Stock-car’s big shots

A look at the most influential people in NASCAR racing

The difference between power and influence can be as subtle as a gentle breeze. It also can be as defined as the edge of a cliff with a 300-foot drop.

A lot of people have influence over what happens in stock-car racing these days, but only a select few have the power to make decisions and to make those decisions stand.

In fact, when it comes right down to it, the most unique thing about NASCAR’s power structure is that no matter how much it has grown, there’s only one person with the ultimate say about what goes on in stock-car racing.

That’s why Bill France Jr. stands atop That’s Racin’s sixth annual list of the sport’s most powerful people. He’s where it all starts and, if that’s how he wants it, where it all ends, too.

1 Bill France Jr., chairman of NASCAR and of International Speedway Corp. (last year, first): If the vote is 100-to-1 and he’s the one, his side still wins. That’s power defined.

2 David Hill, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Sports (last year, third); and Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports (last year, eighth): Television is quickly becoming the sport’s master, and Hill and Ebersol are the field bosses.

3 Mike Helton, president of NASCAR (last year, second): The authority on competitive issues in a sport where competition, at least theoretically, is the focus.

4 Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc. (last year, fourth): Pappy Hatfield to France’s Paw Paw McCoy in a feud that both fuels and hamstrings the sport.

5 Brian France, executive vice president of ISC, vice chairman and executive vice president of NASCAR (last year, shared ninth); Lesa France Kennedy, president of ISC (last year, 12th); and Jim France, CEO of ISC, vice chairman and executive vice president of NASCAR (last year, sixth): When you’re a France, the stock-car racing world is your oyster.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is No. 6 on the 2003 power list.

6 Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolets (last year, shared fifth): The face of NASCAR to the key young demographic that the sport and its sponsors so fervently covet.

7 George Pyne, chief operating officer of NASCAR (last year, 11th): A lot of big stuff, like schedule realignment and finding a new title sponsor, is parked on his desk.

8 John Darby, Winston Cup Series director (last year, 10th): The chief umpire on how the rules are enforced, which gives him yes-or-no power in crucial competitive areas.

9 Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolets (last year, seventh): Doesn’t lead in the garage area as forcefully as the late Dale Earnhardt did, but he leads nonetheless.

10 Francis Ferko, SMI shareholder (last year, not ranked): His lawsuit against NASCAR and ISC could reshape the sport or have little long-term effect. Either way, the lawyers get rich.

11 Teresa Earnhardt, president and CEO of Dale Earnhardt Inc. (last year, shared fifth): Stands out from fellow car owners because she commands the Earnhardt legacy, still a powerful force.

12 John Saunders, senior vice president and chief operating officer of ISC (last year, not ranked): Nobody whose name isn’t France has more to do with running ISC than Saunders.

Driver Jeff Gordon, left, and team owner Richard Childress are among some of the most powerful people in NASCAR.

13 Jim Hunter, vice president of corporate communications for NASCAR (last year, not ranked): At times Hunter’s the sport’s “Baghdad Bob.” He gives spin as well as anybody in Washington.

14 H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports, president of Lowe’s Motor Speedway (last year, 19th): His opinions matter in Charlotte, and they’re respected in Daytona, too.

15 Paul Brooks, vice president of broadcasting for NASCAR (last year, not ranked): Will move up the list if he’s the guy who works on the next TV deal.

16 Jack Roush (last year, 21st)/Rick Hendrick (last year, 14th)/Richard Childress (last year, 16th)/Joe Gibbs (last year, not ranked)/Roger Penske (last year, not ranked)/Chip Ganassi (last year, not ranked), Winston Cup team owners: Their teams form the sport’s competitive core. They’d have more power if they banded together to use it.

17 Gary Nelson, managing director of competition for NASCAR (last year, not ranked): Is the sport’s future being cooked up at his research and development center in Concord?

18 Darrell Waltrip (last year, 20th) and Larry McReynolds (last year, not ranked), Fox Sports analysts; and Bill Weber, NBC/TNT prerace show host and lead pit reporter (last year, not ranked): These voices cut most clearly through to the fans from among all those talking on television.

19 Brett Yormark, vice president of corporate marketing for NASCAR (last year, not ranked): The sport’s chief ambassador in the big business capital of New York City.

20 Tony George, president and CEO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (last year, 15th): He’s got the biggest house NASCAR visits all year.