Published: 15:23 GMT, 6 January 2026 | Updated: 15:27 GMT, 6 January 2026
NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps is stepping away from the stockcar circuit less than a month after settling an antitrust lawsuit with team owners, including [NBA](/sport/nba/index.html) legend [Michael Jordan](/sport/michael-jordan/index.html).
A NASCAR veteran of more than 20 years, Phelps will leave the role at the end of the month, according to a statement released Tuesday. Phelps thanked his 'many colleagues, friends, and especially the fans' whom he got to know during his career with the massive racing entity.
NASCAR recently endured a bruising federal trial in which two race teams accused the circuit of being a monopolistic bully. The Jordan-led lawsuit included eight days of testimony that embarrassed NASCAR until the France family settled a day before Hall of Fame owners Rick Hendrick and Roger Penske were due to testify.
The settlement came after the public release of a letter from a key sponsor, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, calling for Phelps to be removed.
The discovery process revealed internal NASCAR communications in which Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress a 'redneck' and other derogatory names. Bass Pro sponsors Childress' teams, as well as some others, and Morris is an ardent NASCAR supporter.
The landmark agreement will change the current revenue sharing and charter models.
NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps is stepping away from the stockcar circuit less than a month after settling an antitrust with team owners, including NBA legend Michael Jordan
Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, leaves the Charles R Jonas Federal Building on December 1
A charter is the equivalent of the franchise model used in other sports and in NASCAR it guarantees 36 teams a spot in every top-level Cup Series race and a fixed portion of the revenue stream.
The system was implemented in 2016 and teams have argued for over two years that the charters needed to be made permanent - they had been revokable by NASCAR - and the revenue sharing had to change.
NASCAR, founded and privately owned by the Florida-based France family, never considered making the charters permanent. Instead, after two-plus years of bitter negotiations, NASCAR in September 2024 presented a 'take-it-or leave-it' final offer that gave teams until end of that day to sign the 112-page document.
Jordna's team, 23XI and Front Row, refused and sued, while 13 other organizations signed but testimony in court revealed many did so 'with a gun to our head' because the threat of losing the charters would have put them out of business.
Jordan testified early in the trial that as a new team owner to NASCAR - 23XI launched in 2021 - he felt he had the strength to challenge NASCAR. Eight days of testimony went badly for NASCAR, which when it began to present its case seemed focused more on mitigating damages than it did on proving it did not violate antitrust laws.
Although terms of the settlement were not released - NASCAR was in the process of scheduling a Thursday afternoon call with all teams to discuss the revenue-sharing model moving forward - both Jordan and NASCAR said that charters will now be permanent for all teams. 23XI and Front Row will receive their combined six charters back for 2026.
An economist previously testified that NASCAR owes 23XI and Front Row $364.7 million in damages, and that NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021-24.
'Today's a good day,' Jordan said after announcing the settlement in December.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who had presided over two days of failed settlement talks before the trial began, echoed the sentiment. Bell told the jury that sometimes parties at trial have to see how the evidence unfolds to come to the wisdom of a settlement.
'I wish we could've done this a few months ago,' Bell said in court. 'I believe this is great for NASCAR. Great for the future of NASCAR. Great for the entity of NASCAR. Great for the teams and ultimately great for the fans.'
In this image taken from video, Michael Jordan, center, speaks after the December settlement
Childress, who Phelps referred to as a 'redneck,' gave fiery testimony earlier the trial over his reluctance to sign the charter agreement because it was unfair to the teams, which have been bleeding money and begged NASCAR for concessions.
Letters from Hall of Fame team owners Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush and Roger Penske were introduced in which they pleaded with France for charters to become permanent; France testified he was not moved by the men he considers good friends.
Hendrick and Penske, who were both scheduled to testify Friday, expressed gratitude that a settlement had been reached. Penske called it 'tremendous news' and said it cleared the way to continue growing the series.
'Millions of loyal NASCAR fans and thousands of hardworking people rely on our industry, and today's resolution allows all of us to focus on what truly matters - the future of our sport,' Hendrick said. 'This moment presents an important opportunity to strengthen our relationships and recommit ourselves to building a collaborative and prosperous future for all stakeholders. I'm incredibly optimistic about what's ahead.'