“I’m only going to be able to do so much as a driver, and I could have this big impact over here on the business side.” Ben Kennedy said these words in January 2025. Indeed, his 11-year-long racing career involved ARCA, Craftsman Trucks, and Xfinity. He finished top ten in the Truck Series standings three years in a row, 2014-2016. However, Kennedy leveled up in his business role – and he continues to level up today.
Currently serving as NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer, Ben Kennedy’s name is highlighted frequently. From preparing for the sport’s visit to Mexico City to grappling with veterans about the playoff format, Kennedy is involved in many things. Now, he can be involved in more matters with another executive stepping out.
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NASCAR witnesses a shuffle of duties
While drivers dominate the racetracks and fans watch from the grandstands, executives have the reins behind the scenes. The top official responsible for NASCAR’s venues has been Chip Wile, Senior Holdings Executive. He became the first chief track properties officer in early 2021. The sport owns and manages over a dozen racetracks. To lead the day-to-day insight of these properties, Wile has been a frequent flyer. He traveled across 200+ days in a year. However, this hectic job took its toll on Wile’s familial responsibilities. And so the longtime executive is planning to bow out at the end of 2025.
Ben Kennedy will now expand his clout in the sport, assuming Chip Wile’s duties. A 2017 SBJ 40 Under 40 honoree, Wile expressed his gratitude to NASCAR’s proprietor family while explaining his exit reasons. He said, “What the FRANCE family has done for me and our family is beyond measure. They have changed our lives, and I am so grateful. But at some point, you have to take a step back and say, ‘I’ve got four years left with my boys (before college) and being on an airplane every weekend isn’t what I want to be doing.’ … It’s an honor to work in the sport, but everything in life comes with some sort of sacrifice.”
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Chip Wile, although holding a top executive role, debuted in NASCAR differently. He started working for Motor Racing Network in 2012. But he got his calling immediately, becoming president of Darlington Raceway in South Carolina the next year. He helped ideate and execute the sport’s first throwback weekend in 2015. That was just the beginning, as Wile took over premier tracks like Daytona. Yet he gave away his responsibilities as well – like when he made way for Phoenix Raceway to attain its first female Black president, Latasha Causey, in 2022.
What is more, Chip Wile also worked a great deal on NASCAR’s recent ventures. These involve racing and experimenting at venues like the L.A. Coliseum and the city streets of Chicago. He even worked on the upcoming racetrack at a naval base near San Diego. Even though Wile would not be part of the 2026 operations, NASCAR is soaring forward with changes.
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Rolling out more hints for eager drivers
Since Joey Logano clinched the 2024 Cup Series title as the worst average finisher, the NASCAR community has been in unrest. Drivers and fans alike have clamored for a change to the current playoff format. It fails to reward consistency and instead applauds clutch performances en route to the championship. Therefore, NASCAR formed a playoff committee at the start of 2025 and has been constantly dropping hints about a tweaked format. Jordan Bianchi dropped a major rumor a few weeks ago. He floated the idea of three playoff rounds, the first two with three races each and the final one with four races.
While it has not been confirmed yet, NASCAR executives are making moves. The next step is “to get its leadership in position and really have a discussion and lock ourselves in a room and figure it out from there.” NASCAR Managing Director of Communications Mike Forde slipped out some interesting snippets on the podcast ‘Hauler Talk’. He said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if there is a playoff format that does not have playoff points. Also, Forde would be “very surprised if the one-race championship is still around.” Whatever decision they arrive at, it will be made after the 2025 championship race in Phoenix.
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Clearly, NASCAR is on the cusp of a major overhaul. With Chip Wile stepping down and Ben Kennedy stepping up, big changes are expected for 2026.