Transcript of Teleconference with NASCAR's Brian France

August, 18, 2005
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Teleconference
West Coast Media

Brian France, chairman/CEO of NASCAR, took part in a teleconference on
Thursday, Aug. 18. Below is a transcript of the call:
 

To start things off, Brian, the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Championship was instituted last year and it was a huge success on all
fronts.  What are your thoughts on it?  It seems to be gaining a lot
more momentum this year.  Then also your thoughts, you mentioned the
West Coast.  This seems to be where NASCAR is growing as well.

BF: It is and there are other markets for sure and so it's not
surprising when we come to Las Vegas or Northern California or Southern
California, anywhere, it's incredibly popular, including the Northwest,
which I know there is a lot of activity to build a track in the Seattle
market.  But the Chase is obviously far more accepted than it was year
after year, which is people now are fans - even our drivers are seeing
all the interesting things that happen when you put more on the line and
make the stage bigger.  I think Jeff Gordon is going to have to make his
run.  He's making it now, I guess, and so when we get to California, my
sense is he will be close to making it in.  But what happens is that
race, it won't just be him, there will be at least four or five people
or more that could go in or out.  And so these races, as we close in on
Richmond, are incredibly important, even more so than they used to be.  

How do you explain the relationship between NASCAR and ISC and then I
have a follow-up?

BF: Well, one is a public company that has certain goals and objectives.
The other is a private company which has other goals and objectives and
it's, frankly - and I'm asked this all the time - it's an incredible
benefit to understand that what track operators go through and some of
the challenges they face.  So we have a unique position to know a lot
about both and if you look at motor sports, every other motor sports
division that doesn't have that luxury, you'll see that they don't
understand the challenges. They yank dates in or out of markets whenever
they sort of feel like it and they don't build historical events to the
level that we've been able to do and they don't work, I don't think, as
close with their tracks as an approved business partner and that's the
advantage we have. Because we know that business real well.  We're in
it.  

In the lawsuit out of Kentucky, I've talked to people who were in that
meeting that said that your dad had said, "If you guys aren't going to
build it, you're not going to get a Cup race."  Do you get tired when
different entities kind of attack NASCAR and ISC for kind of being one
and working like that because they want a race and they can't get one?

BF: Well, we do.  It's sort of like if I built a restaurant that was the
equivalent of an Outback Steakhouse and I could do just as good as the
local Outback Steakhouse and I just called and said, "Well, I want that
franchise because I built this really nice restaurant."  Well, I
wouldn't expect to just get it or sue somebody because I didn't get it.
You know, the nature of these suits, including this one, is I didn't get
what I wanted, so everything is wrong.  And we'll let the legal system
decide that and that's where we're at.  

I have heard that last year, when Scott Wimmer had his problems with the
drunk driving that he was not at all tested by NASCAR and I was just
curious.  What is NASCAR's policy on what qualifies as reasonable degree
of suspicion to test somebody?

BF: There are two things, and I wouldn't go on that he didn't get
tested, because we don't publicize every test that we do.  We typically
only publicize the ones that come up with a positive hit.  So that's
that.  But I will tell you a couple of things.  One, the reason it's
sort of vague is it gives us, being the sanctioning body, a wide set of
reasons in our sole judgment to test somebody.  So we want to make sure
that the language and what the drivers actually agree to, you can't
parse it around.  If we feel like for any reason we need to test
somebody, we will.  But I'll tell you the second part of all this and I
know it's a hot subject around the horn, but I would pay as much
attention to the penalties as I would the process or how many times you
test and frequency of tests and all that because it doesn't matter.  If
we tested everybody everyday, but we didn't do much about it if we
caught somebody, then where are you?  And if you look at the recent
penalties that we got, a second offense, almost two years suspension.  I
mean, that is substantial and is an enormous deterrent to a drug issue
that our drivers may get into.  

In other words, like if you're watching the Tour de France this year,
the riders, after every stage, would have to get off the bike and go
right into a drug testing facility.  Has NASCAR ever thought about maybe
doing something like that before race, testing a random number of
drivers before a race, and if they came up whatever over the legal limit
for alcohol was after partying maybe the night before, that they
wouldn't be allowed to go out and compete?

BF: Well, no, we haven't because we like our policy now that lets us
test anybody that we want to.  We just don't think that that is
necessary to achieve a 100% drug free environment.  If we thought that
that was necessary we would do it.  They, in cycling, and I don't know -
they have a whole different set of circumstances.  I'm not familiar.
They must have thought that was important enough for them to execute and
do.  We don't.  We like our policy, we have a very get tough policy when
we have to and we're comfortable with that. 

