circumstances going on today that didn't go on when we originated the (substance abuse policy).
If there are ways to improve it, we will, and we'll have those answers pretty shortly. I think within a month to six weeks, we'll have something. I wouldn't look for some dramatic change in our policy."
Mad Mikie: So in other words, you plan to maintain the status quo. You had to rewrite the history of the sport, made the races boring, gave us a car which is worthless in the name of progress, but won’t step up and have an effective substance abuse policy. Hello? Are there any brain cells between those ears that haven‘t been affected by “sodas“?
Press Peasant: The allegations in the discrimination lawsuit has gotten a lot of play. How difficult is it to see your sport in that light?
King Brian: "Naturally, we would have not been dealing with it. There's a lot of other things we need to deal with. It's a lawsuit and lawsuits take on a life of their own. It's going through the court system as we speak.
My own experience with lawsuits over many years is that by the time the facts catch up to the actual lawsuit, they are usually a whole lot different than the claims that were made on the front end when you're after a lot of money. We'll have to see what happens through the court system. We'll be defending ourselves very vigorously. We'll just have to see."
Mad Mikie: Naturally you shouldn’t have to be dealing with any lawsuits. How dare someone have the audacity to question the decisions and rules of the Royal Family of Daytona. Yes, lawsuits do take on a life of their own. And this lawsuit could also open up another can of worms regarding Freedom of Speech if someone is willing to pursue it. Based on video interviews with Ms Grant, she appears to be honest in her beliefs and accusations. I base this upon my own experience with body language and interrogation. If just one of the accusations prove to be true, you’re in deep doo-doo Your Highness.
Press Peasant: One of your major car owners, Richard Childress, sees this sport heading toward 11 owners with four cars each. Is that a workable model?
King Brian: "We're going to be very aggressive to attract and recruit new owners. I don't subscribe to this idea that you have to have four teams, and that's where we were going a few years ago.
We're going to look at anything we can do from a policy standpoint, a rules standpoint. Part of the new car concept was to bring the barrier of entry down, meaning the cars are cheaper to operate and own.
There's less things you can do with it, so there's less expertise you need to buy or have to field a competitive team. The jury is still out on that, but that's our goal. We are studying what we can do to attract new owners who can field competitive teams in the future. That's what makes us work. The more competition, the better the competition, the better we are going to be. It starts with me, and our organization, knowing that's important."
Mad Mikie: Myself, other writers, racing experts, and millions of race fans saw the 11 Super Teams as something that’s coming simply because of you Imperial Guidance and quest for the almighty dollar. If you really wanted to attract new owners, then you’d help lower the cost of what it cost to operate a race team and maybe even give a financial break to some of the new teams wishing to form. Every time you’ve said you’re going to save the teams money it’s cost them millions. So where’s the savings? How come teams keep having to go higher and higher in their sponsorship fees? You’re still heading in the direction of 11 Super Teams. The new car cost much more than the old car, so that’s a hindrance for new teams to form and old teams to continue operating unless you want to become a “fendered” version of Formula 1 and their high priced operations and sponsorships. And that’s the direction the sport is currently heading. As it is, even when there is some real competition, you manage to stifle it just like you stifle the drivers with mysterious penalties, problems during inspection, and phony cautions to benefit your Chosen Ones.
Press Peasant: What do you say to the fans who say they are not seeing enough side-by-side racing?
King Brian: "Some of the drivers have said they didn't think it was as fun or as exciting and that tends to carry on in to how our fans think. We understand that. Some of the drivers were struggling with the car, some of the same drivers who weren't struggling a year ago. We are built around making this the most exciting and competitive racing in the world.
All the other problems, issues and challenges are all part of the sport, but the reality of getting that right, and how important it is, and how closely we view it, we'll make sure. The races, on balance, have been very good. My own view, the races are getting better every week. We'll satisfy our fans because that's what we've done for 60 years."
Mad Mikie: Not only have you been having too many “sodas” at the Chart House, but you’ve been drinking a lot of your own Kool Aid too. It didn’t take the drivers to tell us fans that the racing has sucked. We can see it with our own eyes. The drivers were reflecting the views of their millions upon millions of fans who e-mail them, write them, and tell them in public that the racing sucks. Even Ronny Millsap listening on the radio can tell the racing sucks. If you wanted to make it the post exciting racing in the world instead of the WWE on Wheels, you’d bring back stock cars, like the name NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING says. Give us a Fusion that looks like a Fusion. Give us an Impala that looks like an Impala. Give me a Charger that looks like a Charger. Don’t give me sow’s ear and tell me it’s a silk purse. Unless you do something drastic soon, you’ll be losing even more of fans than you’ve lost already. Nobody is really interested in watching a glorified version of IROC or a glorified spec series that follows the WWE’s ideas of rule enforcement and event manipulation. Perhaps you should start using some truth in advertising and calling it what it is. Racer-tainment.
Press Peasant: Any thought of franchising race teams to help owners build more equity with their race teams?
