Rumors started to float that NASCAR could potentially be up for sale many scoffed at the idea. “The France family will never sell NASCAR” was the common sentiment among many. Turns out the France family may in fact be willing to sell the sport.
NASCAR announced Thursday morning that President Brent Dewar would be leaving his position and NASCAR COO Steve Phelps would replace him effective October 1st. While that has nothing to do with the sale per se it did lead to an interesting tid bit of information from Adam Stern.
According to Stern, sales talks have picked back up. The potential buyer? None other than NBC Universal/Comcast the network that currently carries half of the NASCAR season on their channels. Phelps could be transitioning to his new role as President in preparation for negotiations with NBC/Comcast.
What Would A Sale To NBC/Comcast Mean?
First and foremost it would mean all NASCAR races would be on NBC or NBCSN. No more hunting around for races or anything like that. It could also mean an increase in NASCAR programming by utilizing their automotive-themed channel Velocity. This year the entire 24 Hours of LeMans were shown on Velocity as well as the rest of the WEC season. NASCAR could become an intricate part of that channels future.
Above anything else, it would give NASCAR a massive marketing platform. Not only NBCSN but a number of talk shows, morning shows and countless other places for NASCAR and NBC to promote the sport. The same way Liberty Media has breathed new life into F1, NBC could do that for NASCAR.
All of this is talk at this point but like anything with NASCAR where there is smoke, there is fire generally. Especially when Adam Stern is talking about it.
