Controversy in the Garage: NASCAR CEO Jim France’s Near-Entry with Spire Motorsports Sparks Debate Over Governance and Fair Play
June 3, 2025 — By Staff Writer
In a development that has sent ripples through the NASCAR garage and reignited long-standing debates over conflicts of interest in motorsports governance, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France recently came close to backing a Spire Motorsports entry for the upcoming Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. The planned deal, which would have seen international driver and IMSA veteran Jack Aitken behind the wheel, was ultimately scrapped following internal pushback from multiple teams concerned about the optics—and implications—of the sport’s most powerful executive fielding a car in his own series.
Though France was not the owner of the team itself—Spire Motorsports operates independently—the perception that the NASCAR CEO was supporting or financing a car within the same series he oversees proved to be too contentious for the tight-knit NASCAR paddock. Rival teams raised concerns that such a move would blur the already sensitive boundaries between leadership and competition, sparking a wider conversation about transparency, power dynamics, and fairness in one of America’s most scrutinized sports leagues.
The Deal That Nearly Happened
According to several sources close to the matter, France’s involvement in the potential Sonoma entry began as a passion project. Long a supporter of sports car racing and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (also owned by NASCAR through the France family’s International Speedway Corporation), France has taken an active interest in cross-pollinating talent between IMSA and NASCAR. Jack Aitken, a 29-year-old British-Korean driver who currently races in IMSA and has a Formula 1 appearance to his name, was identified as a prime candidate for a one-off Cup Series road course appearance.
Aitken’s increasing interest in NASCAR—coupled with his recent tests in stock cars—made the pairing a logical experiment. Sonoma, a track known for leveling the playing field due to its technical demands and unique layout, was an ideal venue for such a crossover. Spire Motorsports, which has a reputation for fielding part-time entries and accommodating guest drivers, was tapped as the likely partner. But while all parties appeared aligned on the competitive side, the business and ethical optics of the arrangement soon became a roadblock.
Garage Pushback and a Brewing Storm
Word of France’s involvement in the deal quickly spread throughout the NASCAR paddock in late May, shortly after the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. While some teams initially dismissed it as a benign passion project with minimal impact on competitive balance, others viewed it with alarm.
“It’s not about whether Jim France owns the team outright,” said one anonymous team principal. “It’s about the perception. If the guy who runs the entire sport starts putting drivers in cars—even indirectly—that changes the dynamic. How do we know officiating will remain impartial? How does it look when the head of the league is competing against the very teams he’s supposed to be regulating?”
Concerns ranged from officiating bias to preferential treatment in technical inspections, penalties, and even media coverage. While there’s no evidence that France or Spire Motorsports engaged in any inappropriate behavior, the mere possibility of compromised fairness was enough to draw ire from several multi-car teams, including at least two prominent organizations reportedly threatening to go public if the entry was not shelved.
The situation drew inevitable comparisons to similar governance challenges in other motorsports series, particularly the controversy that engulfed IndyCar in 2024 when Penske Entertainment—owners of both the IndyCar Series and Team Penske—faced scrutiny after a rules dispute involving one of their own entries.
NASCAR’s Governance
