NASCAR faces uncertain future

On the cusp of the 2007 season, Brian France, chairman and chief executive of NASCAR, stood before reporters at Daytona International Speedway and declared that the sport was continuing its remarkable rise.

France, the 44-year-old grandson of Bill France Sr., who founded NASCAR 59 years ago, said on that February day that he expected television ratings to increase after a drop-off last year in more than 80 percent of the races featuring top drivers. He predicted that NASCAR would rediscover the momentum that had transformed stock-car racing from a niche market in the Southeast to one of the most-watched sports in the United States.

But six races into the current season, NASCAR is at a crossroads, suffering from an identity crisis at the same time that television viewership has not recovered. Ratings are down about 14 percent compared with last season, said officials from International Speedway Corporation, which owns 12 of the 22 tracks where NASCAR runs top races. More at NY Times