The Billionaire Family Ruining NASCAR | Ft. John Russell

[@adrianr87]

If there isn't a billionaire owner squeezing their client base for every penny while simultaneously making the experience worse it isn't American.

[@sociopathicnarcissist8810]

And McKinsey or Bain or BCG are probably the consultancy behind them.

[@adam6072]

Billionaires shouldn't exist.

[@sociopathicnarcissist8810]

@@adam6072 Except for Warren Buffet who has donated 57 Billion so far to charity, with more promised.

[@adam6072]

@@sociopathicnarcissist8810 There are always exceptions to the rule. But, suppose the government taxed all wealth above a certain amount. That revenue could go to programs which grow the economy resulting in more prosperity than Buffett will create with his donations.

[@Ryan-The-Grifter]

​@@sociopathicnarcissist8810That's nice and all, but I'd rather he pay it in taxes, where everyone gets a say in where it goes. Instead it goes to charities that will do what he wants them to do with it. Much of the money he's donated has been to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation which isn't always using their donations for purely good causes. The foundation has done a lot of work to undermine public education. It's also used it's clout and the threat of withdrawing support to convince countries in the global south to respect US patents at a time when they need medications they can't afford to buy from big pharma. BG has much of his wealth in tech stocks, which are bouyed by the internation patent system, and that's not a coincidence. Buffet has also given a lot to foundations run by his children, who are likely to use that money to support things that benefit the family. Just like BG, Buffet donates stock not money. He will get a big tax deduction, avoid capital gains and stock dilution this way. Plus he gets a bunch of free press and people in YT comments saying he's a good billionaire. There's no such thing as a good billionaire. Nobody normal keeps trying to accumulate money after they have enough to provide absolutely decadent luxury for them and their next 10 generations.

[@tonysouthern3049]

NASCAR can go under! They have taken our sport away from those that can not afford to go to races and can not afford to pat to watch it on TV. The France family needs to go!

[@jabber1990]

the Xfinity series will be in CW starting in September, which is OTA and free and don't forget about the races on Prime starting next year, which has like a 100% penetration rate (if not more than that)

[@mattcardarelli]

They sent me an email to go to the Chicago race. $175 per day or some crap. No thanks. I’ve been priced out of attending races

[@jabber1990]

@mattcardarelli ...you can watch on TV for free though

[@Truth5468]

⁠That’s crazy expensive 🙄

[@dwaynemclaren7160]

@@jabber1990 Never been to a live race have you? Watching on TV not even close to the same!

[@dvdv8197]

Greed is not the desire for more, it's the desire for more at the expense of others.

[@nataliewood8930]

Yeah making billions for providing nothing of value to the world is kind of insane. Exactly why the stock market shouldn't exist.

[@MoneyPrinter123]

@@nataliewood8930 The stock markets provide value by giving companies a way to raise money for capital investments by selling shares. The problem with stock markets isn't that they exist, it's the perverse incentives that have put the interests of shareholders above everyone else.

[@timothyrockwell2638]

AKA: Exploitation

[@nataliewood8930]

@@timothyrockwell2638 absolutely! We the people are the product.

[@adamhustler3639]

I think it would depend on how define 'expense'. Me and fellow workers wanting a living wage at the 'expense' of a billionaire owner reducing to a millionaire owner ... is that greed? I think we'd agree on no, but we know the rich see it the opposite. To them, we're the greedy ones for wanting a living wage for our "low-skill" easily replaceable jobs.

[@mattharrison2330]

They're literally children who don't want to share

[@JackLikesTrackhouse]

Seriously they are

[@DR3ADER1]

One of them was even a druggie. All of that nonsense in the rules of NASCAR, including the Charter System, was implemented/approved by a guy who was high on drugs.

[@Bigwiggatreedude]

@@DR3ADER1 "druggie" in 2024. im not into woke or anything, but you are the opposite of woke. you are fast fucking asleep. what kinda stuff do you drink when you watch NASCAR? it wouldn't happen to have hops and alcohol in it?

[@Joeywilkins27]

I’d call it not wanting to be fair to more accurate. They’re stealing literal profits from the workers (race teams)

[@dnasty312]

The Dimmsdale Ballhogs?

[@SantinoCrockett]

Peak Nascar was 2000. It's been downhill since the chase began.

[@davidlasanen7690]

WELL SAID OH SO TRUE

[@willsparklin]

I'd say early-mid 90's, but then again I'm from Wilkesboro.

[@thomasallen6980]

The chase has gotten ridiculous with people consistently in the top ten excluded but someone winning a rain delay race is in it? The chase needs to make more sense. It does.

[@johnsonracingdesigns]

@@willsparklin Hey, at least you got the track back on the schedule, so that's good! Should be an actual points race, though, not the all star race.

[@willsparklin]

@@johnsonracingdesigns we did, but only because the sport is trying to pander, and taking a significant subsidy from the state in the process. At this point, I just look at it from the economics. Losing those two dates over the last three decades has deprived Wilkes of tens of millions in revenue and development in the local economy.

[@discgolflife]

Boycott, plain and simple. No cars show up, no revenue. It's called hardball for collective bargaining rights...

[@Unova39]

They tried that at the 1969 Talladega 500. There was an organization called the Professional Driver's Association (a union in everything but name) that boycotted the race due to unsafe tire conditions. Bill France Sr. ignored them, invited all of the drivers who competed in a smaller race at the track to compete in the main event (in their small, slower cars), and ran the race anyway. The PDA collapsed shortly after and there's never been an attempt by drivers to unionize in NASCAR since.

