Michael Gregory Helton (born August 30, 1953) is an American businessman and the current vice chairman for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR.

With the help of then-Bristol International Raceway public relations director Eddie Gossage in 1980, he was assigned to become the public relations director at the Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) in October, landing him his first major job in auto racing, later becoming the general manager five years later.

Throughout his tenure within the sport, he has been the manager of numerous several major racetracks including the Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Talladega Superspeedway, overseen television deals, has directed numerous projects to improve the safety of NASCAR, and has overseen a growth of popularity and subsequent decline in NASCAR.

Numerous NASCAR drivers and businessmen, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, and current NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O'Donnell have praised Helton for a hard-working nature and according to Bowyer, the ability to "[take] the time to relate to you and understand your needs."

[10] However, Helton came to regret it; according to The Anniston Star writer Donnie Webb, he found it "monotonous" and "in only a matter of time, he had gotten his fill of counting bottles of Thunderbird and Old Forester until he was drunk with boredom.

Gossage, with the help of Ed Clark, a friend of Helton, helped land Helton the public relations director position at the Atlanta International Raceway in October for track manager Bobby Batson, replacing the outgoing Tom Roberts.

[16] While as general manager, he negotiated race sponsorship deals with The Atlanta Journal newspaper,[17] directed the construction of new walls in response to Schoonover's death,[18] won a bid to host The Winston (now known as the NASCAR All-Star Race),[19] and directed renovations in preparation for the 1986 The Winston.

[29] In November 1993, NASCAR announced that Helton had been appointed as the vice president of competition effective January 1, 1994, replacing long-time holder of the position, Les Richter.

[31] Later that year, driver Ernie Irvan suffered a life-threatening crash at the Michigan International Speedway, a track known for high speeds.

[33] In December, a new, proposed track that was planned to be built in North Texas by businessman Bruton Smith was also considered; Helton stated that adding new tracks was "a pretty major issue" and that NASCAR had not made organized efforts to expand into Texas nor another proposal at Homestead–Miami Speedway.

Although initially stating that "the Cup schedule can't grow much more" in January 1995,[35] numerous modern, higher-capacity racetracks were planned to be built in Las Vegas, the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and St. Louis.

[46] Helton, along with NASCAR, received controversy after both Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. died at the New Hampshire International Speedway due to basilar skull fractures as a result of a stuck throttle; as a result, Helton directed numerous changes to cars to slow them down at New Hampshire, including the implementation of restrictor plates.

[47] However, in a September 2000 press conference, Helton also stated that he would not mandate head restraint devices nor kill switches.

[50] Tampa Bay Times writer Kevin Kelly stated on March 10 that Helton's "dream job [has become] a nightmare".

[53] The entirety of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season was described by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Rick Minter as leaving a "legacy of fundamental change".

[55] That same year, Helton banned the longtime practice of racing back to the line when a caution came out due to safety concerns.

[56] In January 2004, Helton, along with NASCAR CEO Brian France announced the implementation of the Chase for the Nextel Cup points system in response to Matt Kenseth's championship in 2003, where he only won once but managed to win by mere consistency, aiming to put an emphasis on winning.

[57] Helton also tried to steer NASCAR into a "cleaner image", issuing points penalties for cursing during interviews.

[59] Later that year, Helton allowed Japanese automobile maker Toyota to enter into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, a decision that was met with criticism at the time.

[71] When Earnhardt died, Helton stated that he had "some sleepless nights" and that "it upset him that his friend's death [had] become a spectacle".

[76] In response to criticism, Associated Press writer Dick Brinster wrote that, "Helton gets upset by the negative comments but accepts them as a sign of passion from the sport's fans".

[77] Jack Roush, part-owner of RFK Racing, states that Helton and the rest of NASCAR's board of directors are a "benevolent dictatorship".

[67] He has been described by Bristol Herald Courier writer Allan Gregory as "intimidating", stating that, "with his large build, booming voice and prominent mustache Helton commands respect".

[80] In another article published by The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, driver Clint Bowyer commanded Helton's ability to "[take] the time to relate to you and understand your needs".

Despite initial and widespread criticism against Helton and NASCAR after the end of the 2000 season, especially by Orlando Sentinel writer Ed Hinton for not implementing enough measures,[81] after the 2001 season, he was praised afterwards for implementing safety measures and improvements that have been effective, to the point where NASCAR has not had a death in its top three series since Earnhardt's accident.