Nascar To Look Overseas For Growth

[muggle not]

NASCAR To Look Overseas For growth

By Ben Klayman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - NASCAR will steer a course overseas for growth since it cannot expand its 9-month U.S. season, the racing association's top executive said on Wednesday.

"Where do you grow? Domestically, it's tough, super competitive out there. When you look around the world, auto racing is either No. 1 or No. 2 depending on where you are, behind only soccer," Brian France, chairman and chief executive of National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, said at the Reuters Media and Advertising Summit here.

"Everybody understands auto racing," he said.

NASCAR runs more than 100 races each year across the United States through three racing circuits -- its signature Nextel Cup Series, Busch and Craftsman Truck.

Unlike some other U.S. sports leagues, NASCAR boasts rising television ratings as well as a fast growing, highly loyal fan base. France said its new TV contract, expected to be announced soon, will be "substantially better" than the current six-year $2.4 billion deal that expires after 2006.

With a season that already runs from mid-February to mid-November, there is no room to expand in the United States. France said the sport looked into but dismissed the idea of splitting into divisions like football and baseball to allow more races and drivers.

"We're in the early stages of outlining a long-range international strategy that could capitalize on an already existing appetite for auto racing all over the world," France said, citing NASCAR's Busch race in Mexico earlier this year.

He said NASCAR would likely hold a Busch or Craftsman Truck race in Canada, given racing's popularity there. And he said NASCAR officials have met with people in Europe.

"Europe has the greatest density of tracks and fan interest," he said. "South America has good auto racing interest, too." And he noted China's love of Formula 1 racing.

But NASCAR will not rush to establish a presence anywhere until it has the proper business model, including local financial support, France said.

"Do I think we can take that model, whether it's in China or Europe or somewhere else? I do," he said. "It will take a long time to do that. We've got to be careful. It can't be us just coming over there with our business plan and spending a lot of money."

France said there would be no plan to export such popular U.S. drivers as Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I don't think that works in the long term. You have to build stars who are from Europe, teams that are from Europe and get manufacturers who have an interest in Europe," he said

Nor would NASCAR try to displace Formula 1, which France said was totally different. However, NASCAR would likely have to incorporate some road racing as opposed to racing on tracks like in the United States.

[Robert Ryan]

NASCAR overseas will not be NASCAR but a V8 Touring Car series...not very likely any of this will happen. Strange that NASCAR has not run at least the Trucks in Canada, where NASCAR and other US type sports are very popular. Not that Canada is 1000 miles away.

[gttouring]

Well maybe they have plans like V8 star...nope thats a failure many time in so many versions, how can they compete with DTM? and SCSA(ASCAR) isn't exactly massive and crowd stopping is it in the UK?
if they want to bring it, do it the right way. and don't apologize for this form of racing to be ovals, racing started on ovals and big traight tracks like (or really Circus Maximus) Avus and such... add more proper circuits and a load of tight ovals and it will work- revive Brooklands! and the Monza Oval and they will love it...if the France family wants to add some milllions to the project (aftaer all the 2.4 billion US dollar Television deal has been upped by more international and US coverage for next season- they have money to spare)

[Robert Ryan]

No, they do not have money to spare...that is the irony. All this overseas emphasis, is part of a project to get more overseas sponsorship.