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Jim France to step down as NASCAR CEO in major executive shift

France

NASCAR boss Jim France is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) but he will remain as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and majority owner of NASCAR. The news was confirmed by the Sanctioning Body on Saturday morning at Talladega.

France, who turns 82 later this year, took over the position from nephew Brian France in August, 2018, after Brian France was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Sag Harbor, New York. 

Steve O’Donnell, who was the president of NASCAR, will be promoted to the role of CEO. A part of the sport in various roles since 1996, he will be the fifth person ever and the first outside the France family to hold the position of CEO since NASCAR’s founding in 1948.  He worked his way up from the marketing department, wearing several hats as he climbed the executive ladder.

According to a press release, O’Donnell will “assume all strategic and operational leadership for NASCAR, its affiliated racing series and businesses.”

Jim France and Michael Jordan in Daytona 500 Victory Lane

Jim France and Michael Jordan in Daytona 500 Victory Lane

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

The Frances remain firmly in control of the sport in other ways, however. Ben Kennedy, who is the great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will become the sport’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). He was the Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer. Kennedy is a former racer himself, and a winner in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and ARCA Menards East Series.

Kennedy’s mother, Lesa France Kennedy, remains as the Executive Vice Chair and the board of directors, which features Jim France as a core member, is unchanged.

“I am incredibly proud of the strength and stability we’ve achieved across the sport, which gives me tremendous confidence in our plan to transition leadership to Steve as NASCAR’s next CEO and Ben as COO,” said Jim France in a statement.

This is not the first significant executive change for NASCAR in the first few months of the year either. Following the contentious 23XI Racing vs. NASCAR lawsuit that went to trial in December, 2025, before ending in a settlement, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps resigned before the start of the 2026 season. That position has not been filled and those duties have since been spread out between O’Donnell and Kennedy. 

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