Int'l Speedway's Kennedy is the most powerful woman in sports

NASCAR's often derided as the last sporting province of the good ol' boys, but it can now lay claim to an honor that crosses gender lines. Forbes has named Lesa France Kennedy, CEO of International Speedway Corporation, as the MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN SPORTS. (It seems necessary to say that in an echoing voice-of-God tone.) It's a high honor, and Kennedy deserves the acclaim it will bring.

ISC is a multifaceted promoter of a range of motorsports activities, from on-track racing to broadcasting. It owns and/or operates 13 top tracks across the country, including the world-famous tracks at Daytona and Talladega, and boasts an estimated $750 million in annual revenue. Not bad for cars turning left, yes?

Kennedy is the granddaughter of Bill France Sr., one of NASCAR's founders, and daughter of Bill France Jr., who transformed NASCAR from a regional sport into a nationally-broadcast phenomenon. (It's been a good week for the France family; both Bills were inducted into NASCAR's Hall of Fame on Wednesday.) Kennedy has been involved with all of the major events of the company's existence over the past decade-plus, and is taking a far more active role in the company's growth going forward.

But Kennedy's family connections are exactly why ISC has drawn criticism over the years from other track operators, who claim -- occasionally in court -- that NASCAR shows favoritism to ISC tracks. Because NASCAR remains an operation of the France family, though, there's only so far those complaints can go.

However it's been achieved, ISC is an enormous company, and Kennedy tops the Forbes list because no other female executive heads a larger business operation. Other women on the list include:

Donna Goldsmith, Chief Operating Officer for World Wrestling Entertainment
Heidi Ueberroth, President, International Business Operations for the NBA
Katie Bayne, Chief Marketing Officer for Coca-Cola North America
Virginia McCaskey, Principal Owner of the Chicago Bears
Jamie McCourt, Chief Executive Officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers 

For the complete list, click here. Not included on the list are executives like Donna Orender of the WNBA and Tonya Antonucci of the Women's Professional Soccer league, since those organizations have not yet shown consistent profits.

Congratulations to Lesa France Kennedy; this is a high honor and yet another sign that NASCAR has gone from backwoods bootlegging to a major national sports player. There's room at the good ol' boys' table for a lady, after all.

The most powerful women in sports [Forbes via Yahoo! Sports]