North Carolina turns to NASCAR exec to lead in the Bill Belichick era

There's more going on at North Carolina than the debut of Bill Belichick as head coach of the Tar Heels football program. One gets the sense that the Belichick era is going to be a pivotal moment in the history of UNC athletics, though.

Either it's going to go well, and the Tar Heels will reap the rewards, much like the New England Patriots did for many years, or it's going to be a disaster.

There can really be no middle ground with Belichick, which is why the 2025 season is going to be so interesting.

It's going to be a pivotal moment for North Carolina, either way. Still, in the background, the Tar Heels are already looking ahead to the future with some leadership changes in the athletic department.

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham has been in charge at North Carolina since 2011, and he's been quite successful. He's overseen 24 national titles across all sports. At 63, he's going to be transitioning to a new role soon, though.

He'll remain North Carolina's AD until summer 2026 before becoming the senior advisor to the chancellor and athletic director. UNC announced on Tuesday that Cunningham's successor will be hiring Steve Newmark to take over.

Newmark is currently the president of Roush Fenway Keselowski and is a major player in the NASCAR scene. UNC is hoping that he'll be the right person to lead the Tar Heels in the NIL era, where things like contract negotiations, sponsorships, team building and marketing have all become vital.

The transition plan will have Newmark reporting to Cunningham in the interim before fully stepping into the role of director of athletics in summer 2026.

"I look forward to working with Bubba and the entire Tar Heel Nation to continue to elevate UNC's status as a premier brand in college sports with top-tier programs across the board, and with student-athletes who represent North Carolina's flagship institution with class on and off their respective playing fields," Newmark said in a statement. "With collegiate athletics undergoing massive changes at all levels, UNC is well-positioned to take advantage of the new landscape."

Newmark is a native of Chapel Hill and a Tar Heels fan, so that will help with his buy-in. He's been the president of RFK Racing for the past 15 years.  

Again, this era of UNC sports will largely be defined by Belichick and what happens on the gridiron, but the Tar Heels are positioning themselves for 2025 and beyond with this major change at the leadership level.