[@craigstephenson7676]

that would spit the series and it would lose most of its money for everybody. Same thing happened with Indycar with the CART/IRL split.

[@gregorygolden1296]

I agree. Big Bill and his son would flip if they saw what the "Family" has done to their NASCAR. With the lame ass cars the drivers have to drive, there is no more "innovation" allowed. It just goes on and on. One day NASCAR will be a thing of the past and will be because of greed.

[@karendarrenmclaren]

And go bust?😂😂 nah I don't think so.

[@markspencer3680]

The new cars were supposed to save money but they are more expensive than they thought. They have to pay outside vendors to build parts then ship the parts to the teams and so on and so forth. My only question is why did they switch to charters? Why can’t they look at other racing sports and find out works and what doesn’t. I know makes to much sense.

[@rosesmith6925]

Everything is fun and games, until you let the billionaires in 🙄

[@jdcole333]

*you misspelled accountants.

[@lazarbro]

Everything was terrible in NASCAR before the Frances came in and made themselves Billionares, then more Billionares got involved and the sport got even better

[@Roadhouse1997]

​@lazarbro there was no "Before the Frances came in" Big Bill France Sr Actually built nascar, he is THE founder. He and Bill Jr were responsible for the greatness that was nascar pre 2008. The real problem with nascar and the teams was when the teams started bringing in more and more engineers and technology to get any advantage they could. In 92 Alan Kulwicki won the championship in an arguably underfunded operation with a budget on 2 million. In 98 the cost for Gordon's championship was around or above 10 million, 2008 was over 20 million and who truly knows what it costs today. But that arms race between Hms, roush, penske and gibbs has contributed more to them not turning a profit than nascar not paying enough.

[@rabid24fan71]

Yeah I guess they shouldn’t have let Michael Jordan in as a team owner, since he is worth $3.2 billion. Good point.

[@nancy.dave.williams]

I hate billionaires. They are the ones ruining the economy

[@K4R3N]

"To make a small fortune in racing you first start with a large fortune."

[@ekardnnam897]

That's a DW quote.

[@johnobrien6052]

No, that's a Richard Childress quote.... DW quoted RC!

[@ekardnnam897]

@@johnobrien6052 Why, thank you, sir. I'm so ashamed. A lifelong fan of the 3 shoulda known that.

[@sluggotinfantryman]

Bam

[@guest6423]

Except false for top-level teams. Their fortunes grow every day.

[@jeffdavis8811]

Now we know why Tony Stewarts team is leaving the sport.

[@darrelladams4188]

Tony is leaving but Gene Haas is planning on keeping a Charter ( ? )., and the 2 car Xfinity team. Mostly they will stay with Ford.

[@RobertSaget-iv4wv]

I'd hope that the racers could pool their own money and start their own races.

[@chrismathewsjr]

i figured it was because Tony Stewart's conscience is catching up to him. the whispers at the track are deafening

[@tbear68-]

Faak Stewart in all his endeavors. I saw what happened, I do not forget, and I am not alone.

[@inittowinit6633]

Tony Stewart had ZERO AUTHORTY AT HAAS. HE WAS A PAID MASCOT AND NO MORE THAN A HOAR for Gene Haas to use and then put her back on the corner store market. Do your research before making me a conspiracy theorist. Gene Haas went to Tony after he was bitching about Kurt Busch being hired by Gene Haas. When Gene was asked about the Tony situation over Kurt. Gene Haas response was this. I own the team and if Tony Don’t like it then he knows where the door is

[@LessGo7921]

I knew something was instantly wrong when Furniture Row, the best team in Nascar in 2017 and 18, suddenly announced they had to shut down immediately after 2018. I still miss them 😢

[@lazarbro]

The best team in NASCAR has shut down a few times before actually.

[@LessGo7921]

@@lazarbro back in the 70’s and 80’s, yes. But in recent years only time a high-level team before FRR was maybe MWR, but that was bcs of the Spingate cheating scandal. Most other former prowesses that shut down were already on a long decline like the Stewart part of SHR and Yates

[@jabber1990]

becasue Joe Gibbs Racing starved them out

[@thejman3489]

It's more common in motorsports than you think. Even the top teams are taking a net loss every season they run. As the saying goes: if you want to be a millionaire in auto racing, you have to start out as a billionaire.

[@LessGo7921]

@@jabber1990 precisely that. Despite being a powerhouse, they still had to rely on JGR to survive despite surpassing them

[@JeffBolen]

I hate the chase, I hate the charters, I hate the stages, they have ruined the sport. It isn’t the best team and driver and car anymore

[@kpw84u2]

You cannot become a billionaire without being a sociopath. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@rabid24fan71]

Good to know that Michael Jordan is a sociopath according to you, because he is worth $3.2 billion. Fantastic reasoning you have there.

[@curtiswalter86]

Fact

[@johnhill7058]

or a Comunist -Socialist.

[@kpw84u2]

@@johnhill7058 thanks for letting us know that something about you... 🤣🤣🤣

[@yipperskipper]

Oy Vey!

[@charlieraffaniello4867]

If you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin is supposed to be the motto for racers, not billionaires

[@stayinganonymous.3172]

Lol, they cheat the most. The system is literally built for them. Look what that disgrace DeSantis did for them.

[@melvinpeacock4709]

There is so much drama in NASCAR nowadays I no longer watch it. It's another sport that's been ruined by money.

[@TheAmerican1963]

It is very simple. When they buried the "Southern Heritage" of NASCAR, they killed the sport.

[@DianaPr1nce]

It's another Ticketmaster. That model needs to be decisively ruled as a monopoly.

