Steve Phelps named president of NASCAR

Steve Phelps has been named the president of NASCAR, effective Oct. 1, the sanctioning body announced Thursday.

“Brent Dewar has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019,” NASCAR said in a news release.

Dewar has been a part of NASCAR since 2013 where he served as the Chief Operating Officer and was appointed the role of president in July of 2017.

“As a life-long fan of NASCAR, the opportunity to provide league-wide leadership is something I am looking forward to,” Phelps said in the news release.

“I am confident that the strong team of leaders here at NASCAR and across the industry will accelerate the necessary changes to grow the sport and engage our passionate fans.”

Phelps joined NASCAR in 2005.

The organization said Phelps “played a key role in significant initiatives, such as negotiating key partnership agreements with Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Comcast and Camping World, the acquisition of NASCAR’s digital and social rights and leading industry collaborative efforts such as the Industry Action Plan and industry-wide marketing platforms.”

Phelps will become the fifth president of NASCAR. Previous men who held the position are NASCAR’s founder Bill France, Bill France Jr. and Mike Helton.