A group of APSE sports editors met in April in New York with commissioners from the four major sports leagues, plus the NHL and Major League Baseball players associations, NASCAR, U.S. Track and Field and the United States Olympic Committee. Here's what they had to say.

Brian France took over as chairman and chief executive officer of NASCAR on Sept. 13, 2003. He took over from his father, Bill France Jr., who took over for this father, Bill France Sr., who started NASCAR on the beaches of Daytona in 1947.

One thing is clear after sitting down with Brian at the APSE commissioners meetings last month: This ain't his daddy's or his daddy's daddy's NASCAR anymore. France, 41, has been charged with leading auto racing's premier sanctioning body into the next generation.

AP As a third-generation leader of NASCAR, Brian France hopes to lead the sports into the future.

"We have to do better in the future," France said. "Our challenge is to be more relevant to the casual sports fan. We may have done a poor job over the years. This is a big opportunity for us."

An opportunity that he is willing to share with the media, something his father and grandfather were unwilling to do.

"We know that we have to be more accessible. We had a no-comment strategy a couple of years ago, but that has changed," France said. "We need to attack the idea that we are underserved in the audience that we have."

In using Los Angeles as an example, France said that while the race was the second-most watched sporting event in LA, the media coverage in the newspapers, radio and TV affiliates was less than he would have liked and less than it deserved.

The message was clear that his door will be open in dealing with the press and that the press will be hearing from his NASCAR sooner, rather than later.

Sports editors at the conference were asked to fill out a questionnaire on how NASCAR public relations can better serve those newspaper markets.

France also highlighted some of the immediate changes to make the sport easier for the core and casual fan to understand.

With Nextel and $750 million tucked away for a new title sponsor of NASCAR's top racing series, France introduced the "Chase for the Championship" for the 2004 season. The 36-race schedule has been divided into the first 26 races — when the top 10 drivers are identified — and the final 10-race showdown for a champion. Everyone still drives, but only those top 10 drivers are eligible to win the championship.

"This is a huge change for us," he said. "More teams have a chance to win the title. We understand that people have said this is too much change, but everyone needs to let it play out. The racing is harder now, there is no doubt about it. Everybody is motivated."

Motivated for more change? Definitely. France touched on the following areas in which change will occur:

Cost containment. NASCAR will work on a rules package in which it will take a "fixed budget" of around $5 million to put a car on the track for 36 races for next season. That figure includes all physical aspects of the car.

Car changes. Expect different looking cars over the next couple of years, delivering the car of the future. Something bigger, something heavier with revolutionary designs that may slow the cars down naturally and allow NASCAR to possibly remove the restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega. The front nose pieces would still be signature Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet and Pontiac, but other features could include moving the driver away from the door and more toward the middle of the car.

Expansion. Expect new areas of the country to get races and second races granted to selected tracks. France acknowledged that he is definitely looking to put a track somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City.

Realignment. The schedule "is something we want and are looking at," France said

Diversity. On the track and in the stands. NASCAR announced a Driving for Diversity plan a week after the APSE meeting in which prospective drivers and crew members are given a chance to work their way up through the sport, starting at the local level.

New construction. France said, "We would favor something in a Richmond (short-track) model."

— Jim Jenks
Philadelphia Inquirer