NASCAR has appointed Steve Phelps as its first ever commissioner and you will find out what his priorities are in this week’s Business of Motorsport Roundup. I also cover F1’s alliance with the UK government, the state of IndyCar’s 2026 calendar and the latest motorsport legal news plus much more.
Motorsport Industry News
Formula 1
In a significant move for the motorsport industry, Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1, engaged in key discussions with parliamentary representatives as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Motorsport, a meeting which underscored the UK’s determination to uphold its stature as a global leader in the motorsport arena. ““Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we celebrate, support, and continue to nurture every aspect of the motorsport industry – from innovators and manufacturers to individual human talent – right here in the UK.”
Formula One is looking to drive fan engagement by using its vast array of data to create more betting opportunities, the sport’s director of commercial partnerships Jonny Haworth said last week.
“We’re on a journey in the betting space at the moment,” Haworth said. “I think we make up 0.4 per cent of the overall global betting handle, which is pretty crazy for a sport the size of Formula One and with a sport that has low latency data at a high volume which is what drives betting.”
The chances of a Formula 1 race in Thailand continue to improve as Williams driver Alex Albon became the latest representative of the series to meet with the country’s prime minister where he came away impressed with the plans.
The FIA has scheduled a meeting with Formula 1’s engine manufacturers to discuss the potential return of the V10 power unit, sources have confirmed to Autosport. While the exact agenda remains unclear, the meeting is expected to gauge whether there is sufficient support among manufacturers for a shift back to V10 engines.
Sport Business explains how F1 TV Premium is a response to what grey-market pirates had introduced to the market five years ago and continue to improve. “Race Control was shut down in 2022 after Formula 1 began protecting its live streams with digital rights management software – this prevented the app from taking the streams. But in its place came Multiviewer, an app that has thus far managed to circumvent Formula 1’s ‘DRM’ and build on Race Control’s legacy as the best F1 TV user experience on the market.”
General Motorsport Industry News
In a high-profile move that will draw attention around sports, NASCAR owners Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy have promoted President Steve Phelps to the newly created position of commissioner, making him the first person in company history to hold that title.
“Phelps, 62, will focus on strategy and international expansion of NASCAR, and oversee the IMSA sports car property that NASCAR owns and all 15 of the race tracks it owns. Phelps will remain on NASCAR’s board of directors.”
In his first conversation since being named Commissioner of NASCAR earlier this week, Steve Phelps reiterated the importance having all elements of the sport pulling the rope in the same direction. “But in my opinion, the more we act like a league, the better it’ll be for all stakeholders. Not just NASCAR the company, but NASCAR the sport because we are stronger together than we are apart. So, to me, that is the No. 1 thing in my job that is the most critical.”
MotoGP this past weekend had its best crowd in the U.S. since 2018, according to Circuit of the Americas Chairman Bobby Epstein, as the motorbike racing property made its sole annual stop to the country reports Sports Business Journal. While COTA didn’t announce specifics, Epstein told SBJ that attendance was the top for a MotoGP event since 2018, and he called it a “good weekend.”
RACER looks at how COTA is pushing to make its Lone Star Le Mans a WEC marquee event. “We’ve been applying all our experience to try and make this one of our ‘majors.’ It’s a highlight of our season, and we need to make it an event that attracts people from far away with campers, RVs, every year, hanging out watching the racing, bringing friends and family.”
RACER also looks at the state of play with Indycar’s 2026 calendar. “It is the objective,” Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles told RACER. “It’s more likely than not to be the number. But we’ve always said that if it was 16 or 18, those results are conceivable. It just depends on the opportunities. So I think it’s more likely than not to be 17.”
Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week
- Inside Dempsey Racing: Patrick Dempsey’s Journey in Motorsports (CEO Today)
- Ratel: No Plans for New GT World Challenge Title Sponsor (Sportscar365)
- Sports Blockchain Summit – NYC (Sporting Crypto)
- Formula 1, STEM and Africa – the race to the future (Maja Czarzasty-Zybert)
- FIA teams up with UNESCO to tackle racism in sport (BlackBook Motorsport)
- Brehanna Daniels is Breaking Barriers in NASCAR’s Fast Lane (Boardroom)
- From Fan to Force: Tasia Johnson’s Drive to Redefine Motorsports Content (Boardroom)
- Toyota’s conquest of the Safari Rally in pursuit of brand reliability (Medium)
- Reimagined Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Reopens To The Public (Forbes)
- HRC Launches Memorabilia Business to Share Historic Race Artifacts, Including Formula 1 Engines and Parts, with Customers (Honda)
- Industry Insights: Long Beach Grand Prix President Jim Michaelian (PRI)
- Craft-Bamboo Racing Partners with Radical Motorsport to form Radical Japan (Radical Motorsport)
- Le Mans gets new MotoGP deal to host French GP (Autosport)
- MotoGP isn’t just about riding fast – subterfuge was always part of the game (Motorsport Magazine)
- Fontana redevelopment plan on pause, NASCAR concedes (RACER)
- Amazon Prime To Support Larson’s ‘Double’ Pursuit (SpeedSport)
- European sports entertainment broadcaster DAZN has announced its acquisition of the Foxtel Group. (SpeedCafe)
- Sports Franchises: The Hottest Asset Class in the World (Profluence Sports)
- F1 shows off new Grand Prix Plaza in Vegas (SBJ)
Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup
Using natural fibre composite solutions in motorcycle racing is one of the topics covered in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. You will also find out about reducing F1’s logistics carbon footprint, watch a video on motorsport sustainability and much more.
