NASCAR CEO, Brian France was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a Sag Harbor Village (N.Y.) Police Department news release. France released a statement on Monday saying he is stepping away — at least temporarily — as NASCAR’s CEO.
“I apologize to our fans, our industry and my family for the impact of my actions last night,” France said in the statement released Monday. “Effective immediately, I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position to focus on my personal affairs.” Read more from Bianchi's article here: OrlandoSentinel.com
The finger often gets pointed to Brian France, the aloof CEO, as a reason why the sport is struggling to keep up in today's sports landscape -- and this story won't help that perception. The question I wanted to pose today was this -- What if NASCAR weren't run by Brian France? What if instead, NASCAR had a forward-thinking leader, one who did what's best for the sport, and it's fans with more regularity. Someone who propelled the sports to relevancy in the 21st century? How popular could NASCAR be in 2018 and beyond?
In just 2 years, NASCAR ratings have plummetted almost 50% a big races like Talladega and Richmond, shrinking attendance is a big issue as well. NASCAR is essentially losing 1/3 of it's audience every two years, even struggling sports aren't free-falling that fast. As Forbes reports: Only 48,000 tickets were sold for the race at Bristol, a speed bowl with a capacity of 162,000.
So, is it leadership or just a sport that's lost it's appeal to a large portion of Americans?
Check out the poll and tell us what you think...