Unlike year’s past, there were no big news announcements during NASCAR’s “state of the sport” address Monday. The first event on the week long NASCAR Media Tour, NASCAR Chairman Brian France has used the event in previous years to reveal all manner of changes to the sport. Last year France announced the revolutionary knockout format for the Chase in the Sprint Cup. This year however France said the Chase will not change for 2015.
“It’s overwhelmingly popular with the most important stakeholder: Our fans,” France said. “The research and data that we’ve got in over the winter not only suggests that, it determines that loud and clear. They like the fact that it tightened up competition. They liked the drama down the stretch. They liked the emphasis on winning. And one of the things they told us that they really liked is the idea that we weren’t going to change anything, and they strongly suggested that we didn’t, and we’re not going to.”
Beyond that Senior Vice President/Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes showed off NASCAR’s new pit road officiating system that will see its first full during the season opening Daytona 500. The new system relies on a combination of computers, cameras (46) and sensors on pit road and is run remotely from a separate trailer. There will still be officials on pit road but unlike year’s past, only 8 or so will police road instead of having an official with every car. The system was tested extensively alongside the old one last season. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