[@jdcole333]

Nascar has been a sh*tshow for over 20 years, Dale Jr kept them afloat for a while but since then it's been a downward spiral.

[@fred-ts9pb]

Oh? the anointed one who is worth 300M. How many did he step on to create it? Sold them a bunch of worthless diecast?

[@soccerthrowback0664]

@@fred-ts9pbYou’re all over this post with you conservative views and supporting that things stay the same. lol Keep Politics out of sports though right? Lolol

[@markalbert9011]

@@fred-ts9pb Those folks cheerfully paid their hard earned cash for those diecast. No body robbed them, no one ripped them off. They were happy to buy them, happy to own them. Junior is also the fellow that during the 2008 financial crisis asked Rick Hendrick to cut his reduce his salary by $1,000,000 so none of his team would be laid off.....that's out of Rick Hendricks mouth. So greed doesn't seem to be a motivating factor. I'm sure it annoys the hell out of you but more people know Junior than ANY current driver. That's just a statistical fact you can find with a few minutes and your favorite search engine. Like it or not, to the general public Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the face of NASCAR.

@@markalbert9011 LOL, he never won anything and made money off his old man's name

[@krispykrackers8826]

26 cup races and a Busch series championship is nothing?

[@StalinsPurge]

Killing nascar and buying up all the tracks to remove Indycar from the racing conversation. France family is corrupt as all hell and it should be teams who own the series

[@patriot9487]

NASCAR and Indy are not the same organization

[@StalinsPurge]

@@patriot9487 no shit clearly you didn’t read the comment

[@jimmieroan9881]

you know nothing of the history of racing and indy car racing, it was a pissant spoiled rich boy that started indy car racing and ruined open wheel racing for millions, he wanted the series to be his heritage and didn't care who it hurt, nascar had nothing to do with the indy car series and one has nothing to do with the other. roger penske is probably the worst thing since that happened for indy car and racing in general.

[@StalinsPurge]

@@jimmieroan9881 pipe down little boy. Saying Penske is the worst thing to happen in racing means you clearly don’t watch it.

[@Yourmission9]

Breaking - Billionaire squeezes more and more money out of nascar with no concern for others, oblivious spectators chant “lets go Brandon”

[@jabber1990]

that is NOT what those fans were saying don't let NBC lie to you

[@f1champ551]

There is a reason why this year's Indy 500 didn't allow political branding(true or not of said chant).

[@jabber1990]

@f1champ551 that's Indycar though,

[@f1champ551]

@@jabber1990 true, but chant or not, Indycar or not, that was needed. And for this year's Indy 500, it worked out in ratings and views even with KZbin. But yeah, that was a need this year.

[@paulzammataro7185]

EX-FKNG-ACTLY!!! But that's just what "they" told us the chant was.

[@stevemillerdfw]

I was a season ticket holder at Texas Motor Speedway in the early 2000’s. It was packed. As soon as they changed the points system it got less crowded. Now TMS is in pretty bad shape. The road around it is terribly maintained. The whole property is looking like a salvage yard. These track owners/ and Nascar have ruined the sport. They can’t even fill up the front grandstand at TMS and they deserve it. I see nothing but things to continue to go downhill for Nascar when it comes to the teams, drivers and fans.

[@daynawaymire]

Texas girl here. TMS is so badly maintained that the drivers hate our track too.

[@DrRockso0]

Amen. In my 42 years I have seen my beloved NASCAR crumble. I only watch about 3 races a year now. I used to go to two races a year. Now I go other places.

[@slwsnowman4038]

This really started with "The Official X of NASCAR!" which removed sponsorship opportunities for teams and increased revenue for NASCAR. Good job, Brian!

[@RobertGorin]

Appreciate your videos! I’m 54 and younger generations should know there’s no shortcut to acquiring wealth, but there are ways to go about it. Fellow millionaires don’t tell the poor/middle class they need the knowledge of finance coaches to help build their wealth. If anyone here needs a good coach, here’s it..

[@RobertGorin]

Elizabeth Greenhunts Get to her with her name..

[@ZenaFuss]

Good i got here. Thanks

[@nancy.dave.williams]

NASCAR is terrible to watch. The commercials get more time than the race. The France family needs to be taken down a billion dollars

[@longshank59]

God how I'm hating Billionaires. more and more.

[@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr]

finally people are starting to see who the real enemies of the people are

[@headshot959]

Let keep this momentum going.​@@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr

[@headshot959]

@@WonTooForAte9 Seeing what most of those people are like. I really don’t.

[@headshot959]

@@WonTooForAte9 You do that, pay your fair share of taxes and maybe regularly give to charities or mutual aids and you will be one of those rare breeds where wealth doesn’t taint you🙂

[@juqual78]

Good let the hate flow through you

[@nerdcast5]

Hell yeah, so happy someone is speaking out about this. Has been just diehard fans involved on this topic for too long

[@joestephan1111]

NASCAR has always been "We're gonna play football and just remember its our ball.😮"

[@Private-v1l]

You want to know what is killing Nascar? The fact that the general public can not follow each race throughout the season. Give it a think.

[@Drunken_Hamster]

They should 1000% drag up and make their own league. Like, not even show up to the biggest event of the year level, no call, no show, just be gone. Or better yet, show up and act like everything's normal, then when the green drops they run at pace speed all the way around and stop right before the starting line only to shut the cars off, get out, and walk off the track. I'd respect the hell outta that.

[@danieljames4584]

wont work the billionaires will just screw them into the dirt, big loss, except for them

[@Drunken_Hamster]

@@danieljames4584 Yee of little hope or faith. If gamers can win against Valve, Blizzard, and others, if actors and writers can win against Hollywood, if unions can win against UPS and FedEx, and if Americans in general can make multiple wins against the ATF, then we can SURE as shit make NASCAR grassroots again.

