“They Represent the Future of the Sport!” Jim France Breaks Silence on Massive NASCAR Leadership Change
Outgoing NASCAR CEO Jim France has shared his thoughts on the massive leadership change, with Steve O’Donnell and Ben Kennedy promotions.
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Ben Kennedy, Steve O’Donnell and Jim France (Via sports.yahoo.com)
NASCAR has broken eight-decade long tradition, as Jim France stepped down as the CEO of the sport and handed over the control to Steve O’Donnell. He is the first person outside the France family to take over the leadership of the sport, a position once held by the likes of Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr. and Brian France.
The majority owner of the sport will continue to be involved in the sport as the chairman of the board, with Ben Kennedy, who was promoted to COO set lead the sport alongside the CEO. Talking about the decision to stand down, France pointed out that he is moving on to give the reigns to the people who are the future of the sport
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. Together, they represent the future of the sport, and along with our world-class executive team and race team partners in the garage, they will guide NASCAR into its exciting next era.
Jim France said via a statement.
The veteran is leaving the sport is stable position to grow with the $1.1 billion a year media deal that will last till 2031 and a better relationship among the teams, following the settlement of controversial charter lawsuit. This was not the first major change of the season though, as ahead of the year Steve Phelps also exited the leadership group.
Daniel Suarez got the perfect reaction to Jim France stepping down
Spire Motorsports star driver Daniel Suarez shared his thoughts on Jim France decision ahead of the Talladega race. He pointed out that the outgoing CEO was a key figure in the sports’ evolution over the years and Steve O’Donnell is the right person to help the sport continue to grow, as the senior official has been with the sport for a long-time.
Jim France, I believe that he has done a great job. Obviously, he has a lot of experience, he has seen a lot of things, but you know, the sport continues to evolve, continues to grow, and I think OD, he’s been around the sport for a very long time. He has a lot of experience. He has a lot of energy, too. He’s young, so I think that’s going to be very good for him.
Daniel Suarez said at Talladega via nascar.com.
The former Trackhouse Racing driver also shared his thoughts about Ben Kennedy taking over the COO role. They have raced against each other in the past and has a lot of respect for each other. The Mexican American feels the young official has earned his spot and is a very smart person capable of pushing the sport to the right direction.
Obviously, Ben, he is very, very young. I mean, I feel like he’s my age. We raced together, he has a lot of experience and a very, very smart guy. So, I think it’s good. I think it’s going to continue to push the sport to continue to think outside the box and continue to move forward.
Daniel Suarez added.
With the promotions, NASCAR now has two key figures that represent thinking outside the box and stabilization in the leadership. It would be interesting to see how they are going to lead the stock car racing championship in the coming years.
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