Phelps used to stipulate that he was a business guy, not a racing guy, aside from being a devoted casual fan. He should keep it that way. His understanding of these issues is literally less than the majority of hardcore racing fans. That is not a slight on his business and marketing knowledge, where I believe he is highly adept.
The real problem is that the top executive on the "racing side", Steve O'Donnell, believes the same things and uses the same measures to declare success.