Why NASCAR must be leader amid U.S. turmoil
Fans turn to sports for entertainment. They say they don’t want politics mixed in, they just want to enjoy the show.
However, NASCAR cannot sit on the sideline and simply watch the cars go round.
The top racing series in the country lost the luxury of staying above the fray two years ago when Chairman Brian France said he didn’t want Confederate flags at racetracks anymore. France’s announcement was in response to a deadly church shooting in Charleston, S.C., and it infuriated a faction of fans who believe the sport with deep Southern roots goes hand-in-hand with the flag.
Last year, France endorsed Donald Trump at a Georgia rally. On stage with him that day were several active NASCAR drivers, and although France was later adamant his presidential endorsement was personal, it was too late to alter the perception that NASCAR leadership is aligned with Trump.
Trump’s election has been sharply polarizing for the nation, and his decision to blame “both sides” for a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that turned deadly prompted a number of CEOs to step back from the president.
France has said nothing as his family business rolls into its final stretch of the summer with races in South Carolina and Virginia.
Instead, it was Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis, the sponsor of NASCAR’s truck series, who said customers who support Trump’s comments regarding the rally should shop elsewhere.
Dozens of Confederate flags flew last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. The race Saturday was in part sponsored by the National Rifle Association. So NASCAR and its alliances do cross into the political arena. Because of that, and the waters France has already entered, the sanctioning body doesn’t get a pass in a time of unrest.
On Sunday, NASCAR did address current events in a statement attributed to President Brent Dewar: “NASCAR brings fans of all different backgrounds and points of view together to celebrate one thing they all have in common — a love for NASCAR. We are saddened by recent tragic events around the world and feel strongly there is no place for bigotry, racism, hatred or violence in our society.”
This is a delicate time in NASCAR, where drivers are losing their jobs because sponsorship dollars are decreasing. Car owner Chip Ganassi is losing Target, a partner for nearly three decades, at the end of this season because the company is shifting its marketing focus to soccer.
Ganassi does not believe France’s endorsement of Trump or the stereotypes surrounding NASCAR have harmed his search for sponsorship. On Monday his driver Kyle Larson picked up a two-race deal with the Atlanta-based First Data technology company, which is interested in sponsoring him in 2018 as well.
“I didn’t take it as NASCAR aligning with anyone,” Ganassi said of France’s Trump endorsement. “Brian can do what he wants to do. I think people are smart enough to make their own decisions.”
But the wider perception is that France did take NASCAR with him. Because of that, NASCAR needs to be a leader at this critical time.