NASCAR hires former F1 Las Vegas exec as Chief Commercial Officer

NASCAR has made a major move as they have hired a new Chief Commercial Officer. Craig Stimmel will take the new leadership role. Stimmel will be in charge of premier partnerships, race entitlements, track partnerships, and media sales for the sport.

NASCAR is in a tough position right now. Xfinity is planning on leaving as the entitlement sponsor for the Xfinity Series after 2025. GEICO is leaving as a premier partner of the Cup Series. Something has to be done.

Hiring someone to handle these deals is a great move. NASCAR knows that they have work to do when it comes to landing new partners. This sport couldn’t exist without these partnerships.

Craig Stimmel has worked with WWE and Snapchat in similar roles to this new CCO position. He most recently worked as Senior Vice President of Commercial for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Formula One is pulling in money and sponsors like no other right now.

Perhaps Stimmel can bring some trade secrets over from F1 to NASCAR.

“Craig’s proven track record of driving results and building billion-dollar brands in a multi-faceted environment like ours was one of several reasons why we felt he was an excellent fit for this role,” said Brian Herbst, NASCAR Executive Vice President, Chief Media and Revenue Officer. “NASCAR has the most brand-loyal fans and many of the most recognized sponsorships in professional sports, and Craig brings all the acumen to build upon our roster of tremendous partners and continue to deepen the engagement with our fans.”

While new to NASCAR, Stimmel is ready to get to work.

NASCAR making new moves hiring CCO

While there have been criticisms of NASCAR recently, this should be applauded. Not having someone in a key role like this to directly handle and manage premier partnerships and marketing is an oversight at the very least, like a football team not having a dedicated Special Teams coach.

Craig Stimmel is ready to get to work. He’s been impressed with what NASCAR has done in recent years.

“In recent years, NASCAR has taken some impressive and successful steps to grow the sport, authentically tell the brand story and build momentum for the future,” said Stimmel. “When you combine those factors with all the ways small and large brands alike can engage fans, new customers or new partners, it makes this opportunity extremely desirable, and I’m eager to continue building on the foundation already in place.”

So, NASCAR makes a new hire. While it is a behind-the-scenes role, we should see Stimmel’s work speak for itself if he does a good job.