HOMESTEAD, Fla. — NASCAR chairman Brian France staunchly defended Sunday the health of the sport, saying that it is in a good spot to replace Sprint as an entitlement sponsor amid television ratings and attendance declines.
In his first general news conference with motorsports media since January, a feisty France also staunchly defended his commitment to diversity, a commitment that was challenged when he endorsed Donald Trump earlier this year.
“Nobody wants to hear my political views … so I won’t be talking about that,” France said before the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “But on diversity, nobody in this company has worked harder, done more and resourced it better than me.
“I founded [NASCAR’s] diversity council. I fought for every single thing that makes sense because that’s my core belief: Diversity is very, very important. I talk about it frequently. And my efforts there should never be challenged no matter what my political view. That’s a ridiculous thing to do.”
With all but two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup race television ratings down at least 10 percent, the track public-operating companies reporting admission revenue down 9 percent after the Daytona 500 and potentially seven of NASCAR’s charters (its version of franchises) changing hands as teams still have trouble finding sponsorship, France said the sport is in a better position than those numbers indicate.
“We are still very pleased with our position in sports,” France said. “The audience isn’t going away at all. It’s sliding to different places, consuming in different ways. … Our digital consumption is off the charts.”
Multicar teams Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing are among well-established teams that are still seeking significant sponsorship to field one of their cars in 2017 that they fielded in 2016.
“You have some teams that for whatever the reasons can’t compete at such a high level and they have some problems, and that’s throughout history,” France said. “It’s not abnormal at all.”
The other hurdle for NASCAR this year has been finding a replacement for Sprint, which will leave this year after 13 seasons of sponsoring the sport. NASCAR has not announced a new sponsor. Industry insiders have indicated Monster Energy is the leading candidate. Monster Energy sports marketing director Mitch Covington said last week he would not respond to rumors.
“It’s taken a little longer than I thought,” France said. “But it’s also a big agreement, and it’s an important agreement. It’s not just dollars and cents. It’s a fit for us. … I’m confident we’re going to end up in a very good spot.”
France also said that NASCAR will look at rewarding the regular-season champion and that discussions continue to bring additional manufacturers into the sport.
“Would I like to have everything perfect? Of course I would,” France said. “That’s sports and that’s a competitive business, and the model is changing a little bit, too. … We’re pleased with the health of the sport.”
