Charlotte, N.C. – The fallout from NASCAR’s federal antitrust trial continued into the new year as NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps on Tuesday announced his resignation after more than 20 years with the top racing series in the United States.

His resignation comes after last month’s trial in which inflammatory texts Phelps sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations were revealed. Phelps will leave the company at the end of the month, ahead of the start of the first exhibition race of the season on Feb. 1.

He was named NASCAR’s first commissioner last season after a courting process for the same role by the PGA golf tour. The opportunity with the PGA was revealed during December testimony of the antitrust trial brought by two race teams against NASCAR and Phelps testified he pulled out of consideration for that role upon the NASCAR promotion from president.

The top executive at NASCAR was deeply bruised during the trial – and the discovery process leading into it – when communications he exchanged with his leadership team was exposed. In one exchange, Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress “a stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”

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The Auto Show announced that there will be an immersive Visit Detroit Interactive Experience, located in the Atrium at Huntington Place

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• Coding and virtual reality-based technician training with Code 313
• A motorsports simulation with Pit Lanes Sim Racing
• A kid-focus Power Wheels track, presented by Jeep and Ram.

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For more information on the 2026 Auto Show, open to the public at Huntington Place from Jan. 17-25, click here.

Steve Phelps, the commissioner of US motor racing’s Nascar series, has resigned from his role after over 20 years at the organization, amid the fallout from a scandal related to the sport’s recent major antitrust trial.

During the trial, which resulted in a settlement between Nascar and its 23XI and Front Row Motorsports teams, malicious texts sent by Phelps were revealed.

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In an exchange between himself and Nascar vice president Brian Herbst, Phelps was revealed to have repeatedly disparaged Richard Childress, owner of the RCR organization (which fields two Nascar Cup teams), including claiming that the team owner owed all of his fortune to Nascar, among other more graphic insults. 

The revelation drew significant criticism, perhaps most notably from Johnny Morris, the founder of the Bass Pro Shops retail chain – a prominent Nascar sponsor via the Bass Pro Shops Night Race cup series event, and a backer of RCR – who penned a letter in support of Childress calling for Phelps to be removed from his position.

That letter was published just days before the conclusion of the lawsuit, which resulted in the establishment of permanent “evergreen” team charters (the series’ revenue sharing model introduced in 2016).

These messages came back in 2023, when Phelps was president, when RCR was locked in charter negotiations with Nascar, but they now nonetheless seem to have cost Phelps his position.

Nonetheless, the France family, Nascar’s owners, strongly credited Phelps with pushing the series forward during his tenure, wishing him well in a statement, with executive vice president Lisa France Kennedy saying: “Steve leaves Nascar with a transformative legacy of innovation and collaboration with an unrelenting growth mindset.”

Phelps joined Nascar in 2005 as vice president of corporate marketing, becoming chief marketing officer the following year.

This was the beginning of a consistent ascent from Phelps, who was elevated to executive vice president in 2013, before becoming chief operating officer in April 2018, before becoming just the fifth president in Nascar history in September 2018.

Phelps became commissioner in 2025, taking up that newly created role with a wider remit as to the governance of the sport compared to the commissioner position.

Steve O’Donnell, who replaced Phelps as Nascar president, will assume the duties of commissioner in the interim, alongside the sport’s executive leadership team.

Following his exit, Phelps said he will look to follow “new pursuits in sports and other industries.”

Phelps previously served as vice president of corporate marketing at American football’s elite NFL, and as head of global sales at the Wasserman Media Group agency.

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Cummins Inc. has joined NASCAR ahead of the 2026 season. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen will drive the No. 12 Cummins Ram 1500 for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Kaulig Racing.

Queen is entering his first full-time season of NASCAR competition. Cummins branding will be on the No. 12 truck as a primary sponsor for every race of the 2026 season.

Kaulig Racing is making the switch to Ram for the 2026 season. Cummins and Ram have a long history as they launched the first Cummins-powered Dodge Ram back in 1989. 3.5M Ram trucks have been built with Cummins power.

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen comments

“To have a company with Cummins’ history and worldwide reputation support me is incredible,” Queen said via the team release.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this Ram 1500 and represent Cummins and Kaulig Racing every weekend. This is the type of opportunity every driver dreams about.”

