NASCAR is considering a plan to prohibit drivers from signing autographs in the garage area at tracks to reduce fan congestion. NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. said Wednesday the possible ban is part of the sanctioning body’s ongoing effort to restore order in the garage. “We need to get the garage area back to where the guys can work on the cars,” France said in an interview with The Associated Press. “So if we do this, when a fan asks a driver for an autograph, the driver will be able to say `NASCAR won’t let me.’ ” A sport that has long prided itself on the level of access that fans have with the teams, NASCAR in recent years has seen an overcrowding that has led to numerous complaints from drivers and crews, as well as injuries among spectators. So France said he’s proposed only allowing drivers to sign autographs in the area immediately around their hauler and organizing a period once a weekend where all 43 drivers would take turns sitting at a table to sign autographs in 10-minute increments. Punishment for signing autographs at any other time could be monetary – perhaps a $500 fine – although France said he preferred penalizing offending drivers by sending them to the back of the field at the start of the race. “Obviously, it would be a judgment call on when a driver would be punished for it, but we’ve got to do something because these guys can’t even walk around anymore,” he said. NASCAR plans to unveil the new rules for garage access later this month, France said. But its goal is to reduce the total number of individuals in the garage during competition by some 20 percent. Expected to be introduced this season will be special “hot” passes that will be given to team members, NASCAR officials and media that allow entrance into the garage while cars are on the track in practice, qualifying or the race. Without the pass, access to the garage won’t be granted. The rule is likely to be enforced on pit road during the race, but not during practice and qualifying. Teams and sponsors will receive an allotted sum of passes each week, ending the near limitless supply they used to have.( Fort Worth Star Telegram/AP )(1-9-2003) UPDATE: NASCAR drivers on Thursday supported a proposed effort to limit autographs in the garage area, stressing the importance of finding a way to clear up the current congestion. NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. has proposed outlawing autographs in the garage except for the areas immediately around a driver’s hauler and in designated spots at specified times. “We’ve got to educate the drivers and the fans on what’s appropriate and what is not appropriate,” Jeff Burton said during testing at Daytona International Speedway. “There is no autograph etiquette, there is no proper understanding of what to do and when to do it and how to do it,” he said. “I think to get an education process started, we’ve got to make some rules and just stick to them.” France said Winston Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart both support his proposal, which would force the drivers to decline many autograph requests and blame it on the sanctioning body. NASCAR has always been fan friendly, giving the average spectator almost total access to its teams. But overcrowding in recent years has led to complaints from drivers and crews, as well as injuries among spectators. The sanctioning body plans to unveil new rules for garage access later this month, with a goal of reducing the number of people in the garage during competition by some 20 percent.( ThatsRacin.com/AP )(1-10-2003)
