Lesa Kennedy

Lesa France Kennedy, (born Lesa Dawn France on May 24, 1961) is the chief executive officer of International Speedway Corporation and vice chairperson of the board of directors of NASCAR.

Education and career
Kennedy received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Psychology from Duke University in 1983.

Kennedy joined ISC in 1983 and was named to the board of directors one year later. She served as ISC's secretary from 1987–96 and as its treasurer from 1989-96. From that point until April 2003, Kennedy was the company's executive vice president. She was then appointed president of ISC after her father, Bill France, Jr. stepped down. Most recently, Kennedy was named chief executive officer in April 2009.

Honors and accolades

 * "The Most Powerful Woman in Sports" by Forbes, 2009.
 * "The Most Influential Woman in Sports Business" by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, 2005.
 * "Female Sports Executive of the Year" by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal.
 * One of the "10 Secret People Who Will Change The World" by AutoWeek magazine.
 * "Most Influential Woman in Sports Business" by Volusia Flagler Business Report, 2006.
 * One of the "25 Most Influential People in NASCAR" by the Charlotte Observer, 2001 through 2006.
 * One of the "30 Most Powerful Women in Sports" by Adweek magazine, 2016.

Personal life
Kennedy's husband, Dr. Bruce Kennedy, was killed when a plane he was travelling in crashed into two homes in Sanford, Florida on July 10, 2007. Five people were killed, including two small children.

She is the mother of NASCAR driver Ben Kennedy.