HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) – NASCAR chairman Brian France refused Sunday to discuss his political support of President-elect Donald Trump and quickly pivoted the conversation toward his own efforts at improving diversity in his sport.
France addressed the media hours before Sunday’s title-deciding season finale, and a day after Mexican Daniel Suarez became the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national title. Earlier in the 17-minute news conference, France declared that Suarez would never have been in position to win the Xfinity Series championship if not for France’s diversity efforts.
“Without the Drive for Diversity program, with certainty, Daniel Suarez is not in NASCAR,” France said.
When the topic turned to Trump, France quickly shut down the questioning.
France was an early supporter of Trump and took several drivers to a rally in Georgia earlier this year. France also appeared as a Trump supporter at a town hall meeting during the campaign.