The Most Powerful Women In Sports

In Pictures: The Most Powerful Women In Sports

Lesa France Kennedy stuck with the family business. Now she's the most powerful woman in sports.

As chief executive of publicly traded International Speedway ( ISCA - news - people ), Kennedy sits atop a business that rakes in some $750 million in annual revenue. The granddaughter of Bill France Sr., a 1930s-era stockcar racer credited as the founding father of Nascar, and the daughter of Bill France Jr., who ran Nascar from 1972 to 2000, Kennedy, 48, represents the generation that has succeeded in taking Nascar mainstream. Her 26-year career at ISC spans a period that expanded the sport past its Southern base, with new racetracks built in Chicago and upstate New York, plus the acquisition of five tracks from Roger Penske.

She rose to president in 2003 and to CEO this June. Analysts say she's played a big role in most all of the company's acquisitions and improvement projects dating back to the 1990s. After suffering the personal losses of both her father and husband in 2007, Kennedy kept her profile low for a while until accepting the top post this year.

In Pictures: The Most Powerful Women In Sports

"I want to be more out front, I think that comes with leadership," she told Sporting News last summer. ISC now promotes over 100 races annually, including the Daytona 500. No female sports executive oversees a bigger operation.

That's the Forbes criteria for powerful sports business women: Money, plain and simple. Those whose decisions affect the largest sports-related revenue streams--be they from teams, leagues or corporate sponsors--hold the most sway.

Right after Kennedy's International Speedway Corporation, there's World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE - news - people ) Chief Operating Officer Donna Goldsmith, who calls many of the shots for the $500 million-plus corporation, which has been publicly traded since 1999. The WWE, whose smack downs have gone increasingly mainstream in recent years, has had a large female presence for years. Linda McMahon, wife of founder Vince McMahon, recently stepped down as CEO to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate from Connecticut, though she remains on the board. WWE also recently snagged former United States Tennis Association executive Michelle Wilson as its new marketing chief.