of the drivers have figured out the combination of the new cars better than others. But these are all talented teams and they will ultimately all figure it out. We like what we see and think it will get better. Some teams that you haven't heard a lot about, it's brought them to the forefront – notably Toyota and what they've been able to do with Joe Gibbs. Some of the teams that were at the top have struggled. Rick Hendricks' whole group has had ups and downs. So, it's changed the whole landscape of which teams have been able to run consistently at the front. It's always exciting when there are changes with who's dominating and running better.
MM- First, take out all the lead changes that happen through pit stops. Then take out the lead changes that happen because one car can’t complete a pass of another. That will take the number of passes down quite a bit. Second, it’s not the drivers who have figured it out. By their own admission, it’s the crew chiefs and engineers that have figured it out, not the drivers. And two things you mentioned on what would be covered under your Daytona Dictates you mention here. Toyota and Hendrick. Why them over Ford, Dodge, or Evernham? You can put as much spin as you like on it Your Majesty, when you turn Bristol into a snooze-fest that should tell you something is definitely wrong with the car and it’s not making the racing better.
Q – What is the status and future of drug testing in NASCAR?
KB– We have a very thorough policy that, like anything else, is going to get a review to see if we can improve it. The high points of our policy that we really like are that we can test anybody we want at any time and the punishments are very significant. Those are the two things we don't want to lose sight of. … If we can improve it, we'll announce something, probably later in the summer. It takes some time to examine. We're always looking around at the other leagues to see some of the best practices they have. … We don't announce a number of tests that we do. We're doing more now and one of the questions in the review is can we do even more and how would you do more? We don't have restrictions like some collective bargaining agreement (preventing us from testing) or whatever to test who we think has a probable cause. That's another part of the policy we have in play.
MM- If the policy is so thorough, how is it that we have so many drivers who have never been tested
during their careers? How is it that we have drivers racing under the influence of illegal drugs? Obviously your policy isn’t thorough. You can improve it if you follow my guidelines on drug testing. Everyone gets tested, including yourself Your Highness. Looks to the armed forces for effective drug testing and not other sports. The sports have too many loopholes in the players’ contracts. The military has none.
Q – How 'clean' is the current NASCAR environment in terms of drugs?
KB– We feel that it's very clean. One of the reasons is that if you have a problem in our sport, it's likely that your career is over with. We have several lifetime suspensions that are already in place (the result of a) third strike with testing positive with a banned substance. Depending what the infraction is, you're likely to get a year or two-year suspension right out of the box. That's strike one. … Strike two is a second positive test. The penalty can vary a little bit depending on circumstances but the point is it's a career changer. You get suspended a year or two in our sport and what comes with that, with all the commercial involvement we have, you don't see many people testing positively (without it) having a big effect on their career.
MM- Very clean? How do you know it’s very clean if you have drivers who have never been tested? And it doesn’t end your career either. How many times was Shane Hmeil given his license back? How many people working in the garage area and on the cars are under the influence of drugs or alcohol? You have no idea because you limit the testing to a certain select few. If you want the sport to be safe and free of drug and alcohol abuse, everyone needs to be tested, including yourself Faux King Brian. God forbid we should have a driver spilling “sodas” on himself and running into palm trees.
Q – What concerns do you have about the viability, long-term and short-term of your series sponsors.
KB– We're optimistic (about Sprint). They have a different management team that has taken them in a different direction. We like what we see (and) we're very confident they're going to be around for a long time. We're looking for a Truck Series sponsor. Craftsman is leaving at the end of this year, so we're in the process of looking at a replacement for that national (truck) series. Nationwide is at the beginning of a seven-year agreement with our second series.
MM- Glad you’re optimistic. Sprint is about to be bought up by another company which means their name will be gone and replaced by that of the other company. You limited the number of name changes and we’ve reached it. And with the second and third tier series, why did Busch and Craftsman pull the plug on their sponsorships? It doesn’t take much of a genius to figure out they weren’t happy about being gouged on the sponsorship prices. Once Nationwide figures out they got snookered, they won’t be back either.
Q – What changes have soaring gas prices brought about?
KB– That's a real issue for us. We're concerned about it for our fans that have to fill up and (drive) to our events. But there's not any industry that's not affected by high energy costs. It's something that we're looking at. Anything we can do to help our fans out – absorb some of this high cost, give value in other ways – I know our tracks are working at that. We're mindful of what (our fans) are going through. Right now, we're monitoring patterns. What we're seeing is that people are making their buying decisions about coming to an event later. They're still coming but making those decisions later. It's too early to tell if there's more car-pooling and things going on. But it's certainly a significant item that we're looking at.
MM- You want to help the fans out? I said it before and I’ll say it again. Lower the ticket prices by about 50% and work with the petroleum companies and hotel chains that are sponsoring teams to give race fans a discount on the cost of fuel and hotel rooms so they can actually get to the races. You really have no idea what the average fan goes through to attend a race. Days off from work, the cost of camping or hotel rooms, the ever increasing cost of fuel, getting gouged on ticket prices and food cost. You fly in with your corporate plane or helicopter, get driven to the suites, never break a sweat, and don’t bother talking to the drivers, much less the fans, unless it’s for a photo op. Your dad and granddad talked to the drivers, owners, and fans. Why can’t you? God forbid you should have to go among the “unwashed and unannoited” and risk spilling a “soda”.
Q – How do the struggles of the auto industry impact NASCAR?
KB– It hasn't had a big impact because we're fortunate enough to be one of the core assets that they've believed in for a long time. Nevertheless, they're a key partner of ours and we want to make sure that as we go through a rough patch in their business cycle that we're doing everything we can to help them. Their support in NASCAR has not wavered a bit and we're very proud of that.