King Brian: "The teams have had a lot of interest of late, with private equity firms coming in, making investments. I was happy to see rather large valuations for those teams, pumping capital into them, most recently Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises. I'd say there's no shortage of interest in financially rewarding team owners who have good teams."
Mad Mikie: I seem to recall another racing series that tried using franchising and it never ran race one. So this is the direction you want to go? To end your family’s racing business? The only reason teams are having to go to outside investors and equity firms is because the cost of racing and sponsorship has gotten too high. Bringing down the cost of die casts and t-shirts isn’t going to lower the cost of racing. If you really want to lower the cost of racing so we don’t have 11 Super Teams or franchising, then go back to running stock cars so that more people can afford to get into the racing business. As it is, over 20 teams in the Busch Series have had to close up operations in the last couple of years. Several others have had to merge because they can’t afford to compete against the Buschwackers who have unlimited budgets. Dale Jr. said that it cost almost as much to run a Busch Series team as it does a Cup Series team. No wonder the regular Busch Series teams are struggling to get sponsorship much less be competitive. If you want to reward team owners, then lower the price of what it cost to race. Issue the teams credentials for free. Don’t charge them for the tech inspections. Quit stealing their sponsors. Give the teams a share of the TV rights pay-outs in addition to the racing purse for a particular event. That would be a great way to reward them.
Press Peasant: What can you tell us about some of the allegations into the lawsuit and would you anticipate the two officials who have been suspended, would be returned?
King Brian: "We're almost completed with it (internal investigation) and you've got to remember it's centered on personnel, so whether it's misconduct potentially by Ms. Grant, or someone else, we wouldn't be able to get into that anyway, because that violates our own policy of giving our employees the right to privacy.
We've been very thorough. We've talked to 25 or 30 people. We've talked, reviewed and investigated. We have a pretty good handle on what we think the claims are, what some of the conduct of Ms. Grant are and others, and that's really all we can say.
Of course, it's also in a civil lawsuit, which is another set of challenges for us to be openly talking about things that may be litigated in front of a jury. We have to sit tight on that."
Mad Mikie: First thing is you didn’t answer the question Your Majesty. Secondly, somebody already slipped up in an interview in Sports Illustrated and violated a former employee’s right to privacy. If you were thorough, you’d be talking to everyone in the Busch Series and Human Resources, not just 25 or 30 people. You haven’t gotten a handle on reality Your Highness much less on anything dealing with this lawsuit. It's pretty obvious you've been drinking a lot of your own Kool Aid. Giving a speech in front of the media in clothing that looks like you slept in it for a month? About the only thing you sit tight on is the Captain’s Chairs at the Chart House and that’s only because they installed seat belts on yours so you don’t fall off after drinking too many “sodas“.
Press Peasant: Is NASCAR going to buy Grand-Am or bring that series under the NASCAR umbrella?
King Brian: "It is (being discussed). It's part of the family today, with the France family having control over that. It's an exciting series, quite frankly. If it makes sense to do, and add to it by making part of the NASCAR umbrella, it's something we'd like to do. We're not there yet. It's something we're looking at carefully."
Mad Mikie: How can NA$CAR, which is owned by the France family, buy the Rolex Series, which is also owned by the France family? As I’ve said before, I can see the two series being run by NA$CAR since they both run mandated parts and have chassis and other things which much be purchased from an approved vendor and must be inspected by the appropriate sanctioning body for approval. Hopefully, if it does happen, Jim France will run both series and His Royal Highness can return to LaLaLand , buy a football team there, and try turning football into something akin to auto racing with caution flags, pit stops, etc.
Press Peasant: Will you issue invitations to both presidential candidates to visit racetracks on NASCAR race weekends?
King Brian: "I have. I have done that directly. We
welcome both of them at various times and
places. I anticipate we'll see both of them.
NASCAR has historically been a place where
politicians have come to get noticed by our fans. My anticipation is we'll see both of them."
Mad Mikie: I wonder which candidate won’t be
rendering the proper respects to the flag like
some of the race teams and drivers do during the
National Anthem? With one party planning to
nationalize the oil industry like Venezuela and
establishing a fuel allocation system, you can
bet fans won’t be too happy with the candidate
of that party. You might see one candidate, but
the one who’s done a “flip flop” on his views of Detroit and the auto industry probably won’t.
I wish somebody had a full transcript of His Royal Highness' full speech, but since I enjoy putting my two cents worth in, they seem to be scared to do that any more. Anyone get the feeling I might be making somebody in Daytona nervous?
While we don’t hear much about humanitarian aid that our troops are giving in Iraq and Afghanistan, we hear even less news about our Canadian allies. They’ve been helping with reconstruction of Afghanistan, aiding international development, and also helping the Afghan people establish businesses with the use of small business loans. Not to mention the famous Canadian Mounties helping to train the Afghan police. So to our racing brethren to the north and their armed forces, a big thanks to you all in supporting our efforts and out troops.
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