NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France announced two key personnel moves at the highest level of its executive leadership team on Monday, naming Mike Helton as Vice Chairman of NASCAR, and adding Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar to the NASCAR Board of Directors.
“Mike Helton’s steady hand and decades of experience in every facet of our business have made him a close, trusted advisor to me and my family and his overall impact on NASCAR cannot be overstated,” said France in a release issued by the sanctioning body on Monday afternoon. “With a strong team ready to take on more day-to-day management responsibilities, I’m pleased to now have Mike in a role that will allow us to utilize his unique skills in advancing key priorities for the future of the industry.”
Helton has served as NASCAR President since 2000 and has been with the sanctioning body in various roles since 1994. As vice chairman of NASCAR, Helton will remain the senior NASCAR official at all national series racing events (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), overseeing competition while working closely with France on long-term strategic planning.
Dewar joined NASCAR in December of 2013 after a long career in the automotive industry and later as a consultant to a number of global companies. In addition to his previous oversight of business units beyond the competition realm, he will assume additional day-to-day operational responsibilities in racing development, innovation and work with NASCAR partners and stakeholders.
“Adding someone as talented and experienced as Brent Dewar to our board will be highly beneficial to our company and the industry overall,” France said. “Brent’s operational expertise already has made a big impact and his understanding of how our sport works from multiple perspectives will bring immediate value to how we operate and future initiatives.”
Monday’s personnel announcement comes on the heels of recent moves made by France to strengthen NASCAR’s senior leadership team. In December of 2013 – the same day NASCAR named Dewar as COO – France elevated Steve Phelps to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer and Steve O’Donnell to Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, later relocating both to the Charlotte area to bolster alignment and communication with key industry stakeholders in the Carolinas.
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