France Delivers NASCAR’s State Of Racing Update

Homestead, Fla. – NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer Brian France addressed the media on Friday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the hour-long session, he provided his insights and responded to media questions regarding the reformatted Chase, intensity of on-track action, confrontations among drivers and their crews, the 2015 season, television partners and ratings, domestic violence policies and procedures and assorted other topics,

According to France, the new Chase format has exceeded his expectations. “It has accomplished all of our goals, and probably exceeded them, in the balance between winning and consistency,” he said. “We know there needs to be both, but we felt strongly that by emphasizing winning, we might not have had that balanced correctly. We do now, and we think that that’s in a really good place.”

He went on to say that 2014 has been one of the most successful seasons in NASCAR history and with the level of competition elevated and the accompanying fan interest on the increase, it yields NASCAR with the intended results. He used the recent Phoenix race as an example, Kevin Harvick scored a must-win to make the Final Four and Ryan Newman did it through consistency and his last lap “bump and run” maneuver.

As for the possibility that a driver (Ryan Newman) can win the championship without winning a race, the NASCAR executive isn’t concerned as consistency would be rewarded, which has been a hallmark of stock-car competition for years. However, he added, “I do think that whoever comes out as champion on Sunday probably needs to think about winning the race.”

Looking ahead, France doesn’t see much, if any, change occurring. If any alteration takes place, it would be categorized as modest ones. With the experience gained during the Chase, he believes teams will have an opportunity to revise their strategies and go in different directions in 2015.

Testing has been banned for the new season, and NASCAR has no intention of loosening the rules, as testing is costly and time-consuming.

Regarding future events in Canada and Mexico, France said they have not lost track of the fan base outside the United States and realize the percentage of Canadian fans is comparable to that the US. With these numbers in mind and the importance of increasing the Hispanic fan base, additional races in Canada and Mexico may well be scheduled.

On the subject of domestic violence, France was queried from several parties about the sanctioning body’s policies and procedures and in particular, its stance on the recent allegations against Kurt Busch. The executive let it be known they are monitoring the case closely but will not take any action until the investigation has been completed. He underscored the seriousness and the heightened awareness the case has triggered and indicated NASCAR’s policies will reflect its concern.

When pursued, France said he has not talked with Busch but that other NASCAR officials have.

Regarding skirmishes on pit road, France is not against drivers expressing themselves but reiterated there’s no place for crew members and others to getting involved. He said NASCAR’s action against the crewmembers involved in the Texas fight shows the zero tolerance of the sanctioning body.

In closing, France said it is bittersweet to be losing ESPN as its television partner and Nationwide Insurance as title sponsor, although acknowledging Nationwide’s continued presence as a team sponsor. “ESPN’s final race is on Sunday, and it’s bittersweet to wish them goodbye,” he commented. He said ESPN will continue to cover racing and he congratulated them for hiring several announcers that have been involved with race coverage. He added that NASCAR is looking forward to NBC’s involvement in the years ahead and welcomed XFINITY as the new title sponsor for the secondary series.