Who is Steve Newmark? Meet UNC’s athletic director in waiting
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC named Steve Newmark as successor to AD Bubba Cunningham by summer 2026.
- Newmark brings NASCAR leadership experience and revenue strategy expertise.
- UNC emphasized revenue growth across major sports as Newmark’s core mandate.
The University of North Carolina made two announcements Tuesday that has charted the athletic program’s path through 2029.
The first was that Bubba Cunningham, the school’s athletic director since 2011, signed a two-year extension with the school. That means he’ll be with UNC through July 2029. The details of the extension: He’ll remain in his current role until the summer of 2026, and then thereafter, he’ll transition to a role titled “Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Athletic Director,” a release states.
The second announcement was that the school hired Steve Newmark as executive associate athletic director. Newmark will report to Cunningham in this role until the “summer of 2026.” After that, Newmark will transition to the athletic director role, succeeding Cunningham in the process.
There are many questions in all of this. The big one, though: Who is Newmark — the next leader of UNC athletics?
Here are five facts to catch you up.
Steve Newmark made a name in NASCAR
Taking this job at UNC means Newmark is leaving a prominent place in the world of NASCAR.
Newmark was previously the president of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. RFK Racing is among the most competitive race teams in NASCAR’s premier racing series — the Cup Series.
Newmark served as senior vice president of business operations with the race team when he joined the organization in 2010. He was promoted to race team president later that year, succeeding Geoff Smith. Before that, Newmark was outside counsel for the organization after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law. He was involved in the partnership formed between Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group in 2007.
Newmark made a name for himself on the business side of the stock car racing enterprise — supervising the race team’s marketing strategies, sponsorships, team operations and contract negotiations.
The competition side of RFK Racing is another beast. Recently, it has been largely led by Brad Keselowski, one of RFK’s two Cup Series drivers. Keseslowski is also part owner of the team; the veteran driver bought into the ownership group in 2021.
Newmark spearheaded talks for the NASCAR charter system
Newmark wasn’t just a race team owner, though. He was also a key player in determining NASCAR’s future.
Newmark was part of a small group that spearheaded the creation of the charter system in NASCAR, as UNC’s release touts. The NASCAR Cup Series charter system, established in 2016, enabled NASCAR Cup Series race teams to operate like franchises in other professional sports. Think of how the New York Yankees are a franchise that belongs to Major League Baseball. Or how the Charlotte Hornets are a franchise belonging to the NBA.
Previously, NASCAR race teams were teams that went into each race weekend having to qualify for their spot in each race. But with a Cup Series charter, you had guaranteed entry into each race and were also guaranteed a portion of the race’s purse. The new charter system was meant to deliver stability and long-term value to existing team owners — which, theoretically, would yield more investment from team owners and sponsors and raise the level of competition and entertainment and everything else.
The charter system, undeniably, was revolutionary to the sport.
The system has been in the news over the past year, however. Particularly as of late. That’s because in September, NASCAR and its Cup Series race teams agreed to new terms of the charter system. (More specifically, 13 of the 15 Cup teams signed onto the agreement. Two didn’t. And those two — Front Row Motorsports and the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing — thereafter sued NASCAR for being a monopolistic entity in a Charlotte court in October. But that’s another story.)
Newmark helped hire Bill Belichick
Newmark has been part of university decisions before.
A statement from the university said that Newmark served on the advisory committee that assisted in hiring eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick, who joined the Tar Heels this past winter. He is also part of the advisory committee “that will hire the new executive director of The Rams Club.”
Newmark isn’t a UNC grad, but is a Chapel Hill native
Newmark went to the College of William & Mary for undergrad and Virginia for law school. Prior to joining RFK Racing in 2010, he was a partner at the Charlotte-based law firm Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, where he specialized in sports entertainment and worked with college athletics entities, including the NCAA.
Still, he’s a Chapel Hill native and as aforementioned has been involved with the school for a long time.
“I am heading back home to Chapel Hill to join one of the most respected and successful programs in college sports,” Newmark wrote. “I am thrilled to officially become part of UNC Athletics and look forward to joining Tar Heel Nation as we strive for wins and championships across all sports in the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics.”
Newmark’s hire makes UNC’s goals clear for 2026 and beyond
According to a university release, Newmark’s immediate and long-term duties are centered on one thing: revenue growth.
“Newmark will report to Cunningham and initially focus his attention on strategies tied to revenue-driving initiatives, particularly related to UNC’s football and men’s and women’s basketball programs,” before transitioning to the new AD role.
This has aligned with what Cunningham has done as the college sports world was flung into a new universe this decade — what with conference realignment and the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness deals changing the whole enterprise. In the past year alone, Cunningham has “consolidated NIL programming and related Collectives,” named five general managers (football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and department-wide) and hired the university’s first Chief Revenue Officer, among other moves.
“Grow revenue” was the same charge given to Newmark as a NASCAR race team leader in 2010. According to an RFK Racing statement, Newmark had “remarkable leadership, vision and steadfast dedication over the past 15 years.”
“Steve has been instrumental in shaping the culture, growth and success of our organization and his impact will be felt well into the future,” a team statement said. “While we are saddened to see him step away from his role as president later this summer, we fully support his decision and are grateful he will remain engaged through the transition.
“We wish Steve continued success at the University of North Carolina, and we look forward to building on the strong foundation he’s provided.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 11:44 AM.
