Brian France Press Conference @ Homestead

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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There probably be much more on this later but here's some of what was said today.....

NASCAR Chairman Brian France met with the media Friday to discuss several topics. Top on that list was the Chase and it's hard to imagine NASCAR not changing the Chase after France spoke. He also touched on a variety of issues.



Here's what he had to say:



"What's really clear to me is when you put drivers in a position where there's a lot on the run ... where they've actually got to win or lead laps, they do it. I think you're seeing it that the last several weeks. That tells us that the more we can do to have an incentive-based system to decide this championship that puts it all on the line more often, that's what we need to be thinking about.



QUESTION: Do you still look at the changes to the Chase after such a year or leave it alone?



BRIAN FRANCE: "We will look at it. What I like is what I said earlier is a winner-take-all, if you will, and watching someone not just to have run well but to have to beat some other people, that is, feeling to us, like that's exactly what we want. By the way, that's exactly what the drivers want. Let me say this, every sports league, or almost every one, including the NCAA Tournament last year, is looking around at what they need to do to change their formats a little or a lot, depending on who they are, to make sure that their playoffs of championship runs on what they want them to do. We're not different.



QUESTION: While you want Game 7 moments, you don't see that every year. A lot of fans say they are as disenchanged with the Chase in general. Is there a risk turning off more people by making changes again when you've got what you want right now?



BRIAN FRANCE: "I mentioned to you that almost every league and tournament is taking a look at their playoff format style and some will do a little and some will do nothing at all and some might do something more drastic. I don't know what we're going to do, if anythng. I will tell you if we can make it simpler to understand that's a good thing for us to do.(Other sports) have incredible big moments where the best teams have to elevate their performance and that's what excites us as fans, that's what excites our fan base and excites casual sports fans who are going to look to this sport one day to enjoy as much as we do. If there is a plan for us to accomplish that, we will consider it over the winter.''





QUESTION: What about future scheduling issues and when races are run and how long they are?



BRIAN FRANCE: "We have limitations (on what days to run races) because of the size of our events and the idea that our fans are going to drive further, stay longer makes that difficult to get back to work, etc. We don't have hometown teams, so every event is a mega event of some sort. We are looking at shortening races as we go along. We shortened California this time around. I think that made for a very good event. On the margins we'll look at when that makes sense to shorten certain races where we think we'll get a better competitive product on the track. We're looking at Nationwide events with that same thing in mind, but to actually make a big change to the schedule (to run a race) mid week, that would be impossible.''



QUESTION: What kind of changes are coming in the Nationwide Series?



BRIAN FRANCE: "We'll be hearing about that in January. The idea for us is we want to see the Nationwide Series have its own identity, very similar to what college football does for the NFL. That's a great analogy for us. What we don't want to see is Sunday and Saturday homogenized, completely homogenized. So, we want to see Cup involvement, absolutely. Fans want to see that, buy tickets, we get it. We also want to make sure that the Nationwide Series is helping us find stars that stay there for a little while, earn their stripes and move up. What you'll see from us, is we'll deal with that ... and make sure we're developing more stars with their own idtentity and at the same time not throwing out a lot of things that are working.''





QUESTION: With you stating you want to expose NASCAR to the largest audience, why does it continue to make sense to have races on ESPN instead of ABC, which is seen in more homes and will that change next year?



BRIAN FRANCE: "ESPN is our partner. They've been an enormously good partner. They actually have a younger demo on ESPN than does their sister network, ABC. We're going to look with everybody at ESPN to make sure that we have the right times, the right promotion, the right everything that puts the sport in the best possible position to have the biggest audience. Our interests are completely aligned in that. I suspect we'll sit down in the offseason and talk about that. They've been a great partner. By the way, I think the broadcast has been as good as Iv'e seen in a long time. I think the energy level in the calling of the action, the on-talent I thiink is top-notch right now and they'e been working on that for a few years and getting all the things just right and I think they have.''
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I would love to see a winner take all approach. I know a lot of folks won't agree, but from where I sit second place is first loser.

We shouldn't reward folks as much as we do for coming in 2nd.
 
sloggie said:
I would love to see a winner take all approach. I know a lot of folks won't agree, but from where I sit second place is first loser.

We shouldn't reward folks as much as we do for coming in 2nd.
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Ok, so how would a winner take all system work in NASCAR?
 
sloggie said:
I would love to see a winner take all approach. I know a lot of folks won't agree, but from where I sit second place is first loser.

We shouldn't reward folks as much as we do for coming in 2nd.
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Agreed, and we should reward the person leading the points after the first twenty six races.
 
Actually, I think it was because several of the recent champs, at that time, wrapped up the title with a race or two left of the schedule.
 
SpeedPagan said:
No, but there was a point system. Remember why The Chase started in the first place?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_for_the_Sprint_Cup#.22The_Matt_Kenseth_Rule.22

It began because Matt Kenseth won the Winston Cup Championship with only one win.
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You still didn't answer the question, besides if the teams and drivers agree to the point system then there's no reason to complain if someone wins by one point then they are the champion. So if Hamlin wins the chase by one point he isn't this years champion?
 
blue92 said:
You still didn't answer the question, besides if the teams and drivers agree to the point system then there's no reason to complain if someone wins by one point then they are the champion. So if Hamlin wins the chase by one point he isn't this years champion?
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I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out that your proposed system may not be any better than what we currently have. Honestly if I was Brian Frances, I'd do the following.

