NASCAR fans versus the governing body, has been a tale as old as time. Obviously, every sport needs a governing body to make it official. These governing bodies run the sport, set the rules and market the sport to audiences, and so much more. However, there will be times when the governing body makes decisions that fans and athletes are not happy with. That pretty much sums up NASCAR’s relationship with the fans.

The latest news from NASCAR is that President Steve Phelps has been handed a new position. As per reports, he will be granted the position of commissioner, and NASCAR declared that he was the first one ever. Phelps has played the role of NASCAR president since 2018, and he is now in his 7th year. During his tenure as president, he helped broker ground-breaking TV deals with FOX and NBC. More recently, he was instrumental in also roping in Amazon Prime Video, TNT and The CW.

Now in his new role, Phelps is expected to oversee all NASCAR and International Motorsports Association (IMSA) operations. This also includes all 15 NASCAR-owned or operated tracks. On the IMSA front, Phelps’ duties do not affect current IMSA President John Doonan. Rather, he will work closely with owners Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy in representing the best interests and fueling the growth of the company.

Phelps has been a NASCAR employee since 2005, starting off as vice president of corporate marketing. A year later, he took on the role of chief marketing officer, a position he occupied for 12 years. Finally, in April 2018, he earned a promotion to CEO; five months later, he was promoted again to president of NASCAR.

In its 75-year history, Steve Phelps is the stock car racing series’ fifth President. Now, the sport has seemingly seen fit to promote Phelps again, this time in the new role of Commissioner. As per reports, one of his new tasks will be to “provide value to all stakeholders while increasing global fan engagement.”

While the details are still murky on the tasks, one of them could refer to charter dealings with the teams. One of his biggest challenges will be dealing with the ongoing 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit. On a more positive note, Phelps could also try and offer fans a better viewing experience when he takes on the commissioner role.

Although NASCAR isn’t a stick and ball sport, the current changes hint that they are heading in that direction. And, NASCAR fans couldn’t help but highlight their hypocrisy in following the popular model while restricting the team with a charter deal.

NASCAR fans are not convinced by all this

One fan joked on Reddit, “Commissioner? I wonder who’s going to be the first driver to go one on one with the Undertaker?” Some others looked to the roles of commissioners in other sports, “So we can now boo him like sports fans do all other commissioners in their respective leagues?” 

There were also some NASCAR historians who called out the sport for inaccuracy, “NASCAR calling Phelps the first commissioner is wrong. Former auto executive Bunkie Knudsen was commissioner of NASCAR in the 80s and 90s. He only dealt with hearing appeals and it was largely ceremonial, but to say Phelps is the first NASCAR commissioner is wrong.” Incidentally, the first commissioner was Erwin ‘Cannonball’ Baker in 1947, and Knudsen was the third-to-last. He was succeeded by Charles Strang, and the last commissioner was John Middlebrook.

Finally, some fans said, “So they don’t want to be like stick and ball sports with the charters, but will make the management like stick and ball sports.” Another response was, “How the f–k do the two dudes ruining the sport the most get promoted?” NASCAR’s stubbornness over the playoff format and the charter deal isn’t something to cheer about. All of the recent trouble has happened under the watch of Steve O’Donnell and Phelps, but they are the ones being promoted. This, in turn, could lead to more problems for the NASCAR fans.

Some even took a dig at the new commissioner over the horsepower debate, stating that the new normal will be 269 across all racetracks. “As new commissioner, he has lowered HP to 269 across all tracks to increase full throttle racing% across the sport.” 

Usually, the commissioner is assigned after the team owners and other important stakeholders agree to the new posting. Take the NFL and NBA into account here; Roger Goodell and Adam Silver are trusted with the smooth functioning of the league or series and also resolve disputes while promoting growth. However, in Phelps’ case, he is representing the France family and this difference was highlighted by this fan. “A commissioner is agreed-upon and appointed by the entities governed by the organization (ie., the teams’ owners), not the organization itself. This is just a changing of the nameplate on the guy’s office door and a new email signature.”

What are your take on Steve Phelps’ new role and how big of an impact will this have on the everyday functioning of the sport? For the time being it’s a mystery, but you can share your take in the comments sections.