NASCAR Top 5
By Cris Winter

BRIAN FRANCE NASCAR
Chairman and CEO

In 2003, Brian France was given the keys to take over the NASCAR reigns from his dad Bill as the head of the family-run motor sports sanctioning body. Brian breathed new life into the sport, completely revamping how the sport determines their champion. His 10 race "Chase for the Nextel Cup" created a new spark, making it exciting again, even while old school fans worried about the changing face of their sport. France was also instrumental in inking a $4.8 billion TV deal.

JACK ROUSH,
Founder, Roush Fenway Racing

Jack Roush built an empire creating a wide variety of parts and services for NASCAR like car chassis, performance components and roof flaps. This season, Roush introduced his racing organization to the Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox, giving the newcomers a 50 percent stake in the new racing operation, Roush Fenway Racing. This partnership marks the first time that owners of one of the four major professional sports franchises have gotten involved in NASCAR. The partnership will give Roush more capitol and create new sponsorship opportunities.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR,
Driver

Quite simply, "Junior" is a rock star. When his father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed at Daytona in 2001, Junior was thrown into spotlight. Many of his dad's fans became his fans. Despite enormous pressure on his shoulders from media and critics who will point out that he's never won a Nextell Cup Championship and didn't even win the Rookie of the Year award in 2000, Junior takes it all in stride. He is one of the most sought after drivers, making millions of dollars in endorsements. He has become a veritable "brand" of his own: Just look at the sea of red t-shirts in the stands sometime-I honestly think that you could sell Junior Beer at the track and it would be a huge seller.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA,
Driver

Columbia's Juan Pablo Montoya is one of those drivers that no matter what type of race car you give him, he excels. Champ Cars, Formula One, Indy Cars, Stock Cars. He is the only driver to have ever won the premier North American open wheel CART title, 24 Hours of Daytona, and the Indianapolis 500-in his first attempt. He has world titles in the CART Championship Series and International F3000. Montoya joined the NASCAR circuit last fall, driving for Chip Ganassi-Felix Sabates Racing. Brush up on your Spanish; Juan Pablo Montoya is about to become a household name.

NASCAR Fans

What would any sport be without the fans? NASCAR has seen a lot of drastic changes in the sport over the years, yet NASCAR fans keep coming back for more. NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the United States. Steelers fans tailgate five hours before kickoff…in NASCAR, fans spend an entire five-day "weekend" tailgating. And we fans are loyal to our favorite driver's sponsor, which is why Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport.

Cris Winter hosts the mid-day show on WISH 99.7 FM from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. She has been a NASCAR analyst on FSN Pittsburgh for more than 10 years.