NASCAR’s monopoly stranglehold on USA motorsports

The 'Big Name' Nextel Cup drivers prop up the Busch Series. If not for their star power the NASCAR Busch Series would collapse in an instant. The Cup drivers get all the best equipment when they run in the Busch Series and win all the races. The strategy the France family is employing is to tie up all motorsports sponsorship with their Nextel Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Grand-Am Series such that they drain all other forms of motorsports dry….and eventually out of business.

For example, when the PCM team was in Grand-Am they had Playboy and Vonage sponsorship. We asked the team why they did not bring them over to their Champ Car team this year and the answer we got was "Oh, that was a Grand-Am sponsor that was given to us.'

Rumor has it that many Grand-Am teams have never even met their sponsor or signed a contract with them. The check just shows up in the mail and they are told what decals to put on the car.

With 700+ people working for the France family in Daytona Beach they have plenty of bodies to work with and stroke sponsors to land deals. With so many sponsors under their wings they control large blocks of media advertising buys which in turn gets their four series and their drivers plenty of media coverage.

In essence, therefore, NASCAR pretty much has a monopoly stranglehold on USA motorsports by controlling the sponsorship, media ad buys and hence media coverage.