NASCAR and the sport’s top teams are discussing ways to rescue their troubled licensing business by bringing all of the team and driver rights under one banner, marking the first major step toward creating NASCAR Properties. Those rights currently are splintered from team to team, which means a licensee might visit five teams to acquire five licenses. A centralized agency such as NASCAR Properties would make all of those licenses available from one entity like the other professional leagues do. The groundwork for NASCAR Properties was set Sept. 24 during a day-long meeting at the governing body’s new office in Charlotte. Paul Brooks, NASCAR’s senior vice president and a driving force behind the idea, said officials from his office have been meeting with teams individually since the summer, but the summit at NASCAR’s office brought all of those executives together for the first time. “We are exploring the potential benefits of a unified industry approach to licensing,” Brooks said. “The ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders has been very positive and collaborative, and that is truly encouraging.”(in part from Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service/SportsBusiness Journal)(9-30-2009)
