Trying times are forcing France to alter approach

Brian France was pissed. The note he had just opened from a high-ranking motorsports executive was quick and to the point: "Step up, we're waiting for you."

Perturbed, France immediately called the guy and wanted to know the meaning.

No offense, the voice on the other end of the line said. The note was meant to be a source of encouragement, not criticism.

"Step up, we're waiting for you."

France timeline

Brain France has only been NASCAR's leader for six years, but a lot of momenumental changes have taken place under his reign.

• Brian France timeline

Truth is, many of the stakeholders in the sport feel much the same way about NASCAR's chief executive.

It's not that they think France can't do the job; they wonder if he wants to do the job. They wonder why France didn't adjust his behind-the-scenes approach to leading the sport sooner as NASCAR entered troubled economic waters, including drops in attendance and TV ratings, both of which were falling before the recession hit.

"I know there are some questions about leadership," said Ray Evernham, a former championship-winning crew chief for driver Jeff Gordon, a former team owner and current ESPN analyst. "I've known Brian a long time, and I know Brian can do it. But Brian's got to stand up and say, 'I'm in charge, we're doing this. We're on the same page, and we're going to get this done.'"

On a dreary January day at NASCAR's Research and Development Center north of Charlotte, France bristled at the suggestion he hasn't been a take-charge leader in his six-plus years as CEO.

"If you're going to compare me to somebody else, my father or whoever, I'm not going to be somebody else," France, 47, said with conviction. "I have to manage in a way that fits my style and approach. Not everybody is going to agree with that."

It was one of the few times France's businesslike expression changed during a recent conversation about his leadership style and vision for NASCAR's future. Otherwise, his responses were crisp and direct. There was no time for rambling or small talk as he hopped from one meeting to another, talking to NASCAR owners and drivers, crew chiefs and marketers, track presidents and TV executives. There was much work to be done and the start of a new season was just around the corner.

If there's a legitimate gripe that France hasn't led with the determination of his father, Bill Jr., and his grandfather, Big Bill, he's trying his dead-solid best to put it to rest. Brian has been dogged by the commitment question, and maybe he's suffered by comparison to his father, who lived the sport, but he has never been more active than in the months following the end of last season.

France's offseason mission: meet with every track operator, broadcast partner and team by his self-imposed deadline of this week's Daytona 500.

Leadership questions

Ever since word spread that France was interested in owning an NFL team about five years ago -- coupled with his sporadic appearances at the track -- questions about France's engagement with the sport spread from the garage to the suites. Those questions were revived when the recession hit the sport and teams and tracks looked for guidance from NASCAR.

"People do question Brian's commitment, his leadership capabilities, only because they look at him and say he's not Bill," Evernham said. "It doesn't make him soft or incapable, he's just not Bill. The France family spirit is still there. Together, they can still be NASCAR. If they decide to put their heads together, people will support them."

Fox Sports CEO David Hill launched his own thinly veiled criticism at France in December before a room full of racing executives during Champion's Week in Las Vegas: "Bill Jr. was omnipresent at the track Thursday through Sunday. He could sniff a puff of smoke and put it out before anyone knew what happened. He could play on-track diplomat, judge, jury; he could talk things through. The sport is missing Bill Jr. in a lot of ways."

Boy, if Brian had a nickel for every time he has heard that one. The chief knock on France is that he's not at the track every weekend to run the traveling circus like his father and grandfather were. He attends anywhere from 15 to 18 races a year out of the 36-race Cup schedule.

But this is a different era, France says, and the demands of running a company with 1,700 employees are much more complex than just 15 years ago, when NASCAR corporate had 100 employees and his dad pretty much did it all, from running the competition to the business side.

Rather than spending four days a week at the track, the third-generation France says his time is better spent making calls like the one he did to NASCAR official partner 3M last month, when he spent the day visiting with the CEO, touring the company's headquarters and learning about their business.

"I make visits like that all the time, every month," said France, who led the sales and marketing arm of NASCAR before ascending to CEO. "I'll go on a sales call, if there's something I can add. We've been having these town hall meetings with the teams, and I lead these. We have town hall meetings with our own employees every quarter. I don't defer; I lead those because I want to interact with our people. That, frankly, gets missed." (Continued)