Steve Phelps makes vision clear in first remarks as NASCAR Commissioner: "We are stronger together"

Modified Apr 02, 2025 23:33 GMT

NASCAR: Daytona 500 - Media Day - Source: Imagn

On the heels of being named NASCAR's new Commissioner, Steve Phelps gave a clear first message to the sport's community. Phelps believes that NASCAR is strongest when it is together as a whole.

Phelps' comments came on "Hauler Talk," the official NASCAR podcast. The newest Commissioner of NASCAR believes the more the sport acts like a league, such as the National Football League or Major League Baseball, the better it will be for everyone involved. Phelps was quoted via Racer.com:

"The more we act like a league, the better it’ll be for all stakeholders. Not just NASCAR the company, but NASCAR the sport because we are stronger together than we are apart. So, to me, that is the No. 1 thing in my job that is the most critical.”

Phelps believes that because NASCAR doesn't "own" itself as an entity, they're at a competitive disadvantage. That's why he is making it his mission to unite the sport as a whole in order to benefit everyone. He added:

“The most important thing for us is the continued rush toward collaboration with our industry, and whether you’re talking about racetracks that we don’t own or you’re talking about teams or you’re talking about drivers, it is important that we come together as one."

Phelps isn't new to NASCAR; he's been the sport's president since 2018. Steve O'Donnell assumed his erstwhile position after his elevation to the post of commissioner

The news was brought to light by racing insider Adam Stern from Sports Business Journal, who took to X and wrote:

"⚡️@NASCAR has promoted President @StevePhelps to the newly created position of Commissioner, making him the first person in company history to hold that title. ➡️ In turn, COO Steve O'Donnell has been promoted to becoming the president of NASCAR."

Expand Tweet

Racer.com reported that Phelps has been deemed the sport's first commissioner, adding that the position was not in the same "capacity" as it is today.

What did Steve Phelps do before NASCAR?

NASCAR's newest commissioner, Steve Phelps, has been involved with the sport since 2018. Prior to becoming NASCAR's president, Phelps found success in other business ventures.

Phelps graduated from the University of Vermont and later obtained an MBA from Boston College. After school, he served as the brand manager for Chef Boyardee and was later the brand manager of Guinness.

Phelps began working in the NFL in 1990, becoming the vice president of Corporate Marketing. He left the NFL in 2004 and ventured into Wasserman Media Group, where he was the head of global sales.

Phelps' first taste of NASCAR was in 2005 as Vice President of Corporate Marketing.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

Know More

Edited by Siddharth Sikdar