Trying times are forcing France to alter approach (cont'd)

Another time, France scolded the Earnhardts inside the NASCAR hauler for striking a deal with Adidas when NASCAR's licensing office had been working on a deal to aggregate driver rights for Nike's Starter brand. When Earnhardt signed with Adidas and was no longer available, Starter ended its pursuit of a deal in NASCAR and exited the sport.

That's a side of France that hasn't been exposed as much.

"He can kick you in the butt, and he's not shy or reluctant to do that," said Zak Brown, CEO of Just Marketing International, a motorsports marketing agency that has done deals in NASCAR for Crown Royal, UPS and Verizon.

"There's an intimidation factor there, and he knows when to pull it out. There's still a fear that you don't want to be called to the NASCAR hauler, but it's not what it once was. It's not as 'wild, wild west' as it once was."

There's another side to France that his employees tout. The side that empowers them to do their job without micromanaging, or the one that shows an appreciation for a job well done.

NASCAR and Nextel officials were locked away for eight days to finalize their record $750 million, 10-year title sponsorship in 2003. When it was done, France offered members of his sales and marketing team use of the company jet so they could get back to their families quicker.

"Brian has worked in all facets of the business, so he's really got a good sense of where the business is," said Brian Corcoran, who worked on the Nextel title sponsorship during his six years in NASCAR sales and marketing before leaving in 2009. "He definitely has a moxie about him. He always seems to know the right question to ask or, on a sales call, the right color commentary to add. I know for us, he was always available and always prepared."

How long to lead?

France has never committed to how long he'll run the family business. His father and grandfather were lifers, and in all likelihood, Brian won't be.

But one thing he's consistently said is that he wants to leave NASCAR in better shape than he found it, whether that's in five years, 15 years or 25 years.

"I'm a competitive person," France said. "I don't know how long I'm going to be CEO of the company. A long time, I hope. That also gets misunderstood. I may not have a 30-year run like my father, but I hope to have a run where we accomplish a lot. I want to make sure we're doing everything we can to grow the sport and make racing better."

There are also factors that will influence how France is perceived and ultimately remembered as NASCAR's chief. Unlike his father and grandfather, who could do essentially whatever they wanted without asking a soul, Brian reports to a board that includes his uncle, Jim, and his sister, Lesa. Although the Frances do not publicly "put values on stock and who has what," Brian said, insiders say Jim is the majority owner of NASCAR, while Lesa also owns a significant stake.

Brian, whose ownership stake in NASCAR is believed to be nominal, runs the day-to-day operations of the business, which includes reviewing the business plans for all 18 units within NASCAR, but there are decisions that must pass Jim and Lesa for final approval. Brian describes the working relationship with his uncle and sister as collaborative.

"Lesa is on the board, and she has a very big interest in NASCAR, financially and otherwise," Brian said. "She's very helpful and certainly involved in any strategic matter." As for his uncle, Brian says, "He's a very smart, deep-thinking guy who doesn't get a lot of credit. He's a guy I'd always go to."

Whether that approach is a positive or negative, compared with the days of the "benevolent dictatorship," Brian France is clearly in a more authoritative stance than he has been in before.

As he told members of his inner circle recently: "This thing's not going to hell on my watch."