Get rid of this whole idea of mixing up the points standing going into The Chase.

Reward the points leader of the regular season.

Have race tracks offer bids to be in The Chase, every year. The 10 tracks that offer the 10 highest bid will be in The Chase for that year.

If we want to make it a TRUE playoff system, then have Nationwide and Sprint compete against one another in The Chase. Have the top ten drivers in Sprint and the top ten drivers in Nationwide compete against one another in ten races.

Those are my thoughts.
 
What troubles me is the fact that he keeps making analogies to Stick&Ball sports. Motor sports is NOT S&B; naver has been and [hopefully] never will be. As long as he continues to try and turn professional stock car (term used very advisedly) racing into just another sporting venue, he'll just continue to turn off motorheads.
 
blue92 said:
You still didn't answer the question, besides if the teams and drivers agree to the point system then there's no reason to complain if someone wins by one point then they are the champion. So if Hamlin wins the chase by one point he isn't this years champion?
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I say there should be a bigger margin of points for a win. It used to be 10, now its 15 or 20, I say make it.....40? 50? And make laps led under caution not count. Even better- Caution laps dont count at all, like the all star race (but shorten the races so we dont end up with a 5 hour martinsville race)
 
I would like the old system put back in place but since that isn't gonna happen the Chasers should have their own points system. It's no more silly than the current system of having the 9th place points guy leading now.
 
blue92 said:
How did they do it when Richard Petty won all his championships? Or Dale Earnhardt? There was no stupid chase in those days.
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I actually figured this out one day if the championship was awarded to the driver with the most wins Earnhardt be a 2 time champion, DW on the other hand be a 7 time champion.
 
. When it was suggested that there are fans who not only don't want to see changes but would like to see the Chase eliminated, France scoffed. "You met somebody that's telling you that?" he asked. Well, yeah. Hundreds, if not thousands. Just read some of the comments from [ESPN's] readers. "OK," France said. "Well, look, I mentioned to you that every -- almost every league and tournament -- is taking a look at their playoff or format style," France said. "Some will do a little; some will do nothing at all; and some might do something more drastic. And so I don't know what we are going to do, if anything."

I like the part where he thinks all the fans like the chase. He obviously dosen't listen to the fans. Must be surrounded by a bunch of yes men telling him yea boss, thats a real good idea boss.
 
racer8 said:
. When it was suggested that there are fans who not only don't want to see changes but would like to see the Chase eliminated, France scoffed. "You met somebody that's telling you that?" he asked. Well, yeah. Hundreds, if not thousands. Just read some of the comments from [ESPN's] readers. "OK," France said. "Well, look, I mentioned to you that every -- almost every league and tournament -- is taking a look at their playoff or format style," France said. "Some will do a little; some will do nothing at all; and some might do something more drastic. And so I don't know what we are going to do, if anything."

I like the part where he thinks all the fans like the chase. He obviously dosen't listen to the fans. Must be surrounded by a bunch of yes men telling him yea boss, thats a real good idea boss.
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*cough*Mayfieldhelper*cough*
 
Stewart Fan said:
I would like the old system put back in place but since that isn't gonna happen the Chasers should have their own points system. It's no more silly than the current system of having the 9th place points guy leading now.
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When you say old, which system do you mean? (of course I know which one you mean) But from 1949 until 1971, there were six different systems used. For the next three years, NASCAR used a different system each year with the weirdest being used in 1974 when Richard Petty could finish 30th in a race and get more points than say Cale Yarborough for finishing 5th. After that year, what is usually called the current system was developed but has been tweaked several times. The Chase began in 2004 and has been tweaked several times from adding more drivers to adding points for a win.

Things change and NASCAR is no different. There are purists in any sport who hate change, but once the changes are made, the purists seldom, if ever get over the change. Imagine, there are many baseball fans who have always lived when there has been a DH. I'm sure we have some fans here who may have been alive when Richard Petty last raced, but there are some here who weren't when he won his last race, let alone when the points system was so screwed up...as if it isn't now. :)
 
Bucky Badger said:
I heard during the nationwide race that cup guys won't be able to go for the NW championship.
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Let's take the theory that the Cup raiders are in it or the money and the sponsorship deals they have the ability to work, and that their number will decrease by maybe...? 10% next season. The number who hold to that theory, or variations thereof, are pretty numerous.

IF that theory were to hold then, what we might have next year is a Cup Lite Champion who hasn't won a race and/or has an average finish of around 12th?

This year it wouldn't have been too bad (but bad enough). Justin Allgaier would have been the champ, 4th in points with a single win and an average start of 11,9 and an average finish of 11.4. Not exactly a championship record. Last year the Cup Lite champ would have been Steve Wallace, 7th in points, zero wins, only four top 5's, and an average start of 19.4 and finish of 16.5! That's who would have worn the championship ring?

To me it would be an awfully empty championship with records like that. Honestly, do people with mediocre season records deserve championships? Aren't champions supposed to have excelled in their own leagues?

What I can easily see happening would be a situation where the Cup drivers are in their usual battle up front and the actual fight for position among the Cup Lite regulars would be back around 10th-12th place in the running. Will the TV cameras focus on the rather meaningless (to the driver fans) battle between the Cup Lite regulars or will they keep the cameras on the Cup Raiders who are running at the front of the pack?
 
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