DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Chairman Brian France has the impossible job of keeping everybody happy.
He has to please, in no particular order: three different national racing series, dozens of race teams and sponsors, more than 100 drivers, five television networks, 27 racetracks and millions of fans.
"That might be the hardest job of all," France chuckled Friday in an 30-minute interview in his office on the eighth floor of NASCAR's sparkling new, environmentally friendly headquarters across the street from Daytona International Speedway, site of Sunday's Daytona 500.
It's been eight years since France assumed the roles of NASCAR's top executive, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, NASCAR founder William France, and his father, William France Jr.
Over that period, NASCAR continued its expansion from a regional, Southern pastime of good ol' boys twisting wrenches to a national sport dominated by engineers and computer technology.
Meanwhile France, 48, has made bold and sometimes controversial moves to keep the race teams honest, the fans interested and the drivers safe.
"What we're trying to do on the major issues is set the sport on the right course," said France. "We get the normal curveballs ... but it starts with making sure it's the best and closest and safest racing in the world."
Unlike Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL -- sports that have remained essentially the same since their beginnings, with the exception of the designated hitter in baseball, the three-point shot in basketball and the two-point conversion and overtime in football -- the moving parts in engines and improved aerodynamics force NASCAR to revise the rule book frequently.
Compound that with the economic downturn of the last few years, and France and his fellow NASCAR executives have had to be creative in keeping the sport competitive and appealing.
Among the changes NASCAR adopted under France's watch:
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff system was created in 2004, replacing the 44-year-old seasonlong points campaign that determined a champion.
The longstanding points system was simplified this season, and two wild-card entries will be part of the 12-man Chase in 2011.
The Car of Tomorrow, a more uniform race car designed for parity, safety and cost savings, made its debut in 2007 amid much controversy.
Double-file restarts after cautions and three attempts at a green-white-checkered finishes after cautions were instituted in 2009.
Among changes in the schedule, California and Atlanta each lost one of their two annual races. Kentucky Speedway got its first Sprint Cup race, and Kansas Speedway received a second race.
NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Charlotte opened in 2003, and soft walls were installed in every Sprint Cup track by 2005.
"The Chase was 100 percent Brian France, and it was one of the best things that has happened in the last 10 years from the fans' point of view," said Jack Roush of Roush Fenway Racing. "Safety has been explored and carried further forward under Brian's watch, so I would give him credit ... not that Bill Sr. or Jr. were light on the safety, but Brian has been a steward when good decisions have been made for safety."
Brian France's leadership style is far different than his father's or grandfather's, said Andy Petree, a former car owner, crew chief and now an analyst for ESPN.
"His dad was in the garage; he was under the hood of these cars," Petree said. "He talked to a lot of the people in the sport on a day-to-day basis. Racing was more of a by-the-seat-of-the-pants thing then, and it's not now. We need someone to direct the sport who is coming from a big picture. We don't want someone who is just sitting there in the garage area talking to the mechanics and drivers and engine builders all the time and not in touch with all the things in the world that are changing rapidly. Brian is the right guy for the right time."
France does not make decisions in a vacuum. He consults with team owners, crew chiefs, drivers and even fans before he, NASCAR president Mike Helton and competition directors John Darby and Robin Pemberton set policy.
"Brian does a good job of listening to them and deferring to them when he maybe he doesn't understand certain things about competition," Petree said. "The changes he made last year, with letting these guys race each other and not penalizing them for showing emotion was a big boost for the sport. The double-file restarts are incredible.
"The racing has been great on the track. There is nothing wrong with the product. The competition is as intense as it has ever been. He's not sitting on the status quo. That should be admired."
If France could have one decision back, it would be the Car of Tomorrow, which was roundly criticized by fans and drivers. Last year, NASCAR junked the rear wing and reinstalled the popular rear spoiler.
"There's no doubt we could have launched the car in a smoother way," France said. "I'll take responsibility for that. It got a bad rap early for a variety of reasons. The drivers have figured that car out. It's producing the best racing we've seen in a long time, particularly the second half of last year.
"The original promise is still met, but it was a bumpier road than we would have liked."
France might not be visible in the garages, but his door is open to the drivers.
"Brian has not been afraid to make bold decisions. That's what leaders do," said veteran Jeff Burton, one of the most respected drivers in the garage. "Some things have worked; some things haven't. You have to respect him for being willing to make the changes. We're trying to take the sport to the next level. The drive he has is to take this sport to where the NFL is and stand toe-to-toe with the NFL, and I respect him a great deal for that.
"I haven't always agreed with his decisions, but that's OK. I didn't always agree with his dad's decisions either. But they're the ones who have the responsibility I don't have. He sticks to the core values of the sport, and he has tried very diligently to embrace the fans, and to make sure the fans understand this is their sport."
Still, because of the economy, attendance has tailed off in the last few years, and television ratings have been flat, though they're still a strong second to the NFL.
"Nobody could have predicted the financial meltdown," France said. "The economy certainly has taken a greater toll on us. Our fans drive further; they stay longer. It's more expensive to get to events. We have some states that are really hard-hit, like Michigan, Florida, California."
That's why he's excited about adding a second race to Kansas and taking Sprint Cup racing to Kentucky, where the track is receiving a $100 million facelift.
"You have to understand the timing of Brian's becoming in charge, that so many things changed in our sport, within our economy, within our world," said former Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett, now an ESPN analyst.
"A lot of people are going to say, 'He's made too many changes.' But he's trying to listen to the fans and the competitors, and people from within who he respects, and make this is as good a sport as he possibly can.
"He's in a no-win situation. If he leaves it (alone), people are going to say, 'You're not doing anything to help it.' If he changes, the other group says, 'You made too many changes.' I applaud him for looking at the situation, trying to make the racing as exciting as he possibly can, and as much as we know this is a sport, it is entertainment.
"Have all his decisions been perfect? Nobody's is going to be."
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