France wrote:
Dear
NASCAR fans,
In a few short days, a dramatic 2013 season will end -- as will the milestone 10th Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
I have said a number of times that we created the Chase to provide fans with more high stakes, late season competition that goes right down to the final event. Now 10 years into the Chase, we can point to a number of instances which fit that description. You can look back at Kurt Busch’s tight victory over Jimmie Johnson in the very first Chase. Revel in the epic back-and-forth between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards in 2011. And now this year, Jimmie Johnson continues his march toward history, attempting to fend off Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
As good as the Chase has been for our sport, we want more. We want more excitement, more passing, more drama. We want to give you more reasons to go to the race track and continue to follow our sport week after week. Rest assured that we as an industry are working hard to accomplish this goal. We’re on a mission to make the racing the best it can be. Frankly, your passion and commitment to NASCAR warrant our resolve to continuously pursue ideas that will make the best racing in the world even better.
The debut of the Gen-6 race cars – the Toyota Camry, Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion – led to a number of highlight-reel moments on the race track this season. They not only look better but they have delivered significantly more passing across the season and some incredible moments in the capable hands of the best drivers in all of racing. But again, we want more. Our team at the NASCAR Research & Development Center, in concert with all of our NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race teams, is testing a number of rules packages in order to improve upon this season’s on-track product for 2014 and beyond. I’m proud of the effort and care put into this mission from all involved.
In terms of the 2013 season, we have had some very special moments and great accomplishments at all levels. Our first Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio was a great success for our sport near the home of valued series sponsor, Nationwide Insurance. In the Camping World Truck Series, the highly successful return to dirt at Eldora Speedway and the series’ first race outside of the United States at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park stand out as huge milestones. The Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Toyota Mexico Series all delivered spectacular moments to NASCAR fans in all of those regions of the world, and the first Toyota Mexico Series event held in the United States at Phoenix International Raceway earlier this year will go down as a memorable, landmark moment in NASCAR’s rich history.
Darrell Wallace Jr. made history, becoming the first African-American driver in 50 years to win on the NASCAR national series stage. Kyle Larson’s win at Rockingham Speedway earlier this year, Darrell’s victory and innumerable great young drivers taking the spotlight in the K&N Pro Series ranks show that our Drive for Diversity, NASCAR Next and development series initiatives are bearing fruit on the track. These programs are filling the talent pipeline with emerging stars we’ll someday see chasing the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Finally, we are thrilled with the unification of sports car racing in North America and look forward to the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship beginning next year.
Of course, this season has not been without challenge. As a sport, we were presented with a number of unprecedented moments. In each instance, we met our responsibility to act in what we believe was in the best interest of the sport as a whole. We recognize there are times when you have agreed and others when you have not. Please know, wherever you stand on these issues, we appreciate your passion for NASCAR. It does not go unheard or unnoticed.
Now as we head into the season-ending races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and begin the countdown to Daytona, on behalf of the entire NASCAR team, I thank you for your continued passion for our sport. You are the greatest fans in the world and we wish you the very best during this coming holiday season.
Best regards,
Brian France
In a few short days, a dramatic 2013 season will end -- as will the milestone 10th Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
I have said a number of times that we created the Chase to provide fans with more high stakes, late season competition that goes right down to the final event. Now 10 years into the Chase, we can point to a number of instances which fit that description. You can look back at Kurt Busch’s tight victory over Jimmie Johnson in the very first Chase. Revel in the epic back-and-forth between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards in 2011. And now this year, Jimmie Johnson continues his march toward history, attempting to fend off Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
As good as the Chase has been for our sport, we want more. We want more excitement, more passing, more drama. We want to give you more reasons to go to the race track and continue to follow our sport week after week. Rest assured that we as an industry are working hard to accomplish this goal. We’re on a mission to make the racing the best it can be. Frankly, your passion and commitment to NASCAR warrant our resolve to continuously pursue ideas that will make the best racing in the world even better.
The debut of the Gen-6 race cars – the Toyota Camry, Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion – led to a number of highlight-reel moments on the race track this season. They not only look better but they have delivered significantly more passing across the season and some incredible moments in the capable hands of the best drivers in all of racing. But again, we want more. Our team at the NASCAR Research & Development Center, in concert with all of our NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race teams, is testing a number of rules packages in order to improve upon this season’s on-track product for 2014 and beyond. I’m proud of the effort and care put into this mission from all involved.
In terms of the 2013 season, we have had some very special moments and great accomplishments at all levels. Our first Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio was a great success for our sport near the home of valued series sponsor, Nationwide Insurance. In the Camping World Truck Series, the highly successful return to dirt at Eldora Speedway and the series’ first race outside of the United States at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park stand out as huge milestones. The Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Toyota Mexico Series all delivered spectacular moments to NASCAR fans in all of those regions of the world, and the first Toyota Mexico Series event held in the United States at Phoenix International Raceway earlier this year will go down as a memorable, landmark moment in NASCAR’s rich history.
