NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell has addressed growing speculation around the sport’s future ownership, making it clear that while the governing body remains open to strategic partnerships, it’s not for sale.
NASCAR remains privately owned and operated by the France family. Bill France Sr. founded the league in 1948. The league is now led by his son Jim France and granddaughter Lesa France Kennedy.
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Speculation has been growing since the start of this year that the France family is open to selling in NASCAR, especially as major sports leagues and racing organizations continue to attract outside investment. Discussing it, Steve O’Donnell explained that the sport has a history of working with partners on specific projects but dismissed any suggestion that the France family is looking to sell the sport.
Here’s what the NASCAR president said (via X/Adam Stern):
“I think what gets lost a little bit there is the Frances have been open to that in the past; we have partners in Kansas City with a casino. We’ve partnered on different real estate areas. So certainly if you look at different areas, if we went and raced in California, could there be a potential partner that works with us around a track or real estate? Sure, there’s ideas. But in terms of, ‘Is NASCAR for sale by any means?’ No.”
His statement suggests that future collaborations could emerge if the sport expands into new markets.
Front Row Motorsports had not retained Chandler Smith for the 2027 NASCAR season
Earlier this week, Front Row Motorsports (FRM) officially confirmed that they are not extending the contract of Chandler Smith to drive the #38 Ford in the 2027 Craftsman Truck Series.
In a statement posted on X, FRM said:
“Chandler Smith will not return to Front Row Motorsports in 2027. We would like to extend our gratitude to Chandler for being a great representative of our Craftsman Truck Series program. The list of accomplishments that he and (the) No. 38 team have obtained are impressive, with four wins to-date over the past two seasons, and we wish him the best on his continued career path.”
Smith joined FRM in the 2025 season, and four out of his nine career Truck Series wins came under the FRM banner. He has recorded two wins, eight top-5s, and 10 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 11.7 through the first 16 races this season. He stands third in the points standings with 153 points, behind series leader and teammate Layne Riggs.
Edited by Yash Soni