NASCAR confirms meeting with owners about ‘qualification concepts’
NASCAR said Tuesday that the sport held a meeting with Sprint Cup Series owners to talk about the future of ownership in the sport.
Franchising has been a popular discussion point over the last few seasons. While NASCAR’s statement didn’t use the word franchise or any of its derivatives, it was clear that the sport did discuss a franchising model or something resembling one with the owners.
“Earlier today NASCAR met with all Sprint Cup Series owners and presented framework concepts for future qualification to compete in NASCAR’s top national series with an eye toward implementing a new model for the 2016 season. The on-going dialogue with the entire industry has been very good and today’s session was another productive step in that process. NASCAR, the tracks and the team owners all have the same collective goal: making the sport as strong and competitive as it can be for decades to come.
“Today’s meeting was one step in the process. There is still a lot of work to be done and that will continue over the coming months. We understand there will be speculation and rumors related to the concepts outlined today, but would caution against coming to any conclusions as we work toward final decisions. When it is appropriate to do so, NASCAR will make an official announcement. In the meantime, we are excited about the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and this weekend’s race at Dover.”
NASCAR’s statement makes it obvious; there are more questions than answers at this point. Would there be an assigned value per team? Would two-car teams have half the value of a four-car team? How would new owners start out in NASCAR if there was a franchising model? Would a new system replace the current practice of selling points? When Michael Waltrip Racing shuts down at the end of the season, the team would be able to sell its points to an existing team or new team for the 2016 season. The new owner of the points would then have a higher priority if a provisional starting spot was needed early in the season.
The discussions are likely part of the goal of the Race Team Alliance, which consists of all the major Sprint Cup Series teams. The RTA has said that one of its main goals is to help create a better and more efficient business model for teams in the Cup Series.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
