CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The reset button for NASCAR was triggered as soon as Joey Logano wrapped up last year's championship celebration.
There was major work to be done to stop the stock-car series from a spiral to the bottom, and the fix is nothing short of a radical reboot.
The critical change is the introduction of an overhauled rules package designed to make the racing watchable again. And it comes under new leadership at the top.
Jim France replaced his nephew as chairman of NASCAR in August after Brian France took a leave of absence after his arrest for driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone. Jim France is now listed as chairman and CEO, has routinely represented the family at NASCAR events and is addressing NASCAR's five-year freefall in nearly all meaningful categories.
The downturn happened during Brian France's reign, and fans essentially exiled him over his extreme changes to the championship format and his detached -- often absent -- style of leadership.
Jim France has been at every event since taking over, and NASCAR is showing a sense of urgency in attempting to fix its mess.
"It is a business, but his first love is racing," said Hall of Fame owner Rick Hendrick, who also added Jim France and his niece, Lesa France Kennedy, have been accessible to teams and have voiced their commitment to motorsports. "I wish he had stepped out years ago."
France is overseeing the most collaborative atmosphere in NASCAR history. All stakeholders -- the sanctioning body, teams, drivers, track operators and television partners -- have brainstormed improvements and ideas to stop the plunge in attendance and television ratings. The solution is a new rules package aimed at markedly improving the on-track product.
The new package uses aerodynamic ducts and a tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower -- in simplest turns, it should slow the cars and bunch them closer together to increase passing attempts and improve the overall competitiveness. It will debut in the second race of the season, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The old package permitted a handful of teams to move so far ahead of the competition it took too long for anyone to catch them, the racing suffered and fans stopped watching. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. combined to win 20 of 36 races last season, though the "Big Three" lost to Logano in the championship finale.
The new package is controversial because it is supposed to level the playing field, and elite drivers believe it will diminish the advantage their talent has given them.
An early version of the package was used in last year's All-Star race, and fan feedback was enthusiastic until drivers raised enough complaints about it to muddle expectations. Until the rules were tested last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, few dared to predict what the racing will look like this season.
NASCAR pushed forward, and the new rules are here with major implications. The health of the sport is riding on the belief that, if nothing else, the racing will be better, more drivers will win, more teams will succeed and fans will give it a chance.
Making the racing more entertaining is critical in getting fans to pay attention again.
"On the optimism scale of a 1 to 10, I'm a 15," said Marcus Smith, who as CEO of Speedway Motorsports last year pushed hard for the rules package and also altered his track last season to create the hybrid oval-road course "Roval" that created some buzz during last year's playoffs.
"The racing is the most important part of NASCAR, and the quality of racing is similar to the quality of a show, a movie or the quality of a story in a book," he said. "If it's exciting, you want to watch it, you want to be there. This package is going to be more exciting, and I believe it will have a huge positive impact on the sport."
NASCAR will continue to emphasize its rising young talent, led by Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and Kyle Larson, all playoff drivers last season. Elliott was voted NASCAR's most popular driver, an award won a record 16 times by his Hall of Fame father, Bill Elliott.
Even so, the spotlight still centers on NASCAR's aging stars, who are adamant they can still win championships.
Leading the veteran charge is seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson in a new-look No. 48 team. Johnson and Chad Knaus, the only crew chief he'd had in his Cup career, split at the end of last season, and longtime sponsor Lowe's left NASCAR.
Johnson suffered through the first winless season of his career last year but is certain he can still win a record eighth championship.
"There is a lot of 'new' to it, there's no way around that," Johnson said. "It definitely is a new challenge, and I welcome it. I'm just excited to get this fresh start and see where it takes us."
Truex, a year removed from his Cup title, moved to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019 because his title-winning team closed. He replaced Mexican driver Daniel Suarez, the only non-American in the field, and Suarez was signed last month by Stewart-Haas Racing.
Kurt Busch vacated that seat and replaced Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing, and McMurray's career will come to a close after the Daytona 500. He and AJ Allmendinger are among the many drivers moving into television work, opening opportunities for lesser-known drivers.
Logano, who used two victories in the last four races of 2018 to become the unlikely champion, is a firm believer that NASCAR is making moves to stop its downturn.
"Our sport is not in the dumps, that's not the case at all," Logano said. "I think there's a lot of upside, a lot of great things we are doing, and when it comes to motorsports in America there is none better than NASCAR."
Monster Energy Cup schedule
Sunday x-Adv. Auto Parts Clash, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Thursday, Feb. 14 Duel 1, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Thursday, Feb. 14 Duel 2, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Sunday, Feb. 17 Daytona 500, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Sunday, Feb. 24 QuikTrip 500, Hampton, Ga.
Sunday, March 3 Pennzoil 400, Las Vegas
Sunday, March 10 TicketGuardian 500, Avondale, Ariz.
Sunday, March 17 Auto Club 400, Fontana, Calif.
Sunday, March 24 STP 500, Martinsville, Va.
Sunday, March 31 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Fort Worth
Sunday, April 7 Food City 500, Bristol, Tenn.
Saturday, April 13 Toyota Owners 400, Richmond, Va.
Sunday, April 28 Geico 500, Talladega, Ala.
Sunday, May 5 TBN, Dover, Del.
Saturday, May 11 TBN, Kansas City, Kan.
Saturday, May 18 x-Monster Open, Concord, N.C.
Saturday, May 18 x-All-Star Race, Concord, N.C.
Sunday, May 26 Coca-Cola 600, Concord, N.C.
