What has brought about NASCAR’s wider popularity, besides, obviously, the Frances’ business savvy?
Well, NASCAR was regional in the past really only because the South was where all the races were held. But most people have an instinctual understanding of what stock-car racing is, because it’s the car that looks like the car you drive. And even though it’s very far from the truth, you know, you think that you can do what you see there, too. It’s not like jai alai, where you need a certain amount of education. Basically, any place that has pavement and cars is a potential market. Then, after 1979, when it started being on TV, more people got interested. The rise pretty much follows or mirrors the spread of TV outlets. They’ve had double-digit growth in their ratings pretty much all through the nineties, and that’s continued. Has NASCAR surpassed, say, Indy car or Formula One? Well, the Frances’ strong central guidance of NASCAR is the opposite of what has happened in Indy racing, where you’ve had a split—the Indy racing league and the cart have basically splintered off. They have two
