It’s Just Business. It’s Not Personal.

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

This week I lost 90 minutes I’ll never get back. I was trying to explain to a family member that Formula One’s treatment of Michael Andretti is business. Not personal.

Then, hours later I read a release from NASCAR showing the growing global nature of THAT sport. It said the Daytona 500 would air in more than 185 countries and territories around the world. There are only 195 countries globally according to the UN. That reach amounts to 550 million households worldwide.

When you chew on those numbers you can understand why the sport had to do things like diminish its dependence on Southern icons to meet global marketing needs. It’s business. Not personal.

Motorsports fans can now watch NASCAR in India, Japan, Greece, Spain, China and New Zealand. The success of the Garage 56 Camaro at LeMans last summer helped knock down some barriers.

Offshore fans found the loud, raucous racecar engaging. And NASCAR finds engagement with those fans profitable. Especially when you understand your business is audience and not just racing. It’s business. Not personal.

Peace.