Darrell Wallace Jr. made history, becoming the first African-American driver in 50 years to win on the NASCAR national series stage. Kyle Larson’s win at Rockingham Speedway earlier this year, Darrell’s victory and innumerable great young drivers taking the spotlight in the K&N Pro Series ranks show that our Drive for Diversity, NASCAR Next and development series initiatives are bearing fruit on the track. These programs are filling the talent pipeline with emerging stars we’ll someday see chasing the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Finally, we are thrilled with the unification of sports car racing in North America and look forward to the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship beginning next year.
Of course, this season has not been without challenge. As a sport, we were presented with a number of unprecedented moments. In each instance, we met our responsibility to act in what we believe was in the best interest of the sport as a whole. We recognize there are times when you have agreed and others when you have not. Please know, wherever you stand on these issues, we appreciate your passion for NASCAR. It does not go unheard or unnoticed.
Now as we head into the season-ending races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and begin the countdown to Daytona, on behalf of the entire NASCAR team, I thank you for your continued passion for our sport. You are the greatest fans in the world and we wish you the very best during this coming holiday season.
Best regards,
Brian France
I love NASCAR, what I don't like is the favoritism toward one team, there are always cautions to give him a chance to get up front and the fines for cheating for this team have been lighter than any other team, and I am not the only one who feels this way. If this continues you are going to keep loosing fans it has become the Hendrick Motors show, even when their driver is not out front we are still subjected to watching him go around the track. Please clean this up make NASCAR what it used to be before Jimmy and his cheating crew chief. There are a other teams in this sport and as fans we really get sick of seeing the favoritism to this team, they need to be held more accountable for their cheating, when a crew chief say " put in the wall" after winning a race, or when the driver purposely runs through the grass to damage the front end and nothing is done about it gets a little hard to swallow, but if other teams do those same things you come down hard. So please quit letting Mr. Hendricks run NASCAR and let it go back to the way it was!!!
ReplyDeleteHaters gotta hate. And it's "Hendrick," not Hendricks.
DeleteAnonymous 1:59: Its worse than being the Hendrick Motorsport show (for the record I am a 24 fan), NASCAR has basically turned into the Jimmie Johnson show. Like you said, if he is not leading there always seems to be a caution to let him catch up, and even when not leading the cameras are focused on him, the announcers keep talking about how great 5X is...Just imaging how many times we are going to hear about "6 pack" next year!
DeleteI don't even plan to watch this Sundays final race, we already know who will be the champ.
Bet you can't name the last time there was a caution to keep Jimmie from going a lap down, mainly because he rarely is in DANGER of going a lap down! If you're so sure of yourself, prove it. When was the last time NASCAR threw a caution to save Jimmie? I dare you!
DeleteMr. Anonymous, do you also believe there was more than one gunman involved in the JFK assassination?
DeleteHmmm Is the 48 team the only team in NASCAR to cheat? NO!
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember an illegal engine issue that got swept under the rug for the JGR 20 and Toyota.
Or how about the Penske rear end issues?
Oh and let us not forget the deals for position and questionable pit spots and spins by MWR. and the Ford teams of Penske and Front Row.
Stop your whining about cheaters, they all do it.
An Open Response To Brian France.
ReplyDeleteI think NASCAR does an excellent job with the Cup series. It's the Nationwide Nascar needs to seriously address. Stop all these cup drivers from dropping down to pick up an easy and cheap victory. Isn't the Nationwide series supposed to be to develop younger drivers? So what that Kyle or Brad or Kevin kicks their butts? Shouldn't they? They have the best of everything. The crowning insult is the fact that we have a champion who never even won a race. had not the series been infested with cup drivers I would bet we would have had some additional wins by those it really matters to. How about we limit cup drivers to no more than three races a year? Let the young guys battle it out.
ReplyDeleteNo Kyle and Brad no attendance, no attendance no Nationwide. It's a matter of dollars and 'sense'. The days of purity are gone. Sponsors want THE MOST exposure they can get and Nationwide is another venue for them. Sorry the good old days have passed us all by.
DeleteI understand your point although I don't agree entirely. SOME sponsors are getting the most exposure (i.e. Monster Energy or Discount Tire), that's all you see on TV but the other sponsors do not get any. Also, I don't think people buy Nationwide tickets on the off chance that Kyle or Brad or Kevin or Matt will be in it. I know things are the way they are and nothing will change. Maybe the TV crews could cut to an occasional Nationwide drive during a race and perhaps the announcers may even talk about one...............I know................those days are gone.
Delete