Did anyone notice that NASCAR just massively expanded its empire?
Written by Josh Katinger · March 8, 2008
A “corporate cousin” of NASCAR - the Daytona Motorsports Group - has just been selected by the AMA to manage all of their pro-series properties (Superbike, Motocross, all of it). The Daytona Motorsports Group (DMS) is part of the same business entity that controls Grand Am and is managed in part by Jim France, Vice Chairman/Executive Vice President of NASCAR.
MotorcycleUSA.com: AMA Sells to Daytona Motorsports Group
The impact of this move could be quite considerable. A friend of mine in the motorsports PR business called it “probably the biggest story in the history of American professional motorcycle racing.” Certainly the France family knows how to sell racing, get big sponsorship and drive marketshare. But how long will it be before the France’s control all motorsports in North America? And would that be a “bad” thing? Part of me says yes; too many eggs in one basket. The other part of me says “but its a really strong basket.”
The capitalist in me says “good for them” if they can parlay the decades of knowledge and experience building the NASCAR empire into other forms of motorsports greatness. They have already proven that they can greatly enhance a product such as Grand Am - which was started from scratch in 1999. However, the current shape of Grand Am irks some sports car purists - “Grand Am is a spec series now, bah!” they say. I say to them go watch ALMS. I have to wonder how the France’s magic formula might translate into the two-wheeled world and what the ramifications might be.
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Hey Josh,
I can tell you what some of the guys that I race motorcycles, at the amateur level, think about this event.
From the marketing side:
Most people agree that the AMA did a crappy job of promoting the sport of motorcycle racing. DMG has a proven record of promoting motorsports and this can only help in getting people to attend a quality run event.
From the mechanical side:
The concensus is that it will bring better and more competitive racing to the US. (i.e. spec tires, level playing field for all competitors, etc.) Many believe that one of the best and most interesting to watch motorcycle racing series is WSBK (World Superbike). They have many of the things in place that DMG is talking about. They have multiple manufacturers vieing for the title and the competition is very close.
To close, while I know that it is early, most people I know think that DMG taking over is a good thing for the sport that we love.
Hey Danny! You’re still alive out there! Glad you are visiting the site and thanks for the input