NASCAR nominated in Sports Business Awards,

 inNASCAR nominated multiple categories at this year’s Sports Business Awards, including League and Executive of the Year

May 17, 2016

Staff Report

NASCAR Wire Service

The NASCAR industry is nominated in multiple categories at this year’s Sports Business Awards, taking place Wednesday, May 18, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City’s Time Square. Among the nominations, NASCAR is up for League of the Year and NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France is up for Executive of the Year. 

Launched in 2008 by SportsBusiness Journal, the awards recognize leaders who personify excellence in the business of sports. The nominees are judged by their respective accomplishments from March 1, 2015-Feb. 29, 2016.

Among the other NASCAR nominees up for hardware on Wednesday are Daytona International Speedway (Facility of the Year), Darlington’s Bojangles Southern 500 (Event of the Year), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Social Media in Sports)

NASCAR’s 2015 campaign included the activation of 10-year partnerships with FOX, NBC, IMG and Comcast; a record number of fans on digital and social media; and continued efforts to widen its appeal through youth and diversity, highlighted by Mexico’s Daniel Suárez, a NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate who captured the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

But, the cornerstone reasoning behind the nomination for both NASCAR and France may lie in the landmark Charter agreement the sanctioning body reached with 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams at the start of the 2016 season. After 18 months of negotiation, NASCAR and its race teams announced the nine-year agreement in early February, ensuring a future of increased stability and the ability to build long-term enterprise value for the first time in the sport’s history.

Also nominated for Sports League of the Year are the American Athletic Conference, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association and the PGA Tour.

Stan Kroenke (Kroenke Sports and Entertainment owner), Joe Lacob (Golden State Warriors owner), Rob Manfred (MLB commissioner) and Mark Parker (Nike CEO) join France as nominees in the Sports Executive of the Year category.

Daytona International Speedway earned the Sports Facility of the Year nomination after unveiling Daytona Rising, the $400 million renovation project that transformed DIS into the world’s first motorsports stadium. The project attracted a sell-out crowd for the 2016 Daytona 500, won by Denny Hamlin in the closest finish in the race’s history.

Joining Daytona in the facility category is Avaya Stadium (home of the MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes), Bill Snyder Family Stadium (home of Kansas State football), Kyle Field (home of Texas A&M University football) and Petco Park (home of MLB’s San Diego Padres).

Earnhardt was late to the social media game, but proved to be a natural at the medium. Sprinkling in humor and a behind-the-curtain look at his sport, Earnhardt regularly engages with his nearly 1.5 million followers. In the ‘Best in Sports Social Media’ category, Earnhardt is pitted against the Chicago Blackhawks, Clemson University, the National Basketball Association and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

Darlington Raceway hosted the most unique event on the 2015 NASCAR schedule with its Bojangles’ Southern 500. Billed as a ‘throwback’ weekend, Darlington celebrated its storied history with a 1970s-themed event that included 32 retro paint schemes, 14 NASCAR Hall of Famers and a variety of food and entertainment from the bygone era. Joining the Southern 500 in the ‘Sports Event of the Year’ category is the 2015 Belmont Stakes, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao boxing match and Super Bowl 50.

Also nominated are NASCAR Official Partners Toyota and XFINITY (Sports Sponsor of the Year). FedEx and Anheuser-Busch In Bev, which both sponsor NASCAR race teams, are also nominated in the Sports Sponsor of the Year category.

FOX Sports and NBC Sports Group, both of which broadcast NASCAR races, are each nominated in the ‘Best in Sports Media’ category.

FOX Sports continues its broadcast of the first portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season during this Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (7 p.m. ET on FS1).