“To have a company with Cummins’ history and worldwide reputation support me is incredible,” Queen added. “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this Ram 1500 and represent Cummins and Kaulig Racing every weekend. This is the type of opportunity every driver dreams about.”

Chris Rice comments

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Cummins to the Kaulig Racing family,” said Chris Rice, Chief Executive Officer of Kaulig Racing.

“Their engineering excellence and commitment to innovation are a perfect match for our vision. Brenden is an exceptional talent, and we’re building a program around him that we believe can compete for wins and make a playoff run right away.”

Cummins comments

“Cummins has racing in its DNA,” said Brett Merritt, Vice President and President, Engine Business, Cummins.

“From Clessie Cummins’ winning the first Indianapolis 500 as a crew member to our leadership in commercial power, we’ve always pushed the limits of what’s possible. Brenden Queen represents that same spirit – talented, hardworking, and full of momentum. Partnering with both Kaulig Racing and Ram provides the opportunity for us to continue to write our motorsport legacy.”

The Cummins truck will make it’s debut at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13.

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NASCAR Cup Series team, Kaulig Racing, has signed a sponsorship deal with Cummins Motorsports for its Truck Series debut. The team will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series, featuring RAM trucks in the 2026 season. The global power technology leader will primarily sponsor Brenden “Butterbean” Queen in the #12 Truck the entire season.

The Cup Series team’s newest sponsor has a long history of engineering expertise and was founded in 1919 by Clessie Cummins and William Glanton Irwin. The company initially focused on developing diesel engines. Cummins was part of the crew for the Marmon Wasp that clinched the first-ever Indianapolis 500 in 1911 before starting his own company.

A few years later, in 1931, Cummins debuted his first diesel-powered car as a special engineering entry, surprising everyone. The car ran 500 miles without refueling and finished the race in P13, using only $1.40 worth of fuel. Three years later, in 1934, Kaulig Racing’s new sponsor returned with two different engines: 2-cycle and 4-cycle. The race proved that 4-cycle engines were superior, and Cummins continued to use them.

Fast forward to 1952, Cummins set a new record with the only diesel-powered car to win the Indy 500 pole position. In 1987, it clinched its first modern Cummins-branded Indy 500 victory with a retired Penske Racing car. The three-time Indy 500 winner, Al Unser Sr., drove the #25 Cummins Holset car and delivered the brand its first-ever Indy 500 victory.

Cummins Inc. also worked with NASCAR teams before sponsoring Kaulig Racing. The company entered the Cup Series with the championship-winning team, Stewart-Haas Racing, in 2022 in selected events. Cummins sponsored the #14 Ford Mustang, driven by Chase Briscoe.

The #14 Ford Mustang, sponsored by Cummins, debuted during the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Briscoe secured a P24 finish, followed by a 15th place in the 2022 Atlanta Motor Speedway race. Later, he secured a P23 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 18th place at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We Don’t Want To Disrespect Them at All” – When Kaulig Racing President Got Candid About His Plan To Balance the Team’s Loyalty Between Two OEMs

NASCAR Cup Series team Kaulig Racing will become the first team to feature two different OEMs. Team president Chris Rice appeared in an interview with Bob Pockrass in August 2025. Rice discussed his plan to maintain the balance between the two manufacturers.

The North Carolina-based team has a long history with Chevy and has been with the OEM since its debut. Kaulig Racing clinched two Cup victories and 27 Xfinity Series victories while driving Chevy cars. However, for its Truck Series debut, the team went with RAM.

Reflecting on the same, Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice told Pockrass:

“Yeah, well, so we’ve had meetings with Chevrolet, and, you know, I mean, it’s like anything, right? You don’t; we don’t run Chevrolets and XFINITY and Cup, so you got to, kind of. We just told it, you know; we told them why, what, when, and why we needed to do this. And, like, the biggest thing was, is, like, you know, Chevy has been with us for a while. That OEM partner has been there with us for a long time.” 

“We don’t want to disrespect them at all, because we need them, just like, you know, hopefully they need us, right? So, long story short, I think they went fine. They got to do what they have to do for their OEM, and we needed to do what we need to do… Not a tier one, not a tier one,” he added.

Kaulig Racing will feature five entries in the Truck Series with RAM. The team has announced the names of three of their entries: Brenden Queen (#12), Daniel Dye (#10), and Justin Haley (#16). The team will also feature a special entry, the #25 truck piloted by free agents, and the #14 entry that has yet to be named.

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