Nascar appoints ex-F1 Las Vegas exec Craig Stimmel as new CCO

Nascar has appointed Craig Stimmel, formerly senior vice president of commercial for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as its new chief commercial officer.

Confirmed:

• Stimmel will oversee all sales aspects, including premier and official partner categories, race entitlements, track partnerships, and media sales across owned channels
• He will also work closely with Nascar’s media partners, teams, and non-Nascar tracks to identify commercial opportunities
• Stimmel starts immediately and will report into chief media and revenue officer Brian Herbst

Context:

Herbst was promoted to his new role earlier this year as part of a wider restructure that saw Nascar closely align its sponsorship and media departments. Stimmel’s appointment comes after the series brought in Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports to assist with hiring a new chief commercial officer.

The hiring also comes at a time when Nascar has seen Geico depart as a premier partner, the first to do so since the new sponsorship model was adopted in 2020. The series retains Busch Light, Coca-Cola and Xfinity next year, but there is now a slot open that is yet to be filled.

Comment:

Herbst said: “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.

“Nascar has the most brand-loyal fans and many of the most recognised 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.”

Stimmel added: “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.

“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.”

Coming next:

As Nascar seeks to move back to four top-level partners from 2025, uncertainty continues away from the track with the ongoing lawsuit between the series and rebel teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The most recent development has seen Nascar file a motion to dismiss the antitrust action from the teams.

Go deeper:

• Nascar’s US$7.7bn TV deal: Why the annual value went up, who gets what, and the impact on fans
• What’s going on with Nascar’s charter system?