With this nice run that Tony Stewart is making in the story lines with
Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace, do you think that might take away some of
the sting for some of the fans if guys like Jeff Gordon and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. are not in the chase?

BF: Well, I think no matter who is in or who is not out, a couple of
things, you've got to earn it.  So that everybody understands.  That's
sports.  And I think the second thing is whoever is in it, we're going
to have great story lines.  Rusty Wallace is probably going to make it
and he's, you know, his final year.  Mark Martin, it may be his final
year.  He probably will make it.  Tony Stewart is, you know, there's
going to be a lot of debate about can anybody beat him down the stretch?
Can he do what he's been doing when it really counts even more?  You
know, Jimmie Johnson from out, of course, your way in California, is
always a threat to get hot.  So whatever happens, I like how it's
shaping up. 

There have been a lot of stories around here on the Pacific Northwest.
You just said Seattle was a possibility.  How is this coming?

BF: Well, you probably know what I know, that there has been a site
selected in the state of Washington just outside of Seattle and I know
they're working feverishly to get that built and I know there are a lot
of race fans in that market that have to now travel to Las Vegas or San
Francisco or wherever to see an event live and they would certainly love
to have it.  I know there is a lot of work going on in it and I'm
hopeful that they'll make a lot of progress. 

With the schedule so crowded, if they built a new oval in the greater
Sacramento area, would they be able to get a NEXTEL Cup race or a Busch
Series Race or a truck race or would they have to go somewhere else and
try to get one from somebody else?

BF: Well, right now, if you listen to us, we are telling everybody that
the schedule is either at or near the end of what we can add for any
market.  And in that case, that market's somewhat well served - always
could be better - but in the Bay Area with Infineon Raceway and to the
south with two NEXTEL Cup events, that would not be a market that we are
trying to figure out, that's for sure. 

The IndyCars have Danica (Patrick).  When do you predict a woman to be
racing in the NEXTEL Cup?

BF: Well, I've never made predictions, but I know that there are some
talented young ladies that are getting an opportunity in part because of
our driver diversity and other things, other initiatives.  My sense of
it is before too long that you're going to see somebody emerge - Erin
Crocker is one name you hear a lot and there are some others.  So it's
coming a lot faster than even I thought.

I've read and heard stories about NASCAR wanting to possibly change the
Chase format to expand the field to include, I'm assuming, Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon.  Have there been any discussions about
that and is there any possibility that there could be changes in the
Chase rules?

BF: Zero discussion in my office and nowhere in NASCAR because this is a
performance-based sport and you've got to perform to get in it.  Our
drivers wouldn't want that anyway.  I know there were theories on this,
but they wouldn't want to limp in on a fan vote or something like that.
They want to earn it.  That's how it is and the best drivers this year
will earn it and then if you don't, you've got to go next year. 

There has been a lot of discussion lately about driver contracts in
NASCAR and drivers changing teams long before their contracts expire.
Has there been any investigation into that into maybe how to control
that and maybe control the influence of driver managers in contract
discussions in the sport?

BF: Yeah, needless to say it's something we're looking at.  It's out of
our control in that the drivers, of course, are independent contractors
and are free to sign with whomever they want to sign.  But my sense of
it is is that the team owners will be looking at the next round of
contracts to structure them in such a way that maybe there's not such a
long window of lame duck driving that could go on.  But that's up to
them how they want to approach that.  And, for good or for bad, it's one
of the elements of big time auto racing that people think, and it's
obviously accurate, that the drivers make such a big difference that
they're willing to make these kind of deals.  

Don't you think that maybe you as the overseer of the sport maybe would
like to do something to control this so that fans and sponsors, who may
be have committed some long term arrangement for a driver and suddenly
that driver is gone, sponsors may not be happy about that to resign in
the future?

BF: Well, remember.  They're always free to sign with whoever they want.
What we're talking about now is doing it in advance of their contract
expiring.  But we would never get involved to say that one driver
couldn't race for another team owner.  The question is how does
everybody feel about somebody in a lame duck atmosphere, and that's more
of a team issue.  I mean, drivers do change teams for sometimes their
choice and sometimes not.  So it's a free market and I want to let the
free market be free.  I think that the only issue I have is that it's
disappointing to see the lame duck potential that could exist and that's
more really feeling for the actual team themselves, having to work in an
environment that your driver's not going to be there after the year.
But these guys are professional and they'll push the button and work
hard, but they've got to be free to make whatever deal they think helps
them the most. 

With the success of the Chase format in the NEXTEL Cup, does NASCAR plan
to extend that to the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series? 

