O'Donnell says NASCAR has momentum but work remains

NASCAR chief executive Steve O'Donnell described the sport as having encouraging momentum following the antitrust suit's settlement, a new auto manufacturer entering the sport, and growing interest from corporate America. In his annual State of the Sport address at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he acknowledged the series still had work to do in every facet of the sport.

O'Donnell said investors and sponsors have shown more interest in the sport than ever, with teams attracting strong attention. He added that NASCAR wanted to balance that growth with clear metrics and an understanding of who future owners would be, and said outside expertise from other sports would be valuable.

He also highlighted the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on The CW, which was the network's number one sports property in 29 of 32 races in 2026. O'Donnell said interest from 18- to 34-year-olds had reached its highest level since 2013, and social media impressions were up 34 percent on last year.