Posted on 10/08/2005 5:13:39 AM PDT by Crackingham
NASCAR CEO Brian France doesn’t like fans flying Confederate flags at races as he tries to make auto racing more appealing to minorities and women.
“It’s not a flag that I look at with anything favorable. That’s for sure,” he said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” to be aired Sunday. “I can’t tell people what flag to fly. I can tell you the flag we get behind: It’s the American flag.”
France is trying to broaden auto racing’s appeal with minorities in places like Los Angeles, where France moved the important Labor Day NASCAR event last year, and New York, soon to have a track.
“(Reaching out to minorities) is something I work on every day. I work on it personally,” France said.
Among those efforts France counts running a NASCAR event in Mexico and establishing a training program for female and minority drivers. And he doesn’t believe the racial stereotypes associated with the Confederate flag will affect NASCAR.
“I think it’s a fading image,” France said.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
"BTW they closed Pikes Peak Raceway a week or two ago. For good. "
Yeah and I hear that Eric Bostrum is pissed.
NASCAR doesn't give a rat's behind about the old time fans. They started showing it a long time ago. How else do you explain: (1)Jeff Gordon being caught with illegal parts during a race(suspension parts that broke) and there being no penalty while Rusty Wallace was caught with illegal parts during a prequalifying inspection(roof flap system that actually worked better than the required one) and is fined (2) Ongoing rule changes during a racing season that kept taking things away from Dodge while giving things to Pontiac(there were only two teams running Pontiac) giving Tony Stewart the championship (3) Allowing Hendricks Racing's cars to not pass post-race inspection without penalty. These are only three examples, questions could also be raised about why suddenly the only people that constantly win are the "young guns" when all the cars are supposedly prepared to the same rules?
Loudon, New Hampshire.
I would have to say the dumbest decision of all time was the plate race at Loudon. 300 laps without a single lead change.
No, they will send us to "Re-education camps"...
Okay, so I took it out of context. (It goes on to say "for minorities and women", but who cares about them anyway?)
I once was a NASCAR fan. I am losing interest because of the overwhelming politically correct attitude that is being forced into every damn thing associated with the sport.
The silly restrictor plate requirements to ensure speeds don't become "dangerous".
Keeping a train of cars in single file for 188 laps at 185 mph isn't "dangerous"?
And the "don't drive aggressively" crap.
Hello, is this "racing", or not?
And the final straw: This "Chase for the Race", or is it "Race for the Chase"?
Who the hell cares, since it effectively kills the last 1/3d of the season by limiting competition to only 10 drivers.
I guess that's a good thing, though, since that silly crap starts just about the time pro football season does, so now I don't wear out the remote switching back and forth from the game to the race.
NASCAR is destroying itself from within, attempting to reach out to segments of society that really don't give a rat's patootie about the sport and never will, no matter what appeal is fostered by the likes of Brian France with his cadre of pretty boys, such as Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon and that Biffle idiot.
I wonder how long 'till Smoke is told that he can't be called Smoke, anymore?
Or worse, that he should shave before winning a race, since we wouldn't want anyone offended, particularly the razor manufacturer sponsor.
And although I'm not really a DE, Jr, fan, I know the huge appeal he is to a lot of folks; witness the departure of about 22,000 fans at Talledega after he went out in the first ten laps of the race.
NASCAR has failed to see that and instead attempts to put him in the background and play his appeal down.
Ain't gonna be no "bad" boys in NASCAR.
The France family will be conducting casting call for drivers in the next few years.
Driving ability will not be important, rather the ability to recite every damn sponsor on the car and a "all things to all people" personality will be.
Oh, and no smokin', no drinkin' and you damn well better not dent the car.
Oh man I hear ya. I was at that race.
Not if it's not making enough money for this guy. It's all about the almight dollar. This guy could care less if women and minorities were interested in NASCAR. If he thought dogs & cats would pay at the gate he'd pander to them too.
If NASCAR goes down this road, NHRA will have a big opportunity.
If people knew the real meaning of the Confederate flag, they wouldn't get their drawers in a wad every time it's flown.
Well, he certainly wouldn't be the first person to make millions from the fans only to turn around and tell them how stupid and ignorant they are. Hollywood-itis?
Nope, Loudon, New Hampshire. They also run two races a year in Long Pond, PA, in the Poconos, and draw extremely well there too. But the New Hampshire races are, believe it or not, some of the toughest tickets in the entire season. They're crazy about it up there.
There's always been a big motor racing presence in the Northeast, it's just been overshadowed by NASCAR in the South, open-wheel and USAC and midgets in the Midwest, and road racing out West. But there's starting to be a few chowdahead accents to go along with the drawls on pit road.
}:-)4
Yeah take down the flag and the minorities will flock to the tracks
He's bettin' diversity = $$$
Fock CBS! ...and 60 Lying Minutes.
Maybe they can convince NASCAR to implement Affirmative Action races, Black women get 3 lap lead at the start, White women gets 2 lap lead and Black men get one lap lead at the start and the White pit crews have to have one black , one woman and a midget.
Really? What is is about?
Well, you've always got the Golf Channel.
The stands are packed all the time. I was at a race at the Michigan International Speedway. There were probably over 160,000 fans and I was the only non-white person there. I don't think its lack of appeal to non-white fans really affects its profitability.
In fact, I think that people enjoy the "redneck appeal" of the sport, even while paying $65 a tickete.
Just make the races exciting and put out a superior product and the rest will take care of itself.
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