NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France this morning during his annual state-of-the-sport press conference said the governing body is "in a good spot" in its search for a new title sponsor despite the process “taking a little longer than I thought.” France, speaking before the sold-out Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, said, “It’s a big, important agreement -- not just dollars and cents; it’s about the right fit. We don’t want to announce anything certainly around this weekend. ... we’ll have to see how it finally pans out.” NASCAR this summer said an October announcement was the most likely scenario. Monster Energy was among the finalists for the role, according to sources and a published report by Motorsport.com, but Monster VP/Sports Marketing Mitch Covington declined comment Friday when asked via e-mail about the talks.
France was also asked about other aspects of the business side of the sport, including ratings and attendance, the health of teams, the charter system and his support for Donald Trump. France: “We’re very pleased with our position in sports. The audience isn’t going away, it’s sliding to different places, consuming in different ways. ... Would I like to have everything perfect? Of course I would. But that’s sports and the competitive business.”
