What is Wrong With Brian France?

Well thought out and well stated Tervren.

Although, the use of "fin'n or suspendin'" is also one of my sayings, I thusly feel justified in charging $1.00 for its
use in this forum. Rob, back me up here man!

When we see the disconnect NASCAR as a sport has devolved into from what is once was and how rapidly things
have gone down hill especially since Brian France took the helm, it's little wonder NASCAR has lost its fan base.

But, lets not kid ourselves, NASCAR still gets the kind of numbers (both ticket buying and TV watching public) that
other relevant racing series would kill to have. And, with hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank, they've still
got a lot of weight to throw around, whether the boss is a asshat or not.

BHW

 

Only until they start playing to empty tracks. And that does appear to be on the horizon. With DP and JR gone, the rest are like dry toast. And that isn't going to get anyone's bloomers in a bunch !

 

man you gots ta let dis go. we gots rulez round here.

 

Andrew, this year I only watched 1 nascar race. daytonner. I skipped the rest of the season. this was a first for me but I cannot help but wonder who else has now moved on and what that means to ticket sales and tv rights going forward. hell denny just built 40k sq ft down the road from me. who gunna pay da mortgage?

 

I did not go anywhere to watch a single CUP race on TV from start to finish this year. I did glance at some when in public places it was on, but didn't stay with them.

I did attend both the truck and cup race at Martinsville in October. My first time there, really loved the sights and sounds. I had hot passes, didn't really follow the race so much as experience it up close.

 

Certainly, with the exit of high profile drivers like Jr. Jr. Jr. and Danica, NASCAR is going to
feel it.

For whatever reason, Jr. Jr. Jr. has been the most popular driver since like forever. It never
made any sense since the expectations for his career, especially after he joined Hendrick
never came close to what pundits like Dave Despain (who must have been paid $1,000 each
time he said Jr. Jr. Jr.'s name on "Wind Tunnel") were touting at the time.

Jr. Jr. Jr.'s transfer to Hendrick was predicted to bring automatic results and multiple-mutiple
championships. And, even through the heavy hand of NASCAR intervention to try and get
Jr. Jr. Jr. his long awaited championship, it never materialized which must have had the
NASCAR hierarchy deep in the fake wood paneled walled offices in Daytonner walking in circles.

Danica, on the other hand, provided some colorful episodes but most of it negative. I ran
across a You Tube video of her getting snarky with interviewers and even with her own team
on the radio and she just comes off looking like an entitled princess. They probably won't
miss her too much evidenced by the fact that they couldn't get her into a ride for 2018.

They won't, but NASCAR should re-examine itself. The way the races are presented on TV
is so over the top now that no event can live up to all the hype.

Case in point. I was staying in Central Florida on some family business and friends wanted
me to attend a NASCAR party they were having, I reluctantly agreed. They had it on monitors
on like five TVs in one room with all the pre-race hype, Michael Waltrip this, Michael Waltrip
that. He said something so incredibly stupid in exasperation, I let out, "Jesus, what a jackass"
to which they all gasped as if his every utterance is gold.

The smallish group got all hyped for the race during the pre-race and when the green flag
at long last dropped, they were hooping and hollering, I thought was in a scene right out
of the "Dukes of Hazard". The hype quickly evaporated and about 20 or so laps in, the
room got quiet, I looked around and every one of them were asleep on the couches and
chairs, I was the only one awake, ha!

The only time they'd wake up was during a wreck and ensuing caution where they show
the incident 50 different times from 50 different angles. If these are typical NASCAR fans
who buy into this hype, NASCAR is missing their target. They're like sugar addicts who
get their fix then crash only in a much more rapid fashion.

BHW

 

That is exactly how watching a race on TV pans out. Spot on!

 

I am in shock! This is what B. France has reduced the sport to: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/motorsports/richard-petty-motorsports-switches-to-chevrolet-forms-alliance-with-richard-childress-racing/ar-BBGoYHX

 

Going to be interesting to see where we are in a year or two what with the decline in viewers, the drop in attendance, the retirement of some big stars, the evaporation of sponsor money and the current state of major teams laying off lots of people. Got to be a lot of worried faces in team management offices right now.

 

When the current TV deals expire and get renegotiated downwards 30-50% is when the poo really hits the fan.

 

Ahhhh...yes....the words " your services are no longer required " comes to mind. The phrase " After this date we are closing shop. Thank you for all your help and please make sure you get all of your tools out before we auction everything off."