[@needsmetal]

F1 already did that, only thing gthat changed was they quit racing in the US for 10 years

[@billdouglas6561]

@@needsmetal well then there is not very much nascar outside the US is there ??

[@jabber1990]

and how did that work out for Tony Stewart?

[@AImpatientMan]

My favorite quote to describe the France family. I think it was from junior johnson but "Mr. France attended 4th grade 4 times to get his idiot license"

[@rvegas3240]

Epic quote, if true haha 😂

[@judefernandez9234]

Actually I think that was from Smokey Yunick

[@AImpatientMan]

@@judefernandez9234 it might of been, I know it was from one of the drivers from before/just as the transition between old to modern era and was was a legend driver.

[@stayinganonymous.3172]

No, I'm sure teachers, along with others, were bought and paid for to bustle him along through school. The guy doesn't seem too bright.

[@Jimmy-Legs]

That idiot is a billionaire

[@Mbartel500]

In big time auto sports…the quickest way to become a millionaire, is to start out as a billionaire.

[@elijahjp2158]

As a NASCAR fan, I can't tell you how irritating the France family is. We have a complicated playoff system, which is completely unheard of in motorsports, and Brian France was the one to introduce it, much to the complaining of many older NASCAR fans. They can just introduce gimmicks at will and it is hella annoying. I hope the teams get a better chunk of the revenue.

[@bobclarke5913]

It CHASED me away from watching. Still have stacks of VHS tapes from the 90s when I wouldn't miss a race, now I watch part of a race or two a year - not bothering to tune in until the race starts AKA 3rd Stage.

[@crazyhorse2995]

A bit like goodyear. How about a tyre CHOICE?

[@SuperChaoticus]

@@bobclarke5913 The 90's were truly the golden years, IMHO. I was addicted to watching Jeff Gordon in that rainbow #24. No matter where he was on the track, that car stuck out of the crowd. Dupont nailed that color scheme.

[@eacaraxe]

@@bobclarke5913 Stages themselves aren't the problem...the problem is they replace the "phantom debris caution" gimmick to bunch the pack back up. I think it was EllyProductions49 who did the math, and pointed out the number of laps under stage caution nearly matches the number of laps under debris caution and that debris cautions almost completely vanished after the officiating body introduced stage cautions. If -- and that's a HUGE if given how inept the officiating body is under Brian France -- stage races were done properly, it'd be a net benefit to the sport. 7-10 laps under caution is completely unnecessary, three at most or a field-wide black flag would do the trick to get everyone a refuel and 2-4 tire change. That rewards strong performers with series points, while keeping early laps relevant without infringing on the race or its ultimate outcome. Your average NASCAR race hasn't been an endurance race since the early '00s (at the latest), and there's nothing to lose by changing the format to races being staged. They just have to be done right.

[@JeffBolen]

@@bobclarke5913me too

[@arnarninson4413]

Another industry where the people doing the work and taking the risks make nothing while the laziest rake in all the profits.

[@fred-ts9pb]

They can get a job at MCD's. I don't remember anyone twisting their arms?

[@drgnner6028]

They're not lazy. They go to meetings.

[@stayinganonymous.3172]

​@fred-ts9pb what a riveting sentiment.

[@notd0ll109]

@@fred-ts9pbwhat is this a Bill France burner account. Stfu

[@TheJingles007]

NASCAR drivers are millionaires. What are you talking about?

[@jamesmcintire3800]

The France family is both the best thing and the worst thing to ever happen to the sport they helped to create. The younger generations of the family are too focused on billion dollar profits and they have completely lost all vision of NASCAR as a sport. That’s one reason why I don’t watch NASCAR anymore.

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

It's incredible that billionaires are alienating owners, effectively the feudal lords. These aren't the 99%. There is no limit to billionaire greed.

[@gapsule2326]

Billionaires arent even the 1%... Theyre in digits that usually get rounded to 0

[@BeastOfMetal1989]

Several of the owners are also billionaires, and those are the ones who are front and center in the Race Team Alliance. They want the Charter System in place to lock out smaller owners and protect their own slice of the pie. Most, maybe all,[*]of the organizations that have been forced out in the last few years are these smaller owners. NASCAR could achieve monetary balance without selling guaranteed starting spots to organizations that haven't missed a race in three to four decades and have consistently leveraged their own economic advantages to the detriment of smaller competitors. The only reason they don't go this route is because they're too afraid of causing the kind of destruction wrought in open wheel by rival sanctions going to war with each other. [*Stewart-Haas Racing announced its dissolution in the last few weeks. The Haas part of that equation is industrialist billionaire Gene Haas, who also owns a Formula One team. However, Haas himself is not leaving NASCAR entirely - he elected to retain a single charter while selling the other three and buying out the other namesake - three-time Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart.]

[@DJDouglasWarden]

Many of the owners are billionaires themselves

[@rabid24fan71]

Team owner Michael Jordan is worth $3.2 billion. Team owner Rick Hendrick is worth $1 billion. Richard Childress is worth $250 million. Team owner Gene Haas is worth $250 million. All of these people are rich. Don’t get it twisted fool.

[@EvilWeiRamirez]

@@rabid24fan71 lol ... Billionaires complaining about billionaire greed

[@flanneryvevo]

An agreement on revenue sharing and new leadership would solve this.

[@codyjarvis]

There are no new leadership. It’s a private company. One family runs the whole thing. Always has.

