stake in the event as he made his feelings known that he wants the Southern California race to be exclusive to the IndyCar circuit.

“The estate has agreed to sell its 50% to me,” Forsythe said via RACER. “If [any series] has its sights on Long Beach please tell them to look elsewhere. This [is] an IndyCar event, and it will be into the future.”

NASCAR held the season-opening Busch Clash exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Southern California the last three seasons. Next year, the July race at the Sonoma Raceway will be the only Cup Series event held in the state of California.