Jeff Gordon Reacts to Steve Phelps Resigning as NASCAR President

NASCAR leadership news usually lands with all the glamour of a spreadsheet, until it comes with courtroom baggage and the kind of text-message phrasing you definitely don’t want read aloud in public. That’s the setup for Steve Phelps stepping down as NASCAR commissioner at the end of January, less than a year after taking the newly created role.

And because nothing in motorsports stays quiet for more than five seconds, Jeff Gordon weighed in with the most “adult in the room” reaction you could ask for. He praised Phelps for what he did right, plus a blunt acknowledgment that the timing—given everything that has happened—makes this a transition NASCAR probably had coming.

If you’ve watched Jeff Gordon grow from the kid who made people mad by winning too much into the executive who has to smile politely in meetings, you know he doesn’t usually fire off hot takes just for the thrill of it. Gordon said Phelps had a rare ability to move between different groups in the sport—broadcast partners, manufacturers, competitors, tracks, sponsors, media—and that kind of connective leadership will be “hard to replace.”

Then he followed it with the line that tells you exactly where the temperature is: Gordon called the moment a “necessary transition point,” saying Phelps helped position NASCAR for its next chapter, and now it’s on the industry’s leaders to build on that foundation and keep the sport moving forward.

1. Why Steve Phelps Is Leaving NASCAR at the End of January

Officially: Phelps is resigning at the end of January after a 20-year run at NASCAR that began in 2005 and included roles like president before he became commissioner. Unofficially: his exit follows weeks of scrutiny connected to a federal antitrust lawsuit involving 23XI Racing (co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin) and Front Row Motorsports. During discovery, messages from Phelps became public—most notably a text exchange where he used a derogatory insult about team owner Richard Childress and wrote that Childress “needs to be taken out back and flogged.” The blowback wasn’t small, and it wasn’t contained to social media shouting. AP reports that Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris wrote a letter demanding Phelps’ removal. The lawsuit was settled in December. And now, NASCAR is moving forward without him—whether you read that as “fresh start” or “we’d like this story to stop being the story.”

2. Phelps’ Statement Sounds Like a Goodbye Letter

Phelps’ public statement reads like someone trying to close the book without ripping the pages out. He said he was proud to have served as NASCAR’s first commissioner and highlighted the “passion of our fans” and the dedication of teams and partners. He also said he plans to pursue opportunities outside the organization. None of that erases the reason this is happening, but it does underscore something people often forget. Even in NASCAR, where drama is essentially a secondary fuel source, the top job still comes with real personal consequences.

3. What Gordon Means by “Necessary Transition”

When Gordon calls it a necessary transition, he’s not just talking about replacing a title on a business card. He’s talking about NASCAR trying to stabilize its credibility while asking teams, sponsors, and fans to refocus on racing again. And Gordon isn’t pretending Phelps didn’t matter. He credited Phelps for pushing NASCAR to take smart risks and be more welcoming to new and existing fans—basically, the stuff that helps the sport grow beyond its usual bubble. But the subtext is obvious: when leadership becomes the headline, racing loses. NASCAR wants the product to be the product again. Here’s the part that will either calm you down or make you squint suspiciously: NASCAR says it has no immediate plans to replace Phelps as commissioner. Instead, responsibilities are being distributed internally, with President Steve O’Donnell and the existing leadership team overseeing operations. On paper, that’s “stability.” In practice, it’s NASCAR telling everyone that they are not starting a messy public search while the sport’s already trying to climb out of a messy public story.

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