NASCAR Mailbag: Sponsorships, charters and what Jeff Gordon is up to

Why don't NASCAR & teams search for world sponsorships, instead of just U.S.? Also, why not "standardize" pit road speed at all tracks and adjust pace car speed accordingly? Lastly, why not have a "Bottom" 5 driver elimination at the end of each segment? – Gilbert

Gilbert, thanks for the questions. First, any NASCAR team would welcome an international sponsor but all of the races (in Cup and Xfinity) are held in the United States and the vast majority of the TV audience is U.S.-based. There would be virtually little incentive for an international company to what to get involved if they didn't have a presence in the U.S. market. Second, pit road speeds are set based on safety reasons. So, if it is not considered safe for cars to go faster than 35 mph at Martinsville, the only standardized pit road speed would have to be no greater than 35 mph - which would be ridiculously slow for tracks like Daytona and Talladega. Third, I'm not sure what you mean by "bottom 5" driver elimination after segments, but if you mean the five slowest cars in each segment being parked, I think that would greatly take away from the various pit strategies teams have employed with the advent of stage racing. – Jim Utter

Should NASCAR franchise teams the same way the NFL and NBA does? – Faris

Faris, for all practical purposes, NASCAR has franchised teams in its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series through the creation of the charter system. The charter in essence guarantees a team the right to participate in each race, which is basically the same guarantees a franchise provides. The charters can be sold, just as franchises can. NASCAR set the number of charters, just as leagues like the NFL and NBA set limits on the number of franchises they grant. – Jim Utter

Motorsport.com, my question for you guys is do you think that previous Xfinity drivers moving into Cup or previous Xfinity drivers now in Cup will have to do better since they're driving a Camaro, similar what they drove in the Xfinity Series? – Zachary

Hi Zachary, the Camaro Cup car is different than its Xfinity counterpart. I don't think drivers who have driven the Xfinity version will have an advantage over those who haven't because drivers get more accustomed to individual set-ups than body types. But, it certainly can't hurt. – Jim Utter

How’s Jeff Gordon doing? He was having serious back issues and I haven’t heard much about it since. I also don’t follow his Twitter so I am ignorant in that regard I suppose. Thanks. - Howard

Hey Howard, if Jeff Gordon’s escapades on social media are any indication of his current health, I’d say he’s in pretty good shape for a 46-year-old former race car driver—and shows no signs of slowing down. The four-time NASCAR champion’s holiday adventures included a 23-foot cliff jump off of Thunderbolt Grotto and snow boarding in Big Sky, Montana. - Lee Spencer