By Jerry Jordan, Editor
DAYTONA BEACH – Without giving a specific number, NASCAR confirmed it has made layoffs across the board in all areas of the company in an effort to streamline operations.
“As all good businesses do, NASCAR is committed to strengthening its operation to ensure that resources are aligned to strategies that grow the sport and drive our business,” read a written statement from the company. “We have a talented team at NASCAR and we’re confident that greater focus on the opportunities to drive fan interest and strong industry partnerships will help our sport achieve long-term growth.”
Some have tabbed the number of layoffs at about 50 people but as a privately-held company, NASCAR is not required to disclose that information. However, the number was not significant enough to trigger the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires certain employers to provide at least 60 calendar days advance written notice of a plant closing or mass layoff affecting 50 or more employees at a single site of employment.
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There was speculation of major changes at NASCAR, as recently as December, when the sport was celebrating Championship Week in Las Vegas. Asked about the possibility of major layoffs at that time, a NASCAR spokesperson declined to comment to Kickin’ the Tires.
In early 2018, there was speculation that NASCAR was up for sale. Then NASCAR CEO Brian France went on SiriusXM and said, “We’re focused on going and managing NASCAR. There’s nothing to report on that. Rumors are always interesting. But they’re seldom right. The France family is locked and loaded in its dedication to NASCAR.”
The tables turned in November when NASCAR made a bid to buy its sister company, the publicly-traded International Speedway Corp. That deal was originally tabbed to be in excess of $1.9 billion by Bloomberg. Earlier in November, NASCAR announced it had purchased Racing Electronics and in April it had acquired the ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) Series.
A source said most of the layoffs are nothing different than what has happened in past years and it wouldn’t affect the on-track product.
In unrelated NASCAR job news, Mike Zizzo, confirmed today was his last day as the Vice President of Media Relations at Texas Motor Speedway.