NASCAR President Steve Phelps met with the drivers on Saturday in Charlotte ahead of the Cup series race there yesterday, discussing everything from the safety of the Next Gen car to the divisiveness over revenue that the two sides are currently experiencing. SBJ reported on Friday that the drivers and NASCAR are split on how revenue will be distributed as part of the next TV deal. Phelps said NASCAR is “going to give the teams more money from a revenue perspective, but we also need to work with the race teams on the expense side of things as well, and there’s a balance there.” Phelps: “NASCAR and our race teams coming together is a better thing in order to help promote this sport.” Phelps was asked if he is worried NASCAR teams could fold or future owners be deterred from joining the sport, saying, “The interest in NASCAR ownership has never been as high as it is right now … because there’s a relevance to NASCAR (and) the sports’ growing again which is fantastic. We want to make sure that we’re retaining the people who what to be here, but we have a pipeline of people who want to come to this sport.” Meanwhile, Phelps said of discussions on driver safety: "The drivers were candid, we showed them a path forward … but overall, we want to hear wat they have to say, we care about what they say and we’re going to reiterate on the car to make it safer" (“Countdown to Green,” NBC, 10/9).