[@charlesdeclue3752]

I've been a Nascar fan for over 50 years and if the drivers decide to start their own League I'm going to follow them because I don't like what I see in racing anymore

[@dvdv8197]

MONEY OUT OF POLITICS SO WE CAN HAVE POLITICIANS WHO ACTUALL DO SOMETHING FOR THE 99% PLEASE!! 😤😤

[@crazykat1984]

Vote Jill Stein!

[@deelee4639]

I used to believe in this, and still do. But realized the issue is capitalism. And not selling and buying stuff type capitalism.... but the ass worship of people who have capital vs the ass kicking of labor

[@Johnnypaycheck77]

Ain't capitalism great?!

[@kurtis_schmurtis]

Getting money out of politics is a very common sentiment but the problem is that the conservative courts believe that having guardrails to regulate donations and gifts are a form of government restriction and overreach. Rulings like Citizens United and Snyder v. United States only serve to open the door wider for the free flow of money to politicians. The problem is only getting worse.

[@fred-ts9pb]

@@kurtis_schmurtis Conservative courts believe in the constitution while liberal courts believe in legislating from the bench.

[@GregALang]

In the 80s and 90s, I was such a NASCAR junkie, I arranged my life around the races on Sunday and I went to the World 600 and the All Star Race in Charlotte every year. I was also a semi-regular at Martinsville and Pocono. About 20 years ago, I got so disgusted with NASCAR and the politics governing the teams and the rules, I gave up on it. Now I don't even watch the Daytona 500. Like everything else, it's become all about money and making one family obscenely wealthy while those who generate that wealth are barely getting by. Michael Jordan hit it spot on. I really miss the days when it was actual stock car racing.

[@scottrobinson9752]

The "young guns" era in the 2000s was the last good era for teams. There were obviously the "young guns" coming up, but there was also a number of legends still driving. And you had even older legends still hanging around the garage. So there was a solid congruent connection from the past, to the present, and into the future. There was at least a sense that NASCAR would keep the fabric of their legacy intact. It seems to me that somewhere in the 2010 to 2012 range, NASCAR decided to abandon its legacy. They started distancing themselves the sports link to southern culture. They started to really erase that imagery. And as a byproduct of that, they turned their backs on the old legends...like Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allsion, Bill Elliot, and on and on. It happened basically overnight. If you were from the era were there might be a photo of you anywhere near a confederate flag, you were disowned. The fact that Richard Petty still walks the garage area and is still involved in the sport, gets very little attention. The focus became about conforming to political correctness (aka cultural marxism). And NASCAR has saddled itself with a stable of uninteresting, metro-sexual drivers, who are not inspiring in the least. The lives of drivers from the past were interesting. Listening to the Petty's talk about the early days is amazing. Cale Yarborough talking about plowing a mule as a kid... Junior Johnson getting a little jail time for running moonshine... The entire Earnhardt story (from Ralph on up). And there are tons more... All utterly fascinating and inspirational stories. NASCAR made the mistake of abandoning its past and its core fan base. They could have built on that, and survived politically correct policing that goes on these days. It would have been far easier to ride out the cancel culture game, than what they are going through now. I doubt they can survive being slaves to politically correct modernity.

[@paulanderson9650]

I learned all I need to know about the France family from Smokey Yunick.

[@fred-ts9pb]

The biggest cheater of them all. Sounds like the billionaire's vilified here.

[@Snarf_Le_Wombat]

It's only cheating if you get caught, now that's racing ​@@fred-ts9pb

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@abnrgr7569]

France Family needs to be forced to sell NASCAR They have screwed the Sport.

[@mijf1171]

If Ironhead didn't die in 2001, none of the BS thats happened to kill the sport since would not have happened.

[@krispykrackers8826]

Absolutely. He trashed the way his and other cars drove after 2000 Daytona 500 , and Nascar listened to him and changed the package

[@BeastOfMetal1989]

Just an FYI, the Charters can't just be stripped "at any time" - the performance clause of the system mandates that a team has to finish in the bottom three of owner points for three straight years before NASCAR has the option of stripping a Charter. Only one Charter has ever fallen into this scenario - the one attached to the No. 51 of Rick Ware Racing. It officially reached that scenario at the end of the 2023 Season. It remains in Rick Ware's possession as of 2024. NASCAR let them keep it because they claimed the team was showing "legitimate steps towards becoming a competitive Cup Series organization" - by signing a driver away from another team. The real reason they let Ware keep that Charter had nothing to do with this - NASCAR and the RTA want the Charter valuations to remain as high as humanly possible (one sold for US$40M at the end of 2023), and stripping a Charter with no compensation would pop the bubble they're in instantly.

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

And Tony looks to be walking away with 40mil+ from the sale of 3 charters.

[@Dubya556]

Buddy is absolutely clueless about NASCAR. He makes a shiny video that makes it seem like he’s an expert but it was really just a transparent political hit piece.

[@manfredstrappen7491]

France and nearly every billionaire: “I want it all, doesn’t matter if it’s more than I could ever use.”

[@haroldoftherock8973]

I stopped watching Nascar in about 2017. There were only a handful of teams who ever had a chance of winning a race week to week. Smaller teams were getting crowded out. Nascar started implementing very arbitrary rules that benefited certain driver's racing styles. It basically had started to become like formula 1, where the team with the most money won. This video explains the behind the scenes erosion of the sport and why I lost interest in it.

[@Noman1010-nh6uh]

And that's why f1 is soo popular

[@berke2336]

It's always the kids and grandkids of the founder that mess a company up...

[@SuperChaoticus]

Born on 3rd base and think they hit a triple. Kinda sounds like a certain politician we all know and (love), except that idiot turned around and started sprinting towards second base.

