Jim France to step down as NASCAR CEO, Steve O’Donnell will take over

In epochal news that caps off a year of massive structural change (and lawsuit defeats) at NASCAR, Jim France will step down as CEO and hand over control to current president Steve O’Donnell, who will become the first non-France to lead the company.

Heir apparent (and family member) Ben Kennedy will be promoted to chief operating officer, which is a great shout. Kennedy is a racer, and not just in the former driver sense. He likes to go to the races, and doing so gives him good ideas. He will be a fitting leader of the sport someday, and it will be good for him to warm up by mastering its operations.

The press conference announcing the changes is planned for tomorrow at Talladega Superspeedway as part of the race weekend.