Making an unexpected appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Monday afternoon with host Dave Moody, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France spoke on a variety of topics relevant to the current state of NASCAR.
France opened his conversation by speaking of the sport’s recent agreement with Monster Energy, who will transition into the sport’s premier series entitlement role beginning in 2017.
France initiated an announcement was forthcoming on what the actual premier series of NASCAR will be called.
“We’ll have an announcement shortly,” France said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“We’re working together with them. A lot of it is, they know motorsports, so they’re not just along for the ride, they have some real good opinions on what they have to get done here as our entitlement sponsor. So, we’re going to listen to them because they’re obviously the most important partner, it’s all going to be good.”
Expected to have a healthy presence on the activation side, France reiterated that Monster Energy is thrilled to be a part of the sport and will do ‘fun things for the fans.’
In a time where the sport is craving a younger fan base, France noted the reception to the new partner has been positive, which is “what we wanted all along.”
France added the company is going to be engaging both on social media and at the track.
The multi-year agreement was announced Dec. 1 in Las Vegas, but without a title name for the series. In addition to their series’ sponsorship, Monster Energy will continue its sponsorship of Kurt Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing.
“Motorsports is in their DNA,” France said. “When you walk through, as I’ve done several times, their home office in California, it’s all auto racing, it just is. Motorcycles and car racing and they just live and breathe it, and they’re ready to go. We’re excited to have them.”
France balked at a recent report from the SportsBusiness Journal referring to the agreement between Monster Energy and NASCAR is not correct.
SBJ cited sources who said Monster Energy had only signed a two-year agreement with a two-year option worth $20 million annually.
France was quick to debunk the numbers and said there would be longevity to the partnership, which officially begins Jan. 1, 2017.
“Those are not accurate numbers,” France explained. “We have a good understanding of where this relationship is going to be, so no, those are not accurate numbers. (Monster Energy) is excited about being here. My view is, this is the biggest entitlement or biggest sponsorship yet for their company and although they’ve very successful, my view is, they’re going to build on for a long time.
“That’s the sense of it with me, and I made this particular sales call myself, so I have a good sense of it, and I’m big believer in those guys. They have an understanding of what we’re all trying to do together.”
France also noted the significance of the sport’s 14-time most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. being cleared to return to competition and how Earnhardt made the right decision in listening to his doctor and sitting out most of the 2016 season.
“It’s important,” said France of Earnhardt’s return. “But, what’s more important is he did the right thing. He took his time, he listed to his doctors, he followed our protocol, which is one of the clearest in sports of how we’re going to deal with concussions or anything with a head injury. He did the right thing.
“Forget how popular he is for NASCAR or whatever else. That’s the most important thing, he followed his advice of his doctors. He’s now from my understanding clear to go and we’re looking forward to having him back.”
France feels Earnhardt should be applauded for raising awareness in concussion and head injuries among professional athletes.
“I give him a lot of credit,” France added. “It would be really easy to roll back into the car and you’re not feeling quite certain, but you’re listening to one voice or another, but he did the right thing. That’s called leadership.”
When Moody asked France to discuss what the premier series car count will look like next year, France called the outlook, “normal times” as teams make decisions about their future in the sport.
“It’s always the case with teams in the off season shuffling around sponsorship concerns, it’s always been,” said France. “You go through history, these are normal times. I don’t have anything new to report, but that’s just normal.”
That includes the shuffling of drivers to different teams, the sell or lease of premier series charters or in the unfortunate circumstances of team(s) deciding to cease operations.
“We’re an open market place in many ways, so it just finds itself in the right way,” he added.
France also spoke about the relationship between the Driver’s Council and NASCAR, citing the communication between the two was strong. “(The) communication has never been better,” he said.
“We’re very comfortable and I’m very comfortable about where we’re at and where we’re going.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
