Talks and speculation have gone on for months about staging races on Staten Island, although as yet no firm details have been confirmed.
Said France: “No one knows more than I how important it would be to obtain a track in the New York market.
“Obviously it's the number one market. In terms of our TV viewership, I think it's our third market in the mix behind only Atlanta and Los Angeles for NASCAR fans, so we'd like to see a New York track get figured out.”
France also praised the sport’s major new sponsor Nextel.
He said: “When we started out this year, we did have a lot of questions to issues that we’re facing in the industry and one of them was how would Nextel in their inaugural year do in replacing Winston.
“Halfway through, and we’re feeling very good. I think Nextel has done everything they said and more. They have been a tremendous partner to the industry. They have been very respectful to Winston and have brought new and exciting ideas and promotions for our fans.”
NASCAR chief Brian France says the sport is still focused on a track in the New York metropolitan area – already one of the sport’s biggest TV markets.
