David Brown

But not everyone in the sport is ready for the show.

From Audible Originals, I'm David Brown, and this is Business Wars.

In the last episode, NASCAR and Formula One were both facing identity crises as the 20th century gave way to the 21st.

Backed by banks and private investors, Formula One's supremo Bernie Eccleston transformed the sport into a global big-money spectacle.

He struck lucrative TV and sponsorship deals and brought races to wealthy new markets across the Middle East and Asia.

But Liberty Media has since taken control.

It's already forced Eccleston out.

Now, it's ready to launch a fresh push into the previously indifferent US market.

And NASCAR is watching all of this with growing unease.

For decades, it dominated American motorsport.

But its owners, the France family, are facing a twin threat.

Formula One's new ambitions and an aging fan base at home.

For years, the two championships coexisted.

NASCAR ruled the U.S., Formula One, the rest of the world.

But that balance is starting to shift.

And now, they're on a collision course.

This is Episode 3, Land of Liberty.

By the late 2010s, NASCAR finds itself in increasingly uncomfortable territory.

Its television ratings are sliding, track attendance is shrinking, and the sports leadership is struggling to answer a difficult question.

How do you grow beyond an aging core audience without alienating the fans who have sustained NASCAR for generations?