The Numbers
Blinkfire conducts an analysis of social media engagement and the performance of luxury sponsorships in the first two grands prix of the year. “Now, with the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix in the books, we’re diving into the performance of luxury sponsorships and the record-breaking engagement fueling F1’s explosive start.”
NASCAR averaged 2.42 million viewers for its Cup Series race at Martinsville on FS1. “Viewership was up 11 per cent over last year’s race at the circuit, but was down 27 per cent compared to the comparable race weekend in Richmond last season, although this was shown on the main Fox channel.”
Motorsport Law Roundup
A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week
Legacy Motor Club has filed a lawsuit against Rick Ware Racing over the sale of a charter, and has asked for a temporary restraining order. “Legacy Motor Club, which is owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, alleges Ware has backed out of a signed deal. The organization began searching for a third charter in October 2024 and learned that one from Ware was on the market.”
Courthouse News Service has background on the dispute.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed a motion last Wednesday to dismiss NASCAR’s counterclaim while calling it “an act of desperation.” “NASCAR’s retaliatory counterclaim is an act of desperation that cannot withstand a motion to dismiss.”
I am late to the party but I just finished Formula One and Beyond: The Autobiography By Max Mosley. If you are at all interested in the legal implications of international motorsport, this is a must read. Covering everything from the FISA-FOCA war, Crashgate and the infamous 100 year sale of F1 commercial rights, this book gives you a first-hand look at what transpired. It even has an appendix on how the FIA works. Well worth the read.
Motorsport Sponsorship, Partnership News and Analysis
Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week
- The Importance of F1 Watch Sponsorship: A Timeless Partnership (RTR Sports)
- Wendy’s to back Jones Camaro in Taupo (SpeedCafe)
- John Force Looks to Son-in-Law Graham Rahal for Latest NHRA Sponsorship Deal (Autoweek)
- F1: Sauber extend Edelweiss partnership (BlackBook Motorsport)
- NHRA brings on Octagon for media rights consulting ahead of next TV cycle (SBJ)
- EnerSys Renews ODYSSEY Battery Sponsorship Deal with Team BRIT (Insider Media)
- The clever marketing behind Lego in F1 (SpeedCafe)
- Supercars Announces Snowy River Caravans as Tasmania Super440 Naming Rights Partner (Supercars)
- New naming rights announced for Supercars events (SpeedCafe)
- Motorsport Meets the Future of Finance: CryptoProcessing by CoinsPaid Joins Forces with Eduardo and Fernando Barrichello (Reuters)
- Robinhood Joins 23XI Racing as an Official Partner for 2025 Season (23XI Racing)
- IndyCar benefits from Ziggo’s American motorsport love-in (Sport Business Media)
- Kumho Tire’s Motorsport Strategy Bolstered by BMW M Class Sponsorship (Business Korea)
- Lamborghini Squadra Corse partners with Alpinestars for racewear (Lamborghini)
- Bell Racing is the official helmet supplier of AIX Racing in Formula 2 and Formula 3 (Racing Force)
- RDA, the UK’s leading R&D and Intellectual Property (IP) consultancy, is continuing its partnership with United Autosports (United Autosports)
- Formula E and Infosys launch the Formula E Stats Centre (Formula E)
- INFINOX Sponsors Porsche Cup Brazil Following Casagrande’s Appointment as Brand Ambassador (Trading View)
- Campos Racing and Extranet Systems Join Forces at the Bahrain Event (Campos Racing)
- Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic and Juncos Hollinger Racing Celebrate Continued Partnership (Juncos Hollinger)
The Business of Running a Race Team
Team & Manufacturer News
Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport
- Bingo Sports Corvette Joins Suzuka 1000km Field (Sportscar365)
- Land Motorsport to Make Series Debut With Late Audi Entry (Sportscar365)
- Arise Racing GT Unveils Second Ferrari Lineup (Sportscar365)
- Abiteboul (Genesis): ELMS Effort The “Best Option” To Prepare For WEC Debut (Daily Sportscar)
- JMF More Than Tripled Staff in SRO America Expansion (Sportscar365)
- Aston Martin to sell F1 team stake as Stroll invests more money (Autosport)
- The Remarkable Story Of Shell And Team Penske’s ‘Seasons Of Success’ (Forbes)
- Ex-IndyCar President Jay Frye Hired At Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Forbes)
- Adam Adelson Acquires Wright Motorsports, Paving the Way for New Era of Growth (Wright Motorsports)
- Adelson Plotting GTWC America, Carrera Cup Expansion for Wright (Sportscar365)
- Two More GT4 European Series Debutants (Daily Sportscar)
- Team Thor Switch To GT Open (Daily Sportscar)
- PremiAir Racing expands with new CEO signing (Supercars)
- SJM Theodore Racing Gets Set For Second Season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Championship (SJM Theodore Racing)
- JSB Compétition returns to TCR Europe for the 2025 season (TCR)
- McLaren Racing takes on new minority co-ownership with immediate effect (GP Blog)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