MM- It hasn’t had an impact? Rumors still persist about GM pulling out. Dodge has cut back on their sponsorship and team support. And with the companies no longer able to use their distinctive body styles as part of their marketing, it’s not going to help them any. Especially since you’ve gotten into the car manufacturing business yourself with the Uni-Car. Their support is wavering; you just don’t know it yet or refuse to believe it.
Q – Is there a legitimate fear that manufacturers like Dodge might decide to pull out or some other manufacturers might decide to scale back?
KB– That's always possible. But what usually happens is we get ranked in terms of their priorities and, fortunately, we've been at the top of their list with each and every manufacturer. they realize this is one of the few places where they can showcase their own products in a way that's very different from any other marketing opportunity. So, while their business challenges are significant, the reality is we play a nice role in giving them a good marketing opportunity.
MM- Once again, Dodge has already scaled back. First in the Truck Series and then in both Cup and Busch series. Rumors still persists of a GM pull-out. Obviously they don’t think NA$CAR is that high of a priority if this is going on. And is it really the car that’s being showcased or is it the sponsors on the car that are being showcased? With the cars all looking alike, it sure isn’t the manufacturer that’s being showcased.
Q – In January, you indicated that it was important for NASCAR to return to its
roots. How successful have you been in accomplishing that?
KB– I think fairly well. We got off really well with the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Our focus has been on what's happening on the race track. Letting drivers show even more emotion than they have in the past probably is a good thing. I got some simple, good advice one time that you're good about what you talk about being good at. So we've talked internally about all the important things that happen on the track and that's the focus of NASCAR today.
MM- Successful? To what extent? At Daytona, you dictated what would be covered. Toyota, JGR, Hendrick, Dale Jr., and Juan Pablo Montoya. Yes, you have been successful in promoting them. But you’ve totally missed the mark on the car and it’s lack of performance and how boring the races have become as a result of it. It’s good to see some drivers being able to say what’s on their minds, but just wait til we have another criticism like what Tony Stewart said last year.
Q – Does it help NASCAR to have a 'villain,' the way Kyle Busch is being portrayed?
KB– It does. We like the fact that we have different types of personalities and people who get on a streak of success. That's a good thing. That's how you build dynasties and build rivalries. Sure, it doesn't hurt us at all that's he's having that kind of success and the way he's doing it. That's a good thing for him, a good thing for us. It creates interest or excitement.
MM- Having Kyle as a villain isn’t going to fill the seats. If anything, it’s going to turn people off because it shows that NA$CAR is continuing to selectively enforce its’ own rules. Of course, since HRH said that JGR and Toyota would be one of the things covered this year, it’s no wonder he’s enjoying Kyle being a villain. It’s a boost to the Royal Ego. Not to mention it’s repaying those “favors to be collected later” by Toyota for the $93 million they paid up to get them.
Q – Is it more than money that lured drivers such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR?
KB– No question. It's the best drivers in the world getting an opportunity to prove themselves against that group of drivers that are here in NASCAR. Juan Pablo was making a lot of money in Formula 1. I'm sure he didn't make that switch for financial reasons. It was to test his skills against the other drivers in NASCAR.
MM- Best drivers in the world? Hold the boat there Your Highness. Just how do you know these are the best drivers in the world? One of the best drivers to ever be wheelman in a stock car isn’t racing in NA$CAR. That being a gentleman named Red Farmer. And no Your Highness, he’s not a Chinaman growing rice on a collective. You’ve got drivers in other series around the world who have never even heard of NA$CAR and have probably never even been seen by the Royal Personage, much less by a NA$CAR fan. So to say that the drivers who have moved over are the best is something of a falsehood. As to the lure, you can bet your newest shiny penny in the Royal Vault that money had a lot to do with them moving over. Sure, it’s a bit of a challenge at first, but when it gets down to brass tacks, the Almighty Greenback plays more of a part in their move than the actual racing challenge.
Q – What's NASCAR doing to attract a younger audience?
KB– It's not any one thing. It's taking advantage of where young people consume their sports and entertainment. We are doing some good things with EA Sports and others and we'll do more because we need a younger group that's always getting excited about NASCAR.
MM- Driving away the long time fans and replacing them with the Short Attention Span crowd, the Fast and Furious wanna-be’s, and the Gen X/Y/Zero crowd has got to be a nightmare since they can’t pay attention long enough to watch a 400 mile race. And when they realize that it’s actually hot and muggy at the track and not the cool comfort of their living room like they have when they play video games, you end up with a constant turnover, which means even more work to try to put butts in the grandstands. You can promote the Japanese manufacturer all you want, the cars on the track don’t look like the cars on the streets and when they find out that they’re not going to be seeing 400 or 500 miles of burn-outs and “drifting” and other things that go with the Fast and Furious wanna-be’s, they won’t be back. They don’t have the attention span and are way too fickle to rely upon for a good fan base.
Q – What would you think of Tony Stewart as a car owner?
KB– That's up to him. He'd got choose his own
career path. I think he's a real racer's racer, so
he's not one of these guys that just hops in a car
and drives it. He's intimately involved in the
setup and things like that. I know he owns a
race track and some other things in the sport,
so he might do well with it. I don't know.
MM- Tony’s too much of a loose cannon for you
to predict how he’d be as a car owner as you
found out last year when he severely bruised the
Royal Ego by comparing NA$CAR to the WWE.
As a car owner, he’ll be saying a lot more about
not just the racing but also criticizing the things
that are wrong with the sport because of the
money involved out of his own pocket. As long as Tony doesn’t get penalized for voicing his opinions, he may be a decent car owner along the lines of Junior Johnson. God knows we could use an owner like that.
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