NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France were arrested Sunday evening for driving while intoxicated and possession of oxycodone pills in Sag Harbor, New York, leading to a frenzied week in the racing world.
France — whose blood alcohol level was more than
twice the legal limit — spent the night in jail and is facing charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance, USA TODAY Sports reported. He’s been the head of NASCAR since 2003 but is taking an indefinite leave of absence.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded his weekly podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, on Monday prior to the news breaking. But he updated it with a statement reacting to France’s arrest and leave of absence.
Earnhardt said:
“Obviously, it’s disappointing news — no way around that. It’s very disappointing, and I’m sure that Brian is disappointed in himself. The one thing that I hope is that Brian gets in front of the people that he needs to get in front of and gets the assistance and help that he needs to make sure that this is something that doesn’t happen again. Regardless of his role in NASCAR going forward, it’s important that he’s healthy and that he takes care of himself. So I’m wishing that on him.
“With that said, I’m very confident the people that NASCAR has in the industry — I know all of them very, very well. I feel incredibly optimistic about being able to move forward and beyond (Monday).
And with being in the broadcast booth, I’ve had the opportunity to see the competition from a different point of view, and what I’ve seen on the race track over the last several weeks — whether it’s in the XFINITY Series or the Cup Series — has been incredible. The racing itself, what the drivers are doing, the effort that the drivers are putting in on the race track is impressive, and I’ve thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it.
That gives me a lot of confidence about not only how great this season’s going to be as it continues on into Homestead, it gives me a lot of confidence about the sport over the next 10 years, over the next several decades.
“So we’ve dealt with difficulties in the past, we’ve dealt with losses, and the sport has always continued and always thrived. So I’m looking forward to this weekend at Michigan (International Speedway), I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Earnhardt is balancing a fine line here. Even though he’s no longer on the race track, he’s still largely the face of NASCAR. Often one to speak his mind on a variety of political or controversial issues, he clearly chose his language carefully with this statement.
NASCAR fans have been eager to oust France — whose grandfather founded the sport’s governing body in 1948 — and speculation about the family selling NASCAR has increased recently. Vice chairman and executive vice president Jim France, Brian France’s uncle, has since assumed the role of interim chairman and CEO.
Between NASCAR’s declining attendance and TV ratings and France’s arrest, people are becoming more vocal than ever about his departure from the sport.
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