Sunday, June 2 Pocono 400, Long Pond, Pa.
Sunday, June 9 FireKeepers 400, Brooklyn, Mich.
Sunday, June 23 Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma, Calif.
Sunday, June 30 Camping World 400, Joliet, Ill.
Saturday, July 6 Coke Zero 400, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Saturday, July 13 Quaker State 400, Sparta, Ky.
Sunday, July 21 Foxwoods Resort 301, Loudon, N.H.
Sunday, July 28 Gander Outdoors 400, Long Pond, Pa.
Sunday, Aug. 4 Bowling at The Glen, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Sunday, Aug. 11 Consumers Energy 400, Brooklyn, Mich.
Saturday, Aug. 17 Bass Pro NRA Night Race, Bristol, Tenn.
Sunday, Sept. 1 Southern 500, Darlington, S.C.
Sunday, Sept. 8 Brickyard 400, Indianapolis
Sunday, Sept. 15 South Point 400, Las Vegas
Saturday, Sept. 21 Federated 400, Richmond, Va.
Sunday, Sept. 29 Bank of America 400, Concord, N.C.
Sunday, Oct. 6 TBN, Dover, Del.
Sunday, Oct. 13 1000Bulbs.com 500, Talladega, Ala.
Sunday, Oct. 20 Hollywood Casino 400, Kansas City, Kan.
Sunday, Oct. 27 First Data 500, Martinsville, Va.
Sunday, Nov. 3 AAA Texas 500, Fort Worth
Sunday, Nov. 10 TBN, Avondale, Ariz.
Sunday, Nov. 17 Ford EcoBoost 400, Homestead, Fla.
x-Non-points race TBN-Race to be named
Xfinity Series schedule
Saturday, Feb. 16 Daytona 300, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Saturday, Feb. 23 Rinnai 250, Hampton, Ga.
Saturday, March 2 Boyd Gaming 300, Las Vegas
Saturday, March 9 TBN, Avondale, Ariz.
Saturday, March 16 TBN, Fontana, Calif.
Saturday, March 30 Bariatric Solutions 300, Fort Worth
Saturday, April 6 TBN, Bristol, Tenn.
Friday, April 12 ToyotaCare 250, Richmond, Va.
Saturday, April 27 Talladega 300, Talladega, Ala.
Saturday, May 4 TBN, Dover, Del.
Saturday, May 25 Alsco 300, Concord, N.C.
Saturday, June 1 Pocono Green 250, Long Pond, Pa.
Saturday, June 8 LTi Printing 250, Brooklyn, Mich.
Sunday, June 16 TBN, Newton, Iowa
Saturday, June 29 Camping World 300, Joliet, Ill.
Friday, July 5 Coca-Cola 250, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Friday, July 12 Alsco 300, Sparta, Ky.
Saturday, July 20 Lake Region 200, Loudon, N.H.
Saturday, July 27 U.S. Cellular 250, Newton, Iowa
Saturday, Aug. 3 Zippo 200, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Saturday, Aug. 10 Mid-Ohio 170, Lexington, Ohio
Friday, Aug. 16 Food City 300, Bristol, Tenn.
Saturday, Aug. 24 TBN, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Saturday, Aug. 31 Sport Clips VFW 200, Darlington, S.C.
Saturday, Sept. 7 Indiana 250, Indianapolis
Saturday, Sept. 14 D.C. Solar 300, Las Vegas
Friday, Sept. 20 GoBowling 250, Richmond, Va.
Saturday, Sept. 28 Drive for Cure 200, Concord, N.C.
Saturday, Oct. 5 TBN, Dover, Del.
Saturday, Oct. 19 Kansas Lottery 300, Kansas City, Kan.
Saturday, Nov. 2 O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, Fort Worth
Saturday, Nov. 9 TBN, Avondale, Ariz.
Saturday, Nov. 16 Ford EcoBoost 300, Homestead, Fla.
TBN-Race to be named
Gander Outdoors Truck Series schedule
Friday, Feb. 15 NextEra 250, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Saturday, Feb. 23 Atlanta 200, Hampton, Ga.
Friday, March 1 Strat 200, Las Vegas
Saturday, March 23 TBN, Martinsville, Va.
Friday, March 29 Vankor 350, Fort Worth
Friday, May 3 JEGS 200, Dover, Del.
Friday, May 10 TBN, Kansas City, Kan.
Friday, May 17 N.C. Lottery 200, Concord, N.C.
Friday, June 7 Rattlesnake 400, Fort Worth
Saturday, June 15 TBN, Newton, Iowa
Saturday, June 22 Gateway 200, Madison, Ill.
Friday, June 28 Camping World 225, Joliet, Ill.
Thursday, July 11 TBN, Sparta, Ky.
Saturday, July 27 Gander Outdoors 150, Long Pond, Pa.
Thursday, Aug. 1 Eldora Dirt Derby, Rossburg, Ohio
Saturday, Aug. 10 Corrigan Oil 200, Brooklyn, Mich.
Thursday, Aug. 15 TBN, Bristol, Tenn.
Sunday, Aug. 25 Silverado 250, Bowmanville, Ontario
Friday, Sept. 13 World of Westgate 200, Las Vegas
Saturday, Oct. 12 Sugarlands Shine 250, Talladega, Ala.
Saturday, Oct. 26 TBN, Martinsville, Va.
Friday, Nov. 8 Lucas Oil 150, Avondale, Ariz.
Friday, Nov. 15 Ford EcoBoost 200, Homestead, Fla.
TBN-Race to be named
Sports on 02/06/2019