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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: NASCAR Stays The Course
Despite the dismal U.S. economic news and widespread layoffs among race teams, Brian France said what NASCAR is doing has worked and will continue to do so...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted January 22, 2009   Concord, NC
NASCAR Chairman Brian France says that an elimination-style format already basically exists in the Chase because drivers, in effect, fall out of contention early with poor results. (Photo: Getty Images)

NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France said Thursday that the sanctioning body’s 2009 plan is not much different than the ’08 one: While projects like the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte and the Drive for Diversity continue to develop, NASCAR’s leadership plans no major changes this season.

Despite the dismal U.S. economic news and the spate of layoffs among race teams, France said what NASCAR is doing has worked and will continue to do so. “Last year I stood at this podium and pledged we would hold the line on major changes, and we have,” France said during his annual state of the sport speech at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., the final stop on this year’s Sprint Media Tour Presented by Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “The sport and the fans have been through a great deal of necessary change over the last 10 years. Now we're in a period where we're letting those changes mature, and you know, the changes are working well. Things like the new car, realignment and the Chase (for the Sprint Cup) are proving to be good for the sport and good for competition.”

TOM JENSEN BLOG: NASCAR Media Tour

According to France, the sanctioning body has been working closely with cash-strapped teams. “One of the key areas we're zeroing in on is helping the teams develop a new business model to fit today's ever changing economy, exploring ways to manage costs much smarter, working with our media partners to explore additional ways to take our product to our fans, meeting with our tracks to brainstorm new promotions for ticket opportunities for our fans and continuing our efforts in diversity, working hard to facilitate opportunities for minorities and females on and off the track,” he said.

The bottom line, France noted, was that NASCAR will stay the course. “We've been in business over 60 years, so this is a business model and a sport that will endure,” he said. “And yes, there are changing circumstances with economy that we have not seen this difficult in a generation, and that is making … it's accelerating our efforts to take cost out of the system. You hear that from us frequently. Changes incidentally, and lack thereof, also help in the cost model. The more things we have to change often cost money in the short run, so we're trying to hold the line on that, as well.”


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