NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France joined FOX Sports' Chris Myers during Sunday's pre-race show on FS1, and the two discussed a number of topics -- including the search for an entitlement sponsor, the possibility of mid-week races and the influx of talented young drivers.
See below for highlights of the conversation, which came on the final FOX Sports broadcast of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 2016.
On changes to NASCAR structure (including the Drivers Council and Charter system):
"Well, it's a lot of structural changes that allow us to build for the future in a smarter way. It allows the owners to look at their expenses differently and build some enterprise value. … And it aligns our interests, too, which is very important. With the Drivers Council, it gives us the input that we need. That gives us the cooperation. This is an industry where the better we're cooperating together, the better we can deliver for our fans the best, closest racing in the world."
On lugnuts:
"That's a safety thing. We would have preferred to not have to intervene all the time, but we will when we need to."
On the search for a new entitlement sponsor:
"Several companies here (in California, site of this weekend's race at Sonoma Raceway) are taking a hard look. It's a very special asset in sports. We have a lot of interest and we just want to make a good decision as we go down this stretch and choose our next partner."
On Tony Stewart retiring, other NASCAR stars advancing in age:
"I would be (concerned) if we didn't have such a talented group of young drivers. And when we started the Drive for Diversity, we were out looking for different, talented drivers that maybe have a diverse background -- you have Daniel Suarez being exemplary proof of that. We have a lot of talent coming."
On a road course in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup:
"We would be for it. The reality is it's very hard to get the schedule to match up."
On more weeknight racing:
"Don't see that."
On the All-Star Race changing location:
"Maybe. There's a lot of interest in that very interesting event. Charlotte's been good to us for a lot of reasons, but we'll always keep that open."
On the possibility of shorter races:
"We've shortened some from time to time, and we'll continue to look at it. And we'll look at the format as well, not just the length of time but how it's structured. … We're OK with length of time."