NASCAR has plan to build an international presence

While battling daily to shore up its U.S. audience, NASCAR still draws offers to showcase its brand around the world. Singapore. Malaysia. Russia. NASCAR senior vice president Steve O'Donnell said the sanctioning body turned down opportunities to bring one of its national series to each country. "We get approached every day," O'Donnell, who oversees NASCAR's global strategy, told USA TODAY Sports.

"We've had 20 groups approach us from China. But most of them are one-offs. We keep pushing back and saying we're going to do this but in a smart way. If you can show us how we build stock-car racing, that's something we want to pursue." As NASCAR expands its international media rights with new Fox and NBC deals beginning in 2015 (races currently are seen in more than 150 countries in 23 languages), O'Donnell said Brazil, Japan and Russia are viewed as most enticing for building new series. The hope is that foreign drivers will begin gravitating toward aiming at the Sprint Cup Series instead of open-wheel Formula One. See full story at the USA Today