NASCAR Cup Series boss steps down amid animal cruelty charges

Fabian has a 27 September court date in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, for two felony counts of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanour count of cruelty to animals.

It remains unclear when and where Fabian was arrested, but Mecklenburg County records confirm he has not been arrested there.

On Thursday, NASCAR issued a brief statement responding to the development.

“NASCAR takes the situation seriously and will continue to gather information as it becomes available,” it said.

“Jay Fabian will step back from his role until this matter is resolved.”

Fabian’s position will be filled by several different people in NASCAR’s competition department.

NASCAR officials that work under Fabian were notified on Thursday morning that he was stepping away temporarily from his role, but weren't informed why. Many only found out when media began reporting the animal cruelty charges on Twitter, multiple sources have confirmed to Autosport.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police incident report was taken on 21 July at an address in Charlotte, which is listed as Fabian’s home address according to state voting records.

The report says officers received a 911 call on that day “regarding an animal cruelty case” at Fabian’s address.

Upon arriving at the residence, officers said they found “a deceased dog,” an “almost deceased dog” and a third “healthiest” dog.

Fabian was promoted to the role of Cup managing director in 2019, replacing Richard Buck. He joined NASCAR in 2016 to head up its Technical Integration department, where he was responsible for overseeing post-race inspections.

He was previously employed by the Michael Waltrip Racing team and has worked in a number of diverse roles, including as a pitcrew member and a crew chief.