miami.com
NASCAR president Mike Helton looked around at the enthusiastic crowd of nearly 100,000 in Mexico City, many of whom had never heard of NASCAR a few months earlier, and basically said: ``Canada's next.''
In actuality, Canada already is part of NASCAR's empire. TSN, Canada's equivalent to ESPN, had its largest all-time motorsports audience in February with 650,000 households tuned into the Daytona 500.
A recent survey showed that 5.8 million Canadians already are NASCAR fans.
Conquering North America's racing market is almost a given. But can NASCAR, once considered a regional redneck sport, take on the world? Does it want to?
The world sure seems to be like a Risk game board to the new, young decision-makers at NASCAR.
''Our international group strategy,'' NASCAR's 42-year-old CEO Brian France said, ``is we think we have to grow our franchise around the world.''
NASCAR couldn't even get weekly coverage a decade ago in most major newspapers. Now it has skyrocketed into a multibillion industry with Fortune 500 companies eager to jump onboard the bandwagon that has run full throttle all across the United States -- from New Hampshire to California, Miami to Las Vegas -- with talks of building new tracks and adding NASCAR events in Washington state and New York City.
NASCAR has conquered the United States racing market, leaving the once mighty open-wheel racing far back in its tracks.
LAST LAUGH
Nobody is laughing at NASCAR and its big, roaring, clunky-looking race cars anymore -- not even Formula One, with it's exotic, sleek, sexy racing machines that sound so cool that CDs are sold.
The high-tech F-1 series, with its $500,000 team budgets, is the preeminent racing series in the world. Michael Schumacher is a far bigger global star than Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR went to Japan in 1996-98 for exhibition races. Helton said it was not an ''experiment.'' He said NASCAR went there all along with the thought it was a temporary exhibition series to showcase NASCAR.
Don't underestimate NASCAR's ''international'' plan now, even though it now is modest. NASCAR just got back from its first crack at Mexico, with a successful Busch Series race that is a tier below its premiere Nextel Cup Series.
While NASCAR's international plan probably won't include Nextel Cup races in China, or anywhere outside of North America, it could mean the creation in the future of a China NASCAR series, similar to Mexico's Desafio Corona and Canada's CASCAR.
Both national series are supported by NASCAR and operate using rules, guidelines and business plans similar to NASCAR. The Desafio Corona, in its second season, already is the top national series in Mexico.
TARGETED COUNTRIES
With Formula One struggling, NASCAR sees an opening.
Other countries already targeted as possibilities to be added to NASCAR's growing empire include Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil and a return to Japan.
France said racing is second only to soccer in worldwide sports popularity. France would just like to see those fans prefer racing ``NASCAR style.''
Someday, he might.
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NASCAR president Mike Helton looked around at the enthusiastic crowd of nearly 100,000 in Mexico City, many of whom had never heard of NASCAR a few months earlier, and basically said: ``Canada's next.''
In actuality, Canada already is part of NASCAR's empire. TSN, Canada's equivalent to ESPN, had its largest all-time motorsports audience in February with 650,000 households tuned into the Daytona 500.
A recent survey showed that 5.8 million Canadians already are NASCAR fans.
Conquering North America's racing market is almost a given. But can NASCAR, once considered a regional redneck sport, take on the world? Does it want to?
The world sure seems to be like a Risk game board to the new, young decision-makers at NASCAR.
''Our international group strategy,'' NASCAR's 42-year-old CEO Brian France said, ``is we think we have to grow our franchise around the world.''
NASCAR couldn't even get weekly coverage a decade ago in most major newspapers. Now it has skyrocketed into a multibillion industry with Fortune 500 companies eager to jump onboard the bandwagon that has run full throttle all across the United States -- from New Hampshire to California, Miami to Las Vegas -- with talks of building new tracks and adding NASCAR events in Washington state and New York City.
NASCAR has conquered the United States racing market, leaving the once mighty open-wheel racing far back in its tracks.
LAST LAUGH
Nobody is laughing at NASCAR and its big, roaring, clunky-looking race cars anymore -- not even Formula One, with it's exotic, sleek, sexy racing machines that sound so cool that CDs are sold.
The high-tech F-1 series, with its $500,000 team budgets, is the preeminent racing series in the world. Michael Schumacher is a far bigger global star than Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR went to Japan in 1996-98 for exhibition races. Helton said it was not an ''experiment.'' He said NASCAR went there all along with the thought it was a temporary exhibition series to showcase NASCAR.
Don't underestimate NASCAR's ''international'' plan now, even though it now is modest. NASCAR just got back from its first crack at Mexico, with a successful Busch Series race that is a tier below its premiere Nextel Cup Series.
While NASCAR's international plan probably won't include Nextel Cup races in China, or anywhere outside of North America, it could mean the creation in the future of a China NASCAR series, similar to Mexico's Desafio Corona and Canada's CASCAR.
Both national series are supported by NASCAR and operate using rules, guidelines and business plans similar to NASCAR. The Desafio Corona, in its second season, already is the top national series in Mexico.
TARGETED COUNTRIES
With Formula One struggling, NASCAR sees an opening.
Other countries already targeted as possibilities to be added to NASCAR's growing empire include Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil and a return to Japan.
France said racing is second only to soccer in worldwide sports popularity. France would just like to see those fans prefer racing ``NASCAR style.''
Someday, he might.
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