New NASCAR CEO making his mark

Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ today:

• Steve O’Donnell races to make imprint on NASCAR
• SBJ unveils Game Changers Class of 2026
• Stanford football becomes first to partner with College Football Players Association
• A’s get investment from group featuring Chan Ho Park and BTS’ Suga, FIFA president lashes out on Insta, Banana Ball takes over Wrigley Field and more

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THE BIG STORY

Having worked at NASCAR for more than 30 years on both the business and competition sides, starting as marketing services representative in 1996, the 57-year-old Steve O’Donnell is well respected in the sport. When NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps departed in January, O’Donnell, then president, was left as the clear leader of the sanctioning body. He became CEO in April after Jim France relinquished the position and retained the role of chairman.

In 2026, NASCAR is enjoying some moments of relative serenity after several tension-filled years on the business side that culminated with an antitrust trial between the sanctioning body and two of its teams. It’s also reverted to a more traditional championship format, earning a reprieve and fresh look from some of its previously lapsed fans.

But the sport has little time to rest considering the fierce competitive nature of motorsports and the challenges of the overall sports business, as SBJ’s Adam Stern reports on the challenges O’Donnell faces in replacing Phelps’ expertise and deep roster of contacts while making NASCAR appealing to younger consumers and shepherding its next generations of leaders.

Read the full story >>

5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING

1. SBJ unveils Game Changers Class of 2026: The 16th annual list honoring women for their leadership, innovation and accomplishments in sports business grows to 60 this year as the recognition expands to include women from around the world.

2. Stanford football becomes first to partner with College Football Players Association: While players aren’t forming a union or asking to become university employees, their announcement marks the first step to setting up a collective bargaining unit for college athletes.

3. South Korean group led by Chan Ho Park investing $70M in A’s: Team61, a South Korean group led by retired MLB pitcher Chan Ho Park and featuring Suga of K-pop group BTS and actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim, already invested $55 million. Park will become a senior adviser to A’s owner John Fisher, especially on Asia initiatives.

4. FIFA’s Gianni Infantino hits out at World Cup critics in essay: The FIFA president attacked critics for “spreading hate” at the 2026 World Cup in an Instagram post, claiming the event experienced no security incidents and that the event’s major controversies were “wins.”

5. Bananas wrap up three-day sellout at Wrigley Field: The Savannah Bananas drew more than 120,000 during their stint at the venerable ballpark, with notable former Cubs such as Ben Zobrist, Kerry Wood and David Ross and Bears Chair George McCaskey taking part and a fleet of merchandise tents surrounding Wrigley Field.

ON THE MOVE

• Pacers Sports & Entertainment named Lakers Manager/Business Analytics and Strategy Nikhil Morar as director/business intelligence. Morar, a 2025 SBJ New Voices Under 30 honoree, will oversee analytics initiatives that support revenue growth, fan engagement and executive decision-making as part of leading the organization’s business intelligence strategy (SBJ).
• Tim Leiweke’s Entrepreneur Equity Partners is acquiring a minority stake in EFL Championship club Bolton Wanderers that will see Leiweke appointed to the BOD and partner Keegan McDonald serving as a board observer (Bolton News, 7/24).
• Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper announced that he will step down from the role at the end of the year. Josh Rubinstein will succeed Harper as CEO in January and will remain as track president. Harper will become CEO emeritus and remain director on the DMTC board. Harper came to Del Mar in 1977 as the track’s GM. (San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/24).
• REV Entertainment promoted Jared Schrom to COO and EVP; Starr Gulledge to EVP/finance and Administration; Madison SanFilippo to chief strategy and marketing officer and SVP, Scott Hays to chief legal officer and SVP; and named Brian Lyter to VP/sports management (REV Entertainment).

NAMES IN THE NEWS

• The federal probe of Dodgers and Lakers owner Mark Walter’s asset management firm and two of his insurance companies was sparked by an inside whistleblower complaint. It questions how Guggenheim Investments booked revenue from insurance companies Walter owns. The probe could be a serious threat to Walter’s business holdings (Wall Street Journal, 7/26).
• Yea Alabama, the official NIL entity and fan experience for Alabama athletics, suspended its content director, Robert Suttles, after his arrest during a Shelby County human trafficking operation (WVTM13.com, 7/24).
• Raiders TE Brock Bowers and his girlfriend, Cameron Newell, got engaged Thursday (ESPN.com, 7/25).

HOT READS

The L.A. Times went with the header, “Hall of Famer Joe Torre passionate about going to bat for kids at risk of family violence.” Fans are “well-versed on Torre’s baseball bona fides,” but they “might not be aware of the most meaningful part of his legacy: He’s spent the past 24 years helping people who actually would need to be introduced to him.” Kids who are “too young to know Torre the player, manager, color commentator — but who can, unfortunately, relate with what he went through when he was their age.” Kids who, “like him, are growing up afraid and anxious because of domestic violence at home, and who need what Torre didn’t have — somewhere safe to go to for help.”

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