BF: I really don't want to.  I don't want us to do that because, number
one, they have shorter seasons.  You could certainly do it, but there's
not as much of a need to do it.  I want to keep, and we all want to
keep, the NEXTEL Cup different.  Obviously, it's the number one motor
sport of the U.S. and I want to distinguish that, we want to distinguish
that from the other two.  And they're great series in their own rights,
but I think it fits better with the NEXTEL Cup.

Back to your statement about the series being just about at the end or
at its limit.  If you do add new venues like possibly in the Northwest
or in other major markets, would you add another event or would you take
an event from an existing track?

BF: Well, either one is possible.  The realignment is the number one way
where tracks have an opportunity to petition us to put into markets that
could possibly work a lot better than a given market that they have or
given event that they have now.  It doesn't mean that we wouldn't make a
special exception, but we've got to see that and these are all
hypothetical and sort of in the out years and we've got to look at the
schedule really every year or every other year, just to see how the
stretch on the teams, see how our TV partners, what we can add and
cannot add.  So I know we can't add a lot.  Could we add a race, an
event?  Some say we should, some say we shouldn't, and I think it's best
to wait to the given year that we have to make that decision to look at
the atmosphere or the circumstances to see what we're going to
ultimately do.  

Are you at all concerned with the possible aging of the NASCAR's core
fans?  

BF: No, not at all.  Our fans are actually, if you look at the data,
getting younger.  So I'm not ... I'm told sometimes too young in terms
of the new fans that's coming into the sport.  But, no, we're not
concerned about that.  

What kind of strategies do you have to crack the younger market or to
bring younger fans into the sport?

BF: Well, I think a lot of things.  It's not one thing.  If you look at
some of the magazine shows like NASCAR Nation, they're edgier, more
in-depth in the way they present the sport.  If you look at the
explosion of video games in that category.  If you look at how we
approach everything online, on the web.  You know, where many, many
young people now get their information and live their life and a variety
of other things. We're trying to be impactful there.  So it's not any
one thing.  Then we've got a lot of young drivers, much younger drivers
coming into the sport at an early level or a young level, like a Kasey
Kahne, like a Brian Vickers - some real young talent that has come in.
So that's also more recognizable for other young people to see somebody
of similar age.  So there's a lot ... it's not any one thing that you
do, but there are a lot of things to try to do.  

We're starting to see some empty seats as the television cameras pan
across the grandstand.  Is that a concern and is it maybe a concern that
as you get these younger fans, are the tickets maybe too expensive for
those fans to afford?

BF: Well, that is a fair question on the ticket cost and I know that
tracks are trying to look at every option they can to lessen the cost
for racing, not just in ticket costs.  But it's the whole cost.  It's
the hotel room that skyrockets around race events, it's fuel prices,
it's all kinds of things that make going to a NASCAR event more
expensive than the tracks and we would like to see.  The attendance,
we're actually on quite a record right now. We're having a great year.
We just announced a sellout at the finale at Homestead, Miami, that's
not even until November.  Richmond is sold out, they just announced.
Michigan, this week, sold out - just announced.  Bristol is sold out.
You go down the list.  Kansas City - sold out.  But there will always be
a track or two that has one event that's bigger than the other that's on
the schedule that might have a few empty seats depending on the
circumstances.  

Last year in California, there were some empty seats.  Could it be that
there were three events inside of a 12-month window that maybe
oversaturated the exposure in this marketplace?

BF: Yeah, they actually came within a 10-month window and that's a lot
of new tickets to put in the marketplace and that doesn't even factor in
adding another event in Phoenix which we did, which plays into that.
But there may be, again, some facilities will have a few empty seats,
but not many, and it will always depend on the circumstances.  Usually,
it cycles back out and it's fine.  

How important is Adrian Fernandez for running four Busch races for
NASCAR at the tail end of this season?

BF: Well, I think it's helpful.  He's so recognizable in his home
country.  And he's very talented.  He proves that every time he steps in
a car.  So that was part of the allure in going to Mexico City that he
actually participated in that race, got to know NASCAR a little bit,
liked the Busch Series.  I think he said how much more respectful he is
of the competitive level that that series had.  So it is going to help
our increasing diversity efforts in the Hispanic market.  

Are those efforts successful?  Are they where you want it to be?

BF: They're never where we want them to be, but I like our initiatives.
I like the progress that we're making.  In just about every way that we
can measure, our television audience is growing in both the
African-American and Hispanic audiences.  Our drive for diversity where
we actually go out and field the health teams at local short tracks
around the country so we can help foster the talent situation is coming
and getting some good results and so I like the things we're working on
and we'll see where it all goes.