SEPTEMBER 2017 16 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM the days when there was a lot of elements of our sport today that were really thought of as just beyond our grasp. We would never light Daytona Speedway. Well, it happened. It would never be on Fox and NBC for the two halves of the season. Well, that’s happened. Our stars of our sport becoming crossover, like Jeff Gordon hosting Saturday Night Live, for example, and appearing in movies and television shows. So I’ve seen all that happen up to the point now where we’re investing hundreds of millions of dollars into modernizing these motorsports venues. It’s been a ride to see all of that take place over the last 15 years or so.” Part of that fun ride is the pure fun and entertainment value of the sport. Sperber said racing, like its roundball-focused counterparts, is driven by personality. “When I run into folks who grew up watching ‘traditional sports,' this is what I always say: ‘Every traditional sport at its core is really stupid,'” he said. “Basketball – it’s ten guys fighting over a rubber ball trying to put it in a hoop. If I explained it to you that way and asked you to buy a ticket you’d say, 'I’m not going to pay to watch that.' Or 22 big guys fighting over a leather ball, trying to move it in 10-yard increments. Ridiculous.” Sperber went on: “But what draws you to sports is the rivalries, the passion, and the excitement around sports. It’s incredible theater and it builds tremendous loyalty. The rivalries extend beyond the playing field into the fan base. NASCAR is no different and so it is not as much about cars going around the racetrack and the technology side of it, which is clearly there, but by and large the lion’s share of interest in our sport really revolves around the personalities. It’s the human competition. Can this guy drive this car better than the other guy? Can his pit crew, can his team, prepare a racecar better and beat the other guy? And that’s what it’s all about.” COVER STORY CONTINUED

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