[@slwsnowman4038]

Strong men creates good times. Good times creates weak men. Weak men creates bad times.* Bad times creates strong men. * - NASCAR's current position.

[@TallapoosaHellraiser.]

You hear this guy say 23xi? He must have been absent the day Roman numerals were taught in class.

[@scottlindquist8417]

When they started monkeying with the points, breaking the race into “parts”, they lost me and I haven’t returned. That was around 10 years ago.🤨🤨

[@helpful5539]

You made a good move. I don't know exactly when it was mostly over but that is all real valid reasons. And along with my big one, no more actual racing action, but skid pad runs. It is all pathetic.

[@jabber1990]

well I know that's a lie, one of those occurred less than 10 years ago...something you wouldn't know about if you haven't followed in 10 years...and isn't even close to accurate

[@oldred9122]

I'm right there with you. I started watching IndyCar instead, and it's so much better

[@jabber1990]

@@oldred9122 well thank God IndyCar isn't ran by a Billionaire!

[@oldred9122]

@@jabber1990 Yeah... About that...

[@vinrock3918]

Typical abuse and corruption of capitalism. This happens to everyone that actually works for corporations.

[@dangelo1369]

In capitalism, it’s a feature, not a bug.

[@davidlasanen7690]

CAPITALISM ISN,T THE PROBLEM ITS THE GREED AND CORRPTION THATS THE PROBLEM

[@jimmieroan9881]

so go apply for a job at the local gas station and buy your clothes at mom and pops general store, everyone bitches about corporations but thats where our goods we live on come from and the jobs we need come from.

[@Xt1000]

Isn't Daytona in Florida? How many people show up to Daytona and Florida for NASCAR races? Florida make millions over race weekends. Giving a good customer a tax break. Is the right thing to do. Money isn't killing NASCAR. Its the segmented racing. The no time qualifying. Ruined it.

[@Dubya556]

The video is a joke lol. I don’t like what the France family has done to NASCAR but the assertions he made on a political basis have nothing to do with why NASCAR is declining. Just a political hit piece disguised as a NASCAR video.

[@nikhook9430]

As someone who has tickets for the Daytona 500 I’m worried. Splits are never good for auto racing look at the IRL/Cart split. However honestly if NASCAR killed itself by greed then good riddance. I absolutely love NASCAR as a sport and have willingly tolerated so much crap as NASCAR seeks to be the WWE of auto racing. But if the Frances really kill the sport then good riddance I will not miss stage racing, playoffs or extending races.

[@sairuhtonin]

"WWE of auto racing" is a perfect descriptor.

[@JackLikesTrackhouse]

NASCAR isn’t gonna split. It’s in no way feasible and no one would win. Some people involved in the sport were around when that happened. SlapShoes made a very good video a couple years back explaining why a split will probably never happen

[@rvegas3240]

Don’t be worried. NASCAR owners and teams are not brain dead. They will solve this issue. 💯

[@nikhook9430]

@@rvegas3240 ummmmmm? Have you been watching NASCAR since 2014? The owners are quite brain dead

[@fredahlberg7193]

Kudos on the explanation. This is probably the most amount of accurate information in the shortest amount of time, that is totally understandable to the "blue collar layman". Nice job on unbiased reporting. Succinct, informative, no fluff, all substance. Thank you. NICE JOB!!!

[@voyagetravel1840]

Nascar is literally a scaled down version of whats going on in America as a whole

[@VernLeRoy1962]

I started watching Wiston Cup in 1970, I stopped watching NASCAR 5 years ago! To me NASCAR started going down hill in 2012/13. Nascar has got away from it's Roots & has became a Corperation, Now it's all about Money, I won't help Nascar make money anymore.

[@bigbadhag]

I gave it up along with football, they are all now pussified whiners! I liked the Skoal Bandit, Harry Gant!

[@ham1009]

Do you know that there's a way to fix this? Stop watching NASCAR stop supporting the advertisers. Take your family and go to your local short track, support them and your local racers. Eventually NASCAR will squeal like a pig. But as long as fans tune in and watch races, what's the billionaires will get richer and you will still complain. The choice is yours

[@jimmieroan9881]

well ain't you the genius, stick with your buddies and your circle jerks, no one cars what you think. nascar is here to stay and you imbeciles can bitch all you want it don't matter.

[@SteveKerr-ob5bi]

I’ve been a NASCAR fan since 1962 (I was 10) since Fireball Roberts won the Daytona 500 and I can honestly say that I am truly surprised that they (NASCAR) have survived this long. Charters reduced the playing field from 43 to 40 cars/teams in 2016 and now because charters only guarantee 36 teams a starting spot, sponsors rarely attach themselves to non-charter teams making new start-ups nearly impossible but going backwards to the days when you teams MUST qualify to race would once again give every team an equal opportunity to not only qualify for every sanctioned event but it would open doors to long term sponsorships that obviously pay the bills and open doors for smaller teams to race (remember the Start and Park teams). Just my 2¢

[@SuperChaoticus]

My two cent is wondering whether making charters permanent makes any sense at all. Wouldn't that just completely shut out any new team from entering the sport? I'm not that business savvy, so I may be totally misunderstanding the situation.

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

@@SuperChaoticusThe teams wanted the charters, because if they do close down they wanted get something of a return than pennies on the dollar when shutting down.

[@noellemly]

i mean this in a very nice way, 23XI is read aloud “twenty three eleven”

[@dcpsujag]

Younger generations can't even read Roman numerals..........

[@lazarbro]

​@@dcpsujagits not that hes young. He just doesnt know anything about the sport.

