Report: NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps ‘top candidate’ for PGA Tour CEO

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has emerged as a top candidate for the PGA Tour‘s CEO vacancy, per Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal. Phelps, 62, was named the sport’s first commissioner just last month after serving as president since September 2018.

Phelps is less than a month into the new role. Still, he is “considered an active and attractive target,” Stern reported.

“The tour’s search committee is likely drawn by Phelps’ role in re-energizing NASCAR since he took over the stock car racing circuit in 2018, and he holds great respect across the sports business community,” Stern wrote. “His level of interest in the role could not be immediately established, and he thus could wind up staying at NASCAR for years to come, as he is a hardcore fan of NASCAR and has great passion for the sport.”

PGA Tour interested in NASCAR’s Steve Phelps

Phelps has been a NASCAR executive since 2005, first joining the sport as vice president of corporate marketing. His rise within the sport led him to become president, and he was a key figure in two monumental happenings.

Phelps helped introduce the Next Gen car ahead of the 2022 season. He negotiated NASCAR’s current media rights deal, worth 7.7 billion from 2025-2031. A NASCAR fan dating back to his youth, Phelps said last month he was looking forward to continuing to guide the sport into the future.

“I’m honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I’ve loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports,” Phelps said. “I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership, and most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago.

“This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I’m privileged to continue as part of that legacy – and especially its bright future.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is on the search committee for a new CEO. As is player director Tiger Woods, who has “deep ties” with TaylorMade President & CEO David Abeles, another reported candidate for the opening.