RFK Racing president to depart team for UNC Tar Heels
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — RFK Racing president Steve Newmark will depart the team and join the University of North Carolina Tar Heels athletics program.
Newmark will join Carolina as the executive associate athletic director. He will start Aug. 15. Then, in the summer of 2026, he will become the university’s athletic director.
Carolina touted Newmark for his experience with sponsorships, marketing, team operations and contract negotiations. The university believes he will be a strong fit as they look to “further adapt the Department to needs related to revenue share, NIL and commercial strategy.”
Newmark joined RFK Racing in April 2010 as the senior vice president of business operations. Then, he became the team president in December 2010.
At the start of Newmark’s tenure, the team contended for the title in 2011 and 2012. Then, as veterans Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards left, the team started to decline.
The team had just two wins and two playoff appearances from 2015 to 2021, compared to 33 and 16 in the previous seven season. Despite the struggles, they held on to several key partners – due in no small part to Newmark’s leadership.
When Brad Keselowski bought into the team in 2022, Newmark helped lead the team into a new era with a new name – RFK Racing. RFK has at least one win in each of its three completed seasons. In the previous two, they have multiple wins and at least one playoff appearance. The team even expanded to three full-time cars in 2025 for the first time in eight years.
“It has been a true privilege to learn from and represent Jack Roush and John Henry, and the entire Roush and Fenway organizations. And I firmly believe the RFK team is in a great spot and poised for tremendous success both on and off the track in the years ahead,” Newmark stated.
Newmark also served as a liaison for the teams to NASCAR. In fact, he was instrumental in the creation of the charter system in NASCAR.
The new role with Carolina brings Newmark back to his roots. A native of Chapel Hill, he was a partner at the Charlotte-based law firm Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson before joining RFK. He specialized in sports and entertainment and worked extensively with the Southeastern Conference, Conference USA and the NCAA.
“Now, it’s time for a new chapter. I am heading back home to Chapel Hill to join one of the most respected and successful programs in college sports. I am thrilled to officially become part of UNC Athletics and look forward to joining Tar Heel Nation as we strive for wins and championships across all sports in the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics,” he said.
Newmark also served on the advisory committee that assisted in hiring eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as Carolina’s head football coach.
Categories
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
One thought on “RFK Racing president to depart team for UNC Tar Heels” Leave a comment ›