[@JoeRogansForehead]

lol why did you have to qualify it with I mean this in a nice way

[@Pvt.punchy]

@@dcpsujag its not about younger generations, this guy is just a writer for this channel, he doesn't actually like NASCAR

[@ate71622]

Smokey Yunick for the Hall of Fame…the France family for the Wall of Shame!

[@Unicorn_Venom]

Rule of Thumb: If you enjoy something, don’t let the million and billionaires involved. Rule of thumb if the entities became that way: Make them realize they’re only as valuable as you’ve allowed them to be. Disruption of ‘comfort’ is needed for the formation of something better. You can’t be comfortable and want more.

[@RR-xu5cj]

I’m glad there’s a team that stood up and did something about it

[@Irish_For_Life1842]

I want the charters to cease to exist. Let it go back to the way that it was. Of course no one will pay you for the charters as they will be worth nothing.

[@VELOZITY9]

I watched this episode a few months back, great information provided. I saw that Jordan has a lawsuit against NASCAR. Make an update video on this if possible.

[@barbarahering484]

Any sport that can be bet on can be used.

[@fred-ts9pb]

Take betting away and many that post on this board would be mad. Only betting I do is with stocks.

[@jabber1990]

@@fred-ts9pb what I find funny about sports betting, the moment it became legal (and one of the lobbying groups was somebody close to NASCAR) people openly admitted it was their entire personality....which is funny to me

[@petebusch9069]

Its like forcing actors to pay for a part in a movie.

[@jeffalvich9434]

The minute that Jeff Gordon's of the world got to not have to do qualifying anymore that's when I walked away from NASCAR.... When the drivetrain suspensions and chassis were all made from the same manufacturer that's when the real creativity of racing stopped and I forever will stay away. They (driver's, owners,etc) got exactly what they asked for....... A corporate controlled world...... And now they are upset because just like the fans and the sport itself, they are now getting the shaft..... Now they are saying it's not fair. Too little, too late, too sad, too bad....... The owners will sit in their $5,000 chairs and talk about partnerships and stakeholders etc, the crybaby drivers will sit in the corners, waiting for their private jets to arrive to take them to their next race, and whine about how unfairly the sport is treating them, and a handful of people will line their pockets with $$$$ while a handful of double dumb fans will suck up the media, buy tickets, spend money give up THEIR tax $ believing they are red blooded Americans doing right for their community while selling themselves out. Seen it before many times, it's an excellent playbook of which the NFL, NBA, water companies, etc have used successfully many times.

[@benjamindeloney]

So the family that owns Nascar is corrupt…lovely

[@murraymadness4674]

With Nascar owning most of the tracks, it will be difficult to create an alternative organization. But they don't own them all. Nascar will cave, it would be so awesome if the teams just "went on strike" and stopped racing, Nascar is nothing without the teams racing, let them learn.

[@secretagentbloke]

The France family obviously misheard the line from Days Of Thunder and thought it said “Robbing, son, is racing” 😂

[@jasonalexander1230]

Love this channel, thank you for all the great work

[@mikegreer9041]

Nascar has been ruined since they quit using real stock cars.

[@literallyfiguratively]

I hate to break it to you but Rick Hendrick is also a billionaire. The reason his team "hasn't made money in 10 years" is because they don't need to. He makes money from selling cars, anything the team makes just gets re-invested back into it.

[@fred-ts9pb]

Don't tell them this. Oh well hope larson wins the championship this year will even with all the hendrick billionaire fans here. Go buy your cars from him as many will continue to do.

[@JRotten]

​@fred-ts9pb That's why I buy my cars and trucks from a dealership that has just the dealership. Mom an pop shopping. But when you have an issue.... the owners office is right in the show room floor.

[@peterrukavena4955]

Exactly, do you know how many Chevy dealerships Rick has, he is the second biggest Chevy dealer in the country. His Nascar teams are a tax write-off

[@BlairClifford]

I quit watching NASCAR and the Indianapolis 500 because of big money and high tech running the show. I remember back in the day when the driver's and their mechanics built their own cars. Those teams were self-reliant and self-sufficient, often struggling with money. That was when the driver and his skill on the track, coupled with the mechanical ability of the builders made racing exciting. Dump all the big money and computerization.

[@teslawizardvvv3]

NASCAR and More Prefect Union what a time to be alive

[@lazarbro]

I know it sucks

[@anthonymeade7345]

"More Prefect Union" sounds like it belongs in Japan.

[@vickiemanthei47]

Racing isn’t what it used to be……I have been a fan for 51 years worked for lefthander chassis.

[@rvegas3240]

It still is just as good as ever. Went to the “Night of Fire” at the LVMS Bullring last night. So awesome!!

[@shaunt7301]

Same thing happened to the Indycar series back in the day that split into two and ruined that sport.

[@cdmit27]

The racing was ok in both leagues the only thing bad about it was ABC and ESPN's terrible broadcasts

[@RW-bt6ex]

I use to like NASCAR .Been a fan when Dale Sr. started with the Wrangler #3 ... Money is the Root to all evil .

[@bigbadhag]

Original Wrangler was #2

[@bigbadhag]

I'm with you tho, Nascar used to be cool!

[@MrBoomStick]

And who controls all the money? Who owns all the central banks? It’s not greed. It’s much more evil.

[@ApexPro-Chris]

The France family has ruined nascar because of their greed. Charters are stupid. The next gen car is stupid. The flat bottom of the car, the rear defuser, the sequential shifting the rear toe links all are just stupid. I have to use stupid because I can’t use other 4 letter words.

