USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Hembree explains the complicated situation that NASCAR now finds itself in with its CEO Brian France.
USA TODAY
This should have been a golden week in what has been a difficult year for NASCAR. Instead, drivers and teams head to Michigan International Speedway this week with the sport under a dark cloud and swimming in a pool of embarrassment.
Not long after Chase Elliott ended a long winless streak by finishing first in Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., instantly creating the best story of the season, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France wrote the worst. A virtual world away from the gritty racing scene of The Glen, in the tony Hamptons on Long Island, N.Y., France was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone.
France spent Sunday night in jail and, after being released Monday morning, announced he would take an indefinite leave of absence from NASCAR. At the same time, Jim France, Brian’s uncle, was appointed chairman and CEO on an interim basis.
France’s arrest made national network news, leaving a black eye on the sport and deepening the negative image many marginal observers have of stock car racing. In a week in which the sport should be flying high, France’s missteps were like the leader exploding an engine on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
Now, what’s next?
The France family, which has ruled NASCAR from its beginnings, has some serious decisions to make.
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Leadership is in good hands with Jim France, who has been known virtually his entire life as the “other” brother. Now 73, Jim has worked mainly behind the scenes in the family business over the years. His older brother, Bill Jr., who died in 2007, took over leadership of NASCAR after their father, Bill Sr., retired.
Jim is respected both within the tight-knit community of NASCAR drivers and owners and outside in the broader world of international motorsports. He generally has avoided the spotlight but now finds himself solidly in it.
Jim could start his tenure at the top — however long or short it might be — this week with some out-front moves at the Michigan track, where Brian France’s troubles are likely to dominate garage-area conversation.
First, he should do the one thing his nephew seemed to loathe the most — schedule a press conference and answer questions about the short- and long-term future of a sport that has been rocked by attendance and television ratings issues.
Second, he should be visible. One of the most impressive things about Bill France Jr. during his time ruling the sport is that he was available to competitors. Often, he would sit in a chair outside NASCAR’s mobile track office, greeting guests, joking with drivers and fielding the occasional question, comment or suggestion.
It is perhaps true that no grand decisions were reached in those garage-area conversations between the boss and those who wandered by, but drivers and team owners were impressed that Bill France was concerned enough about daily activities at tracks that he showed up to observe them. During his time in charge, Brian France rarely has been seen in garage areas and, indeed, has seemed to show little interest in what should be viewed as important communication with the people who make the sport go.
Third, Jim France should take over discussions about where this sport is headed and how it’s going to get there. The time for radical thought and assertive action is now.
Big schedule changes? Yes. Shorter races? Yes. Shorter tracks? Yes.
Everything should be on the discussion table for a sport that continues to struggle.
Chase Elliott gave NASCAR a big push forward Sunday afternoon before it was driven into the swamp Sunday night.
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