Miami (AFP) – Steve Phelps, the commissioner of closed-cockpit NASCAR series, said Tuesday he will resign from the post and leave the company where he has worked for 20 years by the end of January. The move comes following the revelation of insulting 2023 text messages by Phelps, which came to light during an anti-trust trial involving a team co-owned by retired NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Phelps insulted team owner Richard Childress in messages that led a major sponsor to ask for Phelps to be ousted as commissioner of the most popular form of US auto racing just before the anti-trust lawsuit was settled last month. Phelps became president of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in 2018 and was promoted to commissioner last March. He will depart just before next month’s start of the 2026 campaign.
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“As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years,” Phelps said in a statement. “As I embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries, I want to thank the many colleagues, friends and especially the fans that have played such an important and motivational role in my career.”
NASCAR said in a statement that there are no plans to name a new commissioner. “There are no immediate plans to replace the commissioner role or to seek outside leadership as the administration of his responsibilities will be delegated internally through NASCAR’s president and executive leadership team,” the statement said.
© 2024 AFP