[@johnpaulyates1655]

The France family has become fat and wealthy while destroying their own creation. NASCAR just sucks!!!! That's why viewership and race attendance at tracks has bottomed out. No one gives a shit about NASCAR when they have so many other racing options today. I moved to other forms of 4 wheel racing years ago.

[@IwasInverted]

How is NASCAR even profitable? Empty stands, merch sales at all time low and unimpressive drivers. NASCAR has been dying for the last twenty plus years. If you want to send a message to the France family, Stop Watching NASCAR on TV!! I’d rather watch paint dry than watch a modern day NASCAR race!

[@Jb56746]

NASCAR is just a playground for the rich.

[@NASCARCHAT24]

Woah woah woah hold your horses there pal. The grand stands are pretty damn full on most tracks.

[@NASCARCHAT24]

And what do you mean the last twenty years PLUS? Nascar changed in 2001 when the legend dale sr died.

[@slwsnowman4038]

@@NASCARCHAT24 Those tracks that have mostly full stands...have they reduced seating capacity? I remember when it was announced Vegas was getting a second date, later that same week they removed thousands of seats. That doesn't sound healthy.

[@johnjones5354]

Two things. First, if you want to save NASCAR, then get rid of the gimmicks that have been instituted in the last decade or two. Things like 'playoffs', 'overtime races', 'green-white-checkers' and the most insidious of them all, and the reason that I no longer watch or attend NASCAR events, 'stages'. This nonsense was started in a failed attempt to attract a younger audience. News flash NASCAR, generations X/Y/Z don't care about cars in general, and certainly don't care about racing. Second, before you consider starting a new organization, carefully review the events of 1995, and what happened to CART/IRL.

[@mikehomner4724]

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer... How about doing a piece about the Supreme Court making homelessness a crime.

[@jameswil15213]

I’m a third generation nascar fan. I have memory’s of watching races with my dad and grandparents. It’s such a same the France family ruined this great American sport!

[@missymason9192]

There's a name for this, monopoly. Where's the SEC??????

[@slwsnowman4038]

SEC is ignoring it because there's plenty of other series the teams could go to.

[@seniormfwic]

NASCAR has never gotten a dime from me, while I drive fast by nature I just am not going to pay to watch others do it. The real racing goes on out on country roads and adds the excitement of Blue Lights in the rearview.

[@ronbelanger4113]

The stands being mostly empty speaks volumes.

[@OldBeaterGarage]

First met Bill France Jr. back in the early 2000s he was a real S.O.B. and once I began working in the industry my disdain was cemented and watching the sport decline over the last 20 years has only made that disdain grow even more.

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

*Great... another billionaire shorting something into the dirt.*

[@lazarbro]

Its funny because hes a billionare because his anti union father build somwthing up from the dirt.

[@mmiller8742]

​@@lazarbro is ur name France too?

[@Stuart1969-f1j]

Don't forget the huge tax break the France family got on their profits from Daytona track. It was proposed to cancel that sweetheart deal on the revenue from the 2 Daytona race and real estate taxes 9n the speedway property, obligating the France family to pay taxes like every other business in the Daytona FL locality. France threatened to pull the 2 Daytona races and move them elsewhere (Talladega which they own or possibly work a deal with Indianapolis). The fair taxing proposal of Daytona Speedway quickly vanished and Speedway Corp still enjoys that tax sweetheart deal today. Agree Bill France Sr did create something out of nothing without any union challenges but he sure got a sweetheart deal on tax cuts for the last 66 years and counting.

[@svenmays5592]

Driving themselves under the rug and nobody cares to even watch

[@danielmunoz9694]

I just see rich people ripping off other rich people. more entertaining than Nascar IMO

[@danieljames4584]

😆

[@slanham4027]

Came back to watch this again today after the 23XI and Front row motorsports news. Things are gonna get wild

[@MickeyStone-h1y]

Billionaires ruiining yet another business. When will Americans wake up.

[@malcolmcapps8816]

It's all pro sports

[@gregorygolden1296]

Sadly they won't.

[@Cousinbilly118]

Millionaires fighting with billionaires. Yawn

[@briantaylor9285]

IndyCar: "Hmmm...where have I seen this before...?" 🧐☕

[@graywolf4696]

They need to reverse the percentage for the tracks and teams. NASCAR 10%, Teams 65%, and tracks 25%. That would be fair.

[@DrWatson2798]

At least a 50/50 split especially at the tracks that are also owned by NASCAR

[@POP7QWIZ]

Just a note for the editor. The team, that Michael Jordan's team, 23XI is called Twenty Three Eleven. Not 23 X I

[@SWiFTMK7]

Never dove deep into this stuff. Stopped watching back in 2015 after Gordon retired and started up again last year. No clue what happened to all the cool sponsors, old faces. Everything’s falling apart. The teams are literally the heart and soul of the sport. Without them, nascar is just a name of an organization that owns a lot of vacant properties. Drivers and teams deserve so much better. It’s sad that these people now have so much money while teams are closing shops and employees are losing their jobs.

[@dangelo1369]

Sounds like the record business model.

[@ryann.9636]

If this was the Mafia, Jim France would be getting ready for a meeting at Sparks…

[@doejersey]

I hope they just make a league of their own honestly. Keeping the charters is going to ruin the sport long term imo. NASCAR has always been a sport where independent teams have a seat at the table. Charters make it impossible for an independent team to exist at all for exactly the reasons you said. I don’t think any team should get a pass just because they’re popular. Everyone should have to qualify. Go back to the dirt track heat system.

[@jabber1990]

and how did that work out for Tony Stewart?

[@GrandpaShark]

I think you are arguing the exact opposite of what they were hoping for.