Danielle Trotta reacts to reports linking Steve Phelps’ potential new role away from NASCAR

Danielle Trotta, a well-known American motorsports journalist, has publicly voiced her support for NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps amid reports that he may be a candidate for a major role outside the sport. A recent report by Sports Business Journal claimed that Phelps is being considered for the position of CEO at the PGA Tour, a move that shocked many in the stock car racing community.

Phelps was just recently promoted to become NASCAR’s first modern commissioner, making this development all the more unexpected. While it is not clear whether Phelps has any interest in leaving NASCAR, SBJ reports that he remains an ‘active and attractive target’ by the PGA Tour’s search committee.

In response to a racing fan’s post on X, which asked the industry insiders to share their thoughts on the news, Trotta responded with strong words of praise for Phelps.

“There’s no better leader than Steve Phelps. I hope he never leaves NASCAR,” she wrote.

Trotta’s reaction aligns with the views of many NASCAR fans and insiders who credit Phelps for revitalizing the sport since he became president in 2018. He is respected across the sports business world and is known for his passion for NASCAR. Given his recent promotion and strong ties to NASCAR, many believe Phelps is likely to stay in the sport for the foreseeable future.

However, Phelps isn’t the only one being considered for the position of CEO by the PGA. TaylorMade president and CEO, David Abeles, is also reported to be on the search committee’s radar and might turn out to be a more desirable match for the role at PGA.

He is considered to be an insider in the sport and has a good relationship with Tiger Woods, a legend in golf. Abeles is also considered to be an influential voice within the golfing community.

Denny Hamlin explains why teams declined NASCAR’s plans for the All-Star Race

NASCAR had big plans for this year’s All-Star Race. The idea was to let teams break away from the usual rules and get creative with their cars. The race would still use the standard Next Gen parts, but teams would have had full freedom to modify them however they wanted.

It could have led to an exciting event, with faster cars, more passing, and fresh ideas that might have helped improve future races on short tracks. But the idea didn’t happen because the teams turned it down. Denny Hamlin, who is both a driver and a team co-owner, explained the reasons on the recent episode of his weekly podcast Actions Detrimental.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also spoke with other teams to better understand their decisions. According to Hamlin, it all came down to money. Modifying a Next Gen car for this special race would have cost a lot; far more than the $1 million prize for the winner. Teams would have had to take apart and rebuild their cars, changing almost everything just for one race, ending up with a car that would be illegal on any other track.

“Trust me, as a fan and a driver, I wish we could do it, but under the parameters that were set, it just wasn’t thought out enough,” Hamlin shared (19:25 onwards). “It’s not feasible and no team is going to sign up to voluntarily lose millions of dollars.”