Could NASCAR be for sale?

Races, tracks, drivers and all the drama that comes along with it
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searchers
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Could NASCAR be for sale?

Post by searchers »

America's premier stock-car racing series has been controlled by the France family since its founding in 1948. But as NASCAR's 70th anniversary season opens with this weekend's Daytona 500, it comes amid rumblings over what the future could hold for the sanctioning body and its major track operators: International Speedway Corp., also controlled by the France family, and Speedway Motorsports Inc., controlled by the Smith family.

Could NASCAR be sold and its track operators merged or even included in such a deal?

While NASCAR said in a statement that it is not for sale, recent developments have fueled the speculation and it's been a topic of major discussion along pit road and among motorsports observers. Several NASCAR and ISC executives have taken on dual roles at both companies; the Smith family and NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France have been linked to possible involvement in a bid for the Carolina Panthers; and ISC's president indicated during a recent earnings report that the company is open to consolidation in the sport.

Liberty Media's $8 billion purchase of Formula One two years ago showed the interest in sports content, and with many companies having a lot of revenue on their balance sheet, a number of institutional investors could be interested in NASCAR.

Comcast is a name that often comes up in the garage area. The company is already one of NASCAR's most important partners, serving as both a media rights partner and title partner of NASCAR through its NBC Sports and Xfinity brands, respectively. NASCAR is such an important investment for Comcast that several people from the sport, including new NBC Sports broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr., were interwoven throughout NBC's Super Bowl pregame show this month. Many sources inside the sport believe that Comcast sees great value in owning the content and in its future distribution. Comcast officials did not respond to requests for comment.

If NASCAR were sold on its own, a buyer would be getting the promotional, rule-making and rule-keeping arm of the sport. The sanctioning body has its own digital media network; negotiates major pacts for the sport, including media rights; and oversees the sport's charter system. The sanctioning body doesn't own teams or tracks, though the France family has a controlling stake in ISC, which has recently seen its stock price hit its highest level in nearly a decade.

The structure of NASCAR means that a sale of NASCAR by itself would be less desirable, albeit cheaper, than buying the tracks and NASCAR at the same time. ISC and SMI control the vast majority of the sport's current 38-race annual schedule, so that structure would limit the power a new buyer of NASCAR would have. On the other hand, buying both track operators at once in addition to NASCAR would likely unlock new opportunities. Another possibility would be buying NASCAR and ISC but not SMI if the Smith family did not want to sell.

So, how much would NASCAR sell for?

Estimates from the executives interviewed varied and are complicated by the fact that the sport would sell for more if the tracks were included. With the tracks included, estimates have typically ranged from $3 billion to $5 billion. By comparison, F1 sold for a combined $8 billion between equity and assumed debt, but no tracks were included in the sale.

--- Sports Business Journal
2/12/18

http://www.espn.com/jayski/cup/2018/sto ... ascar-sale
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Re: Could NASCAR be for sale?

Post by alenigma »

A Nascar without Brian France? One must be careful what one wishes for......
Let the Next Generation Emerge! :s_bomb
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Re: Could NASCAR be for sale?

Post by Annalee »

alenigma wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:15 pm A Nascar without Brian France? One must be careful what one wishes for......
:s_crazy :s_rofl ...I am just afraid if he buys the Panthers......I wish a bunch of drivers, would get together and purchase it...At least they would know how racing should be.....But the thing I think is most interesting, there is no Sponsor for the great American Race....This is NASCAR's biggest race and no one to Sponsor it....Strange...very strange.. :s_omg
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Re: Could NASCAR be for sale?

Post by HiddenHollow »

This article ran in our local newspaper this week. Interesting viewpoint

NASCAR Needs Some Ghostbusters

Martin Fennelly Times Sports Columnist

DAYTONA BEACH — Has there ever been a sport more built on good-byes than NASCAR?

It's never about hello.

And that's a problem.

Jeff Gordon is gone. Tony Stewart is gone. Carl Edwards is gone. Matt Kenseth is gone. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport's most popular driver, just went out the door, the biggest hit of all. Even Danica Patrick is out after one final Daytona 500.

In general, the more the future demands attention, the more NASCAR dwells on a past that isn't even behind the wheel anymore. The wait for the next big thing has been tedious. Little wonder that attendance at NASCAR tracks and TV ratings are dwindling.

NASCAR needs a reboot.

Instead, we talk this week about 1998, the one and only time Dale Sr. won the Daytona 500. A memorable day, amazing even, but it was 20 years ago.
NASCAR isn't alone. Look at how desperate golf became when Tiger Woods fell into the abyss. Watch the NBA wring its hands over the prospect that one day LeBron James will step away.

It's worse with car racing. Only baseball dwells on history more. But there are baseball players coming up every season. NASCAR could use that kind of love.

Why, it's so bad that we're wondering what it will be like to say goodbye to Patrick, who will make her final Daytona 500 start Sunday.

What, exactly, are they going to do, stop Sunday's Great American Race and walk out to 29th place to give Danica a commemorative plaque? Or ask about her new boyfriend, Aaron Rodgers? Useless. Even worse, sexist and useless. Good gosh almighty.

"We need personalities, 100 percent," said driver Elliott Sadler.

It's sad, isn't it? How can you just turn a blind eye to guys who did so much for the sport, the Earnhardts, the Gordons, the Stewarts. These are the guys who won races, won a bunch of big races.

"Our sport is so different from other sports. If you're a Colts fan, and you love Peyton Manning, but Peyton Manning leaves, you're still a Colts fan.

When Matt Kenseth leaves, you just don't go to the next person. It's not like a stick-and-ball sport."

By the way, I had to ask someone who Sadler was after I talked to him. Race suit didn't give him away.

What does it say when we're saying goodbye to Patrick, who ran some fine races, but never really won a thing at this level?

"I'm not going down that road," Sadler said.

NASCAR is going down that road. Or is it the drain?

What does it say when the first T-shirt you see in the window of an infield gift shop is … No. 88?

Dale Jr.

Senior, Junior, it's about the past with NASCAR, to its fault.

Maybe Chase Elliott can save the day with a win this season. Maybe Kyle Larson can step up.

Until then, the story lines are rather obvious and just as tedious. How much can we stand around and talk about Patrick's impact on the sport? Or what Bubba Wallace, the first full-time African-American driver in 47 years, will do to change the face of the whitest fan base this side of a hockey game?

Maybe Jimmie Johnson will ride to the rescue with a record eighth points championship in 2018. On the other hand, Johnson will turn 43 this season. Also, Johnson, one of the truly great drivers, kind of helped land NASCAR in this position with his sheer redundant excellence and monotonous personality.

"This new generation, there is different pressure in this digital age," Johnson said. "There are a lot of big names who have stepped down and there are shoes to fill, fan bases to feed into. But there is a lot of great talent out there, a story in each one of them."

Maybe it's our fault, always wanting the shortest distance to a story. It's time we stopped crying in our oil pans and NASCAR do the same. I thought that as I arrived at Daytona 500 media day Tuesday.

As I walked in the door, there was a single face on a TV screen.

Junior.

Always good-byes.

Say hello to trouble.

:arrow: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/2018/02/ ... stbusters/
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