Helton Named New Vice Chairman of NASCAR

NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France announced today that Mike Helton has been named Vice Chairman of NASCAR and Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar has been added to the NASCAR Board of Directors, effective immediately. 

Helton has served as NASCAR President since 2000 and has been with the sanctioning body in various roles since 1994. In his new capacity, Helton will remain the senior NASCAR official at all national series racing events overseeing competition, work closely with France on long-term strategic planning and represent NASCAR in a wide-range of roles to further grow the sport. He remains a member of the board of directors. 

Dewar, who joined NASCAR in December of 2013 after a long career in the automotive industry and later as a consultant to a number of global companies, will assume additional day-to-day operational responsibilities in racing development, innovation and work with NASCAR partners and stakeholders. 

“Mike Helton’s steady hand and decades of experience in every facet of our business have made him a close, trusted advisor to me and my family and his overall impact on NASCAR cannot be overstated,” said France. “With a strong team ready to take on more day-to-day management responsibilities, I’m pleased to now have Mike in a role that will allow us to utilize his unique skills in advancing key priorities for the future of the industry. 

“Adding someone as talented and experienced as Brent Dewar to our board will be highly beneficial to our company and the industry overall. Brent’s operational expertise already has made a big impact and his understanding of how our sport works from multiple perspectives will bring immediate value to how we operate and future initiatives.” 

The moves announced today are part of a long-term strategic plan spearheaded by France to strengthen NASCAR’s senior leadership team and broaden the responsibility for key areas of the business. In December of 2013, NASCAR elevated Steve Phelps to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer and Steve O’Donnell to Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, giving both more direct oversight of key business areas. Phelps and O’Donnell also were relocated from NASCAR’s Daytona Beach headquarters to the Charlotte region to oversee operations at NASCAR Plaza in uptown Charlotte and the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, respectively, and to strengthen alignment and communication with key industry stakeholders based in the Carolinas.