NASCAR State Of The Sport? Just Look In The Mirror

NASCAR has asked this week for drivers and team owners to attend meetings discussing the current state of the sport. One can infer that this is most likely due to decreased ticket sales and decreased ratings.

Clearly the drivers will be quizzed on every aspect of the sport and will be asked what improvements can be made. The most profound question, however, is the one which will not be asked.

What kind of job has NASCAR CEO Brian France done over the past six years?

France has become vilified in the sport for both justified and unjustified reasons. No one can argue that when he took the helm from his late father, Bill France, Jr., in September 2003, that the sport was rocketing in popularity.

Barely five years later that rocket has since fizzeled and has begun it's descent back to Earth.

The question now must be asked, what went wrong? It seemed as if that rocket was destined to join the NFL in the heavens of premier sports entertainment.

Individuals and fans who have been around for a decade or more can point to the obvious problem. The chemistry of the sport, which was powering that rocket, has changed dramatically.

This cannot be blamed on the sizable new TV contracts or on the advent of new sponsors to the sport. It cannot be blamed on the grooming of new drivers or the success of powerhouse teams such as Hendrick Motorsports.

In times of such a dramatic shift in the sport, one must look at only one individual. That individual is the leader of the sport.

It's well documented how one person can positively or adversely affect an organization. The Matt Millen era of the Detroit Lions may become the prime example of such an effect.

When Brian France took control of NASCAR six years ago he had a vision for the sport. That vision did not agree with the previous incarnation of the sport. And yet, that vision was applied to the sport with disregard to the previous dynamics.

The Chase, the COT, lawsuits, reallignment, the obliteration of tradition and the general pacifing of the sport are but some of the changes France has reigned over. Not all of these are directly his fault, but he had the final say in their implementation.

And look at what has happened. Long time fans have been alienated. Fans who bought season tickets to a track find themselves losing the desire to renew them. Fans who watched every single race all season long now see Sundays as just another day of the week.

The spark is gone, the passion is gone and what launched the rocket that was the growth of NASCAR is gone. Replacing it was a short term singular vision that, as of right now, apparently is not working.

Perhaps the most difficult part is that it is impossible to go back. It is impossible to rekindle the magic that existed at the beginning of this decade.

As NASCAR fans, we were happy... no, proud when our little sport finally began to take off. No longer would we have to be judged and criticized for watching cars go around in circles. NASCAR could be a respectable sport among the masses finally.

Today, NASCAR is stumbling along in the public eye. The past few weeks have shown the disorganization of the governing body. NASCAR's credibility has taken sizable hits in the past few seasons, but nothing compared to the past month.

And where is our leader? Where is Brian France to comfort us, to let us know that they were in the wrong or that we have been misinformed?

David Stern and Bud Selig address issues directly with a candor not found in our sport. When France talks to the fans about issues, he speaks almost as if he is the scolding parent, looking down upon his misunderstanding children.

But that is not the way to govern. That is how you alienate your fan base.

Stern and Selig also have made mistakes in their tenors as well, but at least they have admitted that have made mistakes and learned from them. France sees only his faulty 'vision' for the sport, even though it is evident that it has not worked.

When drivers arrive in Concord for the meeting with NASCAR brass, it is these issues that should be in the forefront of their minds.

We need a leader, not a visionary. Bill France, Sr. was a visionary who built the sport into the mammoth it is today. We need someone who listens to the fans and drivers and can apply these discussions to the sport.

We need someone who is a fan of NASCAR, not merely the CEO of it. Is that too hard to ask?