NASCAR Commissioner Quits After Ugly Lawsuit Settled

NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps is stepping down less than one month after the motorsports sanctioning body settled an antitrust fight with Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing team and Front Row Motorsports.

NASCAR’s official announcement says Phelps, 63, “made the personal decision to step away from the company,” which he will transition out of by the end of the month. No further leadership changes were announced, and NASCAR has no immediate plans to replace the commissioner role or to seek outside leadership. The administration of Phelps’s responsibilities will be delegated internally through NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell and the circuit’s executive leadership team.

Phelps, a former NFL executive, had worked for NASCAR since 2005, and last March was promoted from president to NASCAR’s first commissioner, with O’Donnell succeeding the president role.

As NASCAR commissioner, he was the public figurehead in the stock-car racing series’ legal fight against Jordan, 23XI, and Front Row. However, the recently completed trial revealed several inflammatory text messages Phelps sent, which hurt his image with fans and other NASCAR stakeholders.

Phelps in a 2023 text exchange with another NASCAR executive called six-time Cup Series champion Richard Childress, now the owner of Richard Childress Racing, a “stupid redneck” and “total ass-clown,” and said Childress “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”

As part of the settlement agreement with 23XI and Front Row, NASCAR agreed to establish “evergreen” team charters, instead of renewable ones. Historically, the 36 NASCAR charters have been similar to team franchises in stick-and-ball sports. The value of those charters has also grown, with a sale for one reaching $45 million last year. 

Phelps led NASCAR’s latest media-rights negotiations, which led to seven-year, $7.7 billion deals with Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon, TNT Sports, and The CW that began with the 2025 season.