TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) \u2014 Steve O\u2019Donnell wants to bring some fun back to NASCAR, which he calls a \u201cbadass American sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donnell was introduced as the sanctioning body\u2019s chief executive officer at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday and vowed to \u201cmake some moves\u201d that will return the storied racing series to its roots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost that in recent years,\u201d O\u2019Donnell said.<\/p>\n
Majority owner Jim France stepped down as CEO but will remain NASCAR\u2019s chairman, and his majority ownership stake will not change.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Donnell will become the first person outside the France family to hold the CEO title.<\/p>\n
Bill France Sr. founded the racing series in 1948 and always had a family member in the top role. Ben Kennedy, France\u2019s great-nephew and the son of NASCAR executive Lesa Kennedy France, was promoted to chief operating officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re going to take this thing even further,\u201d Jim France said.<\/p>\n
Jim France had been chairman and CEO of NASCAR since the 2019 resignation of his nephew, Brian.<\/p>\n
It marks the second promotion in nearly a year for O\u2019Donnell, who has spent 30-plus years guiding NASCAR\u2019s marketing and later competition departments. He was named president in March 2025.<\/p>\n
France took a hardline stance<\/a> in negotiations for the 2025 revenue-sharing agreement, triggering an antitrust lawsuit<\/a> by Michael Jordan\u2019s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The sides reached a settlement<\/a> in December that granted NASCAR teams the permanent charters they had sought.<\/p>\n