Do I win anything for knowing this?

 

Which leads right into my next question...

What are the duration of the current TV contracts with FOX and NBC?

And, what was the announced deal with Monster?

Seems to me NASCAR wanted a much longer term deal than Monster was willing to
pony up for and Monster pretty much got their way.

BHW

 

TV contracts run through 2024.

Monster deal was a 2 year deal (17/18) with a 2 year option to renew. you are correct, Monster is "testing the waters" more than anything else.

 

What is a little frightening is that the recent layoffs at Hendricks et al don't seem to be getting reported anywhere - not that I haunt jayski or any of those sites but the news certainly isn't hitting any of the mainstream NASCAR sites.

 

NASCAR does a great job at suppressing negative news.

sometimes with a finin' and a suspendin', right Barton?

 

They are far from the only ones - a very well known photographer won't be receiving any more credentials for Le Mans for example.

 

Did someone here have the unmitigated gall to urinate in the corn flakes of the French? Tisk tisk.....you should have gone for the cheerio's instead!! If you need help...let me know I am very good as hosing down someone's bowl!

 

Things may go a lot further than finin & suspendin' though, unfortunately.

Back in the early GrandAm days at Daytonner when the Earnhardts, Sr. and Jr. Jr. Jr. drove together for Corvette,
highly respected sports car journalist Michael Cotten attempted to get an interview with them in the garages during
some down time.

Mr. Cotten, while not geriatric at the time but up in years shall we say, was manhandled by security. He was forcibly
removed from the garages, credentials revoked and threatened with arrest (yes, you read that right) if he pursued
with his requests for interviews with the Earnhardts.

Now, this type of stuff was nothing new at Daytonner. Treatment of credentialed media and fans alike is abysmal. They
give tin badges to a bunch of old goats with the instructions of making life as completely difficult for journalists, photographers
and spectators as possible.

Having been on the receiving end of this numerous times myself, I could write volumes on mistreatment of journalists and
photographers at Daytonner. It became so pervasive that they noticed in the lead up to one of the 24 Hour races a few years later that they had not received a single request for credentials from any overseas journalists or photographers, uhoh...

GrandAm was tipping in the balance in the competition with ALMS (as if there was ever really any competition) and they were desperate for any good PR. So the good folks deep in the fake wood paneled walled offices in Daytonner came up with a solution, cover all the expenses (flights, rental cars, hotels, etc.) for any journalists and photographers coming from overseas to cover the event.

As I understand it, three or four actually took them up on this offer.

This illustration shows exactly the lengths the NASCAR hierarchy goes to protect themselves and if anyone dares to step out
of line, then access is denied. Rough up an old man, threaten him with an overnight stay in the Daytona jail. They're low lifes,
pure and simple.

BHW

 

that's a cuffin' and a jailin'

 

Some of Daytona's security at major events are "off duty" Federal agents. Strange since Federal agents are not permitted to moonlight according to some friends who are with DHS, INS, DPS.

 

Getting a bit off topic but the latest from Daytona is less paddock space for everybody - teams that normally bring 3 trailers will be down to 2 for example, no outside vendors except corporate - so the little guys with the t-shirts, models, and other stuff are out and no more infield parking for media or crew.

 

Interesting. What use by France is planned for this new found space? Or is it more for spectators motorhomes and such? A big difference if it's for Daytona's convenience or for fans'...

 

I think it is about money and who gets it. The little guy is not on the participation list. The wealthy like to keep it in house. So buy from the teams and help us screw the pooch on the little guy!

Turbopanzer..... smelling rats in Woodfield for over 60 years !!

 

I get that but not so sure you're spot on. That's exactly why I asked what all the extra space will be used for which you didn't address. You didn't touch the space the rest, (and your "little guys"), are giving up?: "the latest from Daytona is less paddock space for everybody - teams that normally bring 3 trailers will be down to 2 for example" and "and other stuff are out and no more infield parking for media or crew"
I just, once again, hear "hate" as opposed to rationale.

 

The new found space in the paddock is for the influx of cars / teams. Infield space has always been at a premium and will be sold to those who can pay more than the small vendors who have been showing up for 30 years. As for media / crew parking the powers-that-be have no idea what it takes to do those jobs and couldn't care less. Photographer with $100K of gear in a large rolling bag with no place to store it? Who cares? He contributes nothing to the coffers. Teams working 18 hour days pre-race and 36 hours straight for the race? Who cares? They're just replaceable monkeys.