Steve Phelps leaves NASCAR after being exposed in antitrust trial

Steve Phelps will leave NASCAR on January 31, 2026, one month after the antitrust trial between the series and two teams that exposed compromising internal messages from the executive. NASCAR announced on January 6 that it will not name a successor and will eliminate the Commissioner role that Phelps had held since March 2025.

"As a lifelong racing fan, it has been a tremendous honor to serve as NASCAR’s first-ever Commissioner," Phelps stated in the official release.

The organization attributed his departure to "a personal decision to step away from the company." The timeline suggests another reading. Phelps testified on December 9, 2025, in the trial where 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports sued NASCAR for antitrust practices. During his testimony, attorneys for the teams presented emails and text messages he had sent during charter negotiations.

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The Communications That Compromised His Position

The discovery process forced NASCAR to hand over years' worth of internal communications. Among the Phelps messages presented in hearings was an email to teams in September 2024: "Pick a date and you can sign or lose your charters. It’s that simple."

Texts were also exposed where Phelps referred to Richard Childress, a veteran owner with 55 years in NASCAR, as a "stupid redneck" and a "total ass-clown." Childress is considering legal action over those messages.

When Jeffrey Kessler, the teams' attorney, confronted Phelps with those communications, the executive responded that he had sent "a text I’m not proud of" and that he had apologized to Childress.

Other messages showed Phelps discussing plans to eliminate SRX, a competing short-track series. In one exchange, Phelps wrote: "We need to put a knife in this garbage series."

Phelps had also written to Rick Hendrick about charter negotiations: "We wish we could give you permanent charters but Jim doesn’t want that." That email contradicted NASCAR's public statements about the negotiation process.

Two days after his testimony, NASCAR reached a settlement with 23XI and FRM that established permanent charters for all teams, eliminating the system Phelps had publicly defended for months.

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NASCAR Will Not Seek a Successor

NASCAR stated there are "no immediate plans to replace the Commissioner role." The administrative responsibilities of Phelps will be delegated internally through the President of NASCAR and the executive team.

NASCAR created the Commissioner position in March 2025 specifically for Phelps, elevating him from President. They are now eliminating that position just 10 months after creating it.

"Steve will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR’s most impactful leaders," Jim France stated in the release. "He has worked tirelessly to excite fans, support our teams and execute a vision for our sport."

Lesa France Kennedy, Executive Vice President of NASCAR, added: "Steve has balanced strong leadership and a constant pursuit of excellence with a sincere commitment to our fans."

A 20-Year Legacy

Phelps joined NASCAR in 2005 as Vice President of Corporate Marketing. He was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2006, then to Chief Operating Officer in 2018, and to President that same year before becoming Commissioner.

Under his leadership, NASCAR transformed the schedule with events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the first street course race in Chicago. He also closed television deals with FOX, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports, and The CW that began in 2025.

He oversaw the integration of the merger with International Speedway Corporation in 2019 and managed NASCAR's return during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, earning the series recognition from Sports Business Journal as 'League of the Year' in 2021.

What Happens to the International Expansion Phelps Championed

Phelps was the executive who transformed NASCAR's schedule with non-traditional events. Under his leadership, the series raced for the first time at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022 and launched the Chicago street race in 2023.

Potential projects face a different future. NASCAR never officially confirmed plans for Cup Series races in Mexico or Canada, but within the organization, Phelps was the one aggressively promoting expansion into new markets. With him gone and the Commissioner role eliminated, it is unclear who assumes that role of internal champion.

The antitrust trial complicates any future expansion. NASCAR now shares more power with teams that have permanent charters and a greater voice in operational decisions. International races are more expensive to operate and logistically complex. Teams have historically been skeptical because they increase transportation costs and the risk of car damage.

Before the trial, NASCAR could impose these races unilaterally. Phelps would champion the events, convince the France family internally, and the organization would approve them. Now NASCAR must negotiate more with teams that have greater contractual authority.

With the Commissioner role eliminated, it is unclear who assumes that role of internal promoter of geographic expansion. It is likely the organization will be more cautious in evaluating new markets. NASCAR stated there is "continuity of the strategic vision," but the immediate priorities following the trial are to stabilize the relationship with teams under the new charter model. The experimental events that characterized the Phelps era will likely be put on pause.

Why His Position Became Unsustainable

Although the official release does not mention the antitrust trial, Phelps's role as the primary liaison between NASCAR and teams was compromised when owners, commercial partners, and the public saw how he spoke about them in private.

Phelps was the public face defending the renewable charter system. He negotiated directly with owners for months. He sent the final offers. After the trial, those same owners knew exactly what he wrote about them when he thought no one else would see it.

NASCAR now faces the 2026 season with a fundamentally different model than the one Phelps defended. The 36 charters are permanent. Teams have a stronger voice in decisions. And the figure who personified the previous model leaves the organization effective January 31.