NASCAR president speaks out about new direction after huge changes

NASCAR News Monday, February 9, 2026 at 10:04 AM ET •By Chris Deeley

NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell has issued a strong statement on where he believes the sport is, coming into a hotly anticipated new season.

The sport has undergone a raft of changes since November's championship race at Phoenix, with permanent charters for teams, a new postseason format and leadership changes at the top.

The change with the biggest week-to-week impact on racing is the reintroduction of the ten-race Chase to decide the champion, removing the overwhelmingly unpopular playoff system introduced a decade ago.

The other changes stemmed from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports' antitrust suit against NASCAR, with permanent charters being introduced as part of the settlement and commissioner Steve Phelps resigning in no small part due to inflammatory text messages he sent, which were revealed in the process of the case.

NASCAR president: We're all in

O'Donnell told The Athletic that NASCAR is 'all in' on its changes and current direction, but admitted that some humility was necessary to get to that point.

He said: “It starts with being a little humble about where you are as a sport, being honest with where you are as a sport, what the challenges are, but also what the opportunities are, and then, not just talking about it, but doing it.

"Our commitment from NASCAR is that we’re all in. We are going to work our asses off with this industry, putting wins on the board, specifically for our fans. I think people believe that the direction we’re heading in has the potential to be really good. It’ll take time, but we’re all-in to prove that out.”

The 57-year-old added: “There’s a big opportunity for us to just get out there and, I think, just be who we are. I think it’s a good year to level-set. I’m bullish about it.”