Brad Keselowski got the attention of NASCAR's executives after sharing his thoughts in an in-depth cover story Friday 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski addresses the media during Daytona 500 media day at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Douglas Jones, USA TODAY Sports) Story Highlights - Keselowski met with Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy Friday
- Keselowski shared his vision for NASCAR's future in a USA TODAY exclusive
- The outspoken Sprint Cup champion has been fined by NASCAR on more than one occasion
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR executives met Friday with Brad Keselowski after the defending Sprint Cup Series champion outlined the challenges facing the sport in a Sports cover story in Friday's USA TODAY.
NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said Keselowski wasn't penalized nor was he facing further punishment. Jewkes said the meeting wasn't directly a result of the USA TODAY story, but it was discussed. NASCAR generally had been seeking more dialogue with its champion, according to Jewkes, and Friday provided the opportunity.
KESELOWSKI: Shares vision for NASCAR's future
"Brad has opinions, some informed and some less informed," Jewkes said. "The meeting was to improve the latter."
The Penske Racing driver met with NASCAR chairman Brian France and International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy.
Keselowski tweeted afterward, "Spent some time with the Lesa and Brian from the NASCAR team after yesterday's article, the passion we all share for our sport is amazing!"
OPPORTUNITY: Want your face on Brad Keselowski's car?
Keselowski, 29, told USA TODAY Sports that he believes there are multiple entities that have to work together for NASCAR to be successful.
"We have sponsors — partners, or whatever the hell you want to call them — tracks, the sanctioning body and the teams. Those are our four groups, and how well they cooperate dictates what we have as a product for our fans. And our fans create everything," Keselowski said.
Keselowski also noted how television has changed the landscape of all sports and how that's affected attendance — especially in NASCAR. Keselowski speculated on why NASCAR hadn't adapted to that, mentioning Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy, specifically:
When Bill France Jr. was in charge of NASCAR, he had control of all these pieces and wasn't at the mercy of the TV world. He had control of the tracks and NASCAR, which is now divided in two with Lesa (France Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corp. that controls 12 tracks) and (NASCAR Chairman) Brian (France). France Jr. had relationships with the sponsors, drivers and teams. Now we don't have that. Those three other pieces are segregated. Those three pieces need to get together. And until all three of those can unite, we're a house divided, and we're making bad decisions that are affecting how to generate revenue for the sport. In today's sports world, you have to be very powerful in drawing people to TV, and we're not TV-friendly. That's one of the key areas for success. Part of that is we're not delivering a product. And we're fighting the tracks. We have to be up on the wheel a little more and looking for what's in front of us, and when we see it, we have to be able to react on it. And in order to be able to react on it, we need to be united. It's not the first time the outspoken Keselowski's comments have drawn the focus of NASCAR. He was fined $25,000 for criticizing fuel injection in November 2011, the last in a policy of "secret fines" that NASCAR eliminated last year.
Keselowski became the first Sprint Cup driver to send a tweet during a race when last year's Daytona 500 was delayed by an inferno. He tweeted again in a November race at Phoenix International Raceway but was fined $25,000 and placed on probation.
In January 2012, NASCAR announced it no longer would fine drivers in secret, but France said the sanctioning body still could punish those for disparaging remarks. Besides Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin also were punished for making comments (or Twitter posts) that NASCAR deemed detrimental to its brand.
"If you challenge the integrity of the sport, we're going to deal with that," France said. "What's really interesting is I can't tell you how many owners or drivers come up to me and say, 'Thanks for doing that because some of these comments were irresponsible and unhelpful to growing the sport.'
"Now, having said that, you can be critical of things you don't think we're doing well, in particular a race call. You can say, 'I don't think I was speeding; I disagree with that.' We understand that. It's when you go after the integrity of the sport is where we will step in, and they will be public."
After Keselowski's comments about fuel injection (which he essentially called a publicity stunt that didn't improve competition but cost teams money), France explained NASCAR's reasons for taking punitive measures against its stars.
"We went for 50-something years and never had a system to fine anybody for disparaging remarks in the sport," France said during a 2011 news conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "We're the only sport on the planet that had that. So we simply in the last couple of years changed that policy because we thought we needed to.
"We've taken a position that drivers are going to be able to speak their mind and criticize the sport way more than any other sport would allow. However, there have to be some limits. We thought those limits were being exceeded in the last couple of years because you can't denigrate the sport. We're not going to accept that."
During Champions Week in Las Vegas last November, Tony Stewart made the case for allowing NASCAR's eighth-youngest champion a wider berth in expressing himself. Stewart, who drew the ire of NASCAR in 2007 for comparing the sport with professional wrestling after a state of caution flags for debris, said, "I don't think Brad's learned to be cautious yet. Hopefully that won't bite him like it has a lot of drivers in the past. It's refreshing. It's nice to see somebody who just speaks from the heart and isn't guarded, and that's the way all of us should be.
"I think that's what the fans want to hear. But I'm so scared that at some point, somebody is going to turn on him, and it goes downhill from there."
Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan
PHOTOS: The career of Brad Keselowski 
Brad Keselowski won his first career Sprint Cup championship, Nov. 18, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Keselowski won two of the 10 Chase races and five races overall in 2012. Mark J. Rebilas, US Pesswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski finished 15th in the Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which was more than enough to clinch the title after top 2012 rival Jimmie Johnson experienced mechanical problems with 40 laps left. Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski (2) had a 20-point lead on Jimmie Johnson (48) entering the 2012 Sprint Cup season-finale at at Homestead Miami Speedway. Kevin Liles, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski, 28, has been a full-time Sprint Cup driver since 2010. Keselowski finished 25th in the 2010 standings and fifth in the 2011 standings before winning the championship this year. Randy Sartin, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Owner Roger Penske, left, finally got to add a Sprint Cup championship to his IndyCar haul. Penske's IndyCar teams have won 15 Indianapolis 500s and 12 championships. Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski finished sixth at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 11. After Jimmie Johnson hit the wall on lap 235 and finished 32nd, Keselowski was able to open up a 20-point lead in the Chase heading into the season finale at Homestead. Jennifer Stewart, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Texas Motor Speedway set up ballot boxes for the top two drivers in the Chase standings -- Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson -- in the week leading up to the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 4. Jerry Markland, Getty Images for Texas Motor Spe Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski, right, and Jimmie Johnson, battled for the lead right to the end at Texas Motor Speedway, before Johnson pulled away on the final lap to win the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 4. Keselowski finished second. Todd Warshaw, Getty Images for NASCAR Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
The Dodge driver notched his second Chase win at Dover, on Sept. 30, using a fuel strategy that saw him outduel the Hendrick Motorsports cars of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Jerry Lai, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski began the march to his first Sprint Cup title with a win in the Chase's first stop, at Chicagoland Speedway, on Sept. 16. Matthew T. Thacker, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski celebrates with team owner Roger Penske (right, in red hat) and his crew after winning at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16 to kick off the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
The 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway yielded Keselowski's third win, in June. Randy Sartin, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
His second Cup win came at Talladega Superspeedway in May. He held off Kyle Busch at the restrictor-plate track. Andrew Weber, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski's first Cup win of the 2012 season came at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Randy Sartin, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski tweeted a photo of a jet dryer that caught fire during the Daytona 500 from the track and gained instant social media credibility with NASCAR fans. Douglas Jones, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Crew chief Paul Wolfe runs a detail-oriented program for the No. 2 Dodge, and Brad Keselowski often outperforms other drivers based on efficient pit stops. Kevin Liles, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
After winning three races, Brad Keselowski qualified for his first Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2011. Though, he didn't win any of the Chase races, he still finished a career-best fifth in series points. Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski works with Rebecca Rice, a physical therapist at Pit Instruction and Training in Mooresville, N.C., to rehab his left ankle. Keselowski broke his ankle during a test run at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Aug. 3, 2011. Davis Turner for USA TODAY Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski scored his third Sprint Cup win of the season and the fourth of his career at the Irwin Tools Bristol Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 27, 2011. John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski relaxes before the 2011 Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5. Hours later, Keselowski would win his second Sprint Cup race of the season and the third of his career. Tom Pennington, Getty Images for NASCAR Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski does a burnout after winning the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway on June 5, 2011. It was Keselowski's second career Sprint Cup win and the first since 2009 at Talladega. Jamie Squire, Getty Images Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
After a third-place finish in the Nationwide finale at Texas Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski earned his first Nationwide Series championship on NOv. 6, 2010. Keselowski won 10 Nationwide races in 2010 and was voted the series' most popular driver for the third consecutive year. Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
"Brad's the real deal," said team owner Roger Penske, who has 15 Indianapolis 500 victories but celebrated his first NASCAR crown when Keselowski won the 2010 Nationwide title. "He's the ultimate team player." Tim Fuller, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
A NASCAR official hands Brad Keselowski an American flag after Keselowski won the Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, 2010. It marked Keselowski's fifth Nationwide win of the year. Sam Sharpe, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski was known for his aggressive style and immature streak when he entered the Cup Series full-time in 2010. "You need to be aggressive to win, but there are circumstances I've learned it's really not that helpful to be aggressive," he says now. Andrew Weber, US Presswire Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski (12) flips after being clipped by Carl Edwards, top, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500, March 7, 2010, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Edwards had waited 153 laps for his crew to fix his car for the sole purpose of wrecking Keselowski. Joe Sebo, AP Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Brad Keselowski won four Nationwide races in 2009 including here at the Kroger 'On Track For Cure' 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park on Oct. 24, 2009. Keselowski also won at Dover, Iowa and Michigan. John Sommers II, Getty Images Related story Fullscreen
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski addresses the media during Daytona 500 media day at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Douglas Jones, USA TODAY Sports) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR executives met Friday with Brad Keselowski after the defending Sprint Cup Series champion outlined the challenges facing the sport in a Sports cover story in Friday's USA TODAY. NASCAR Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes said Keselowski wasn't penalized nor was he facing further punishment. Jewkes said the meeting wasn't directly a result of the USA TODAY story, but it was discussed. NASCAR generally had been seeking more dialogue with its champion, according to Jewkes, and Friday provided the opportunity. KESELOWSKI: Shares vision for NASCAR's future "Brad has opinions, some informed and some less informed," Jewkes said. "The meeting was to improve the latter." The Penske Racing driver met with NASCAR chairman Brian France and International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy. Keselowski tweeted afterward, "Spent some time with the Lesa and Brian from the NASCAR team after yesterday's article, the passion we all share for our sport is amazing!" OPPORTUNITY: Want your face on Brad Keselowski's car? Keselowski, 29, told USA TODAY Sports that he believes there are multiple entities that have to work together for NASCAR to be successful. "We have sponsors — partners, or whatever the hell you want to call them — tracks, the sanctioning body and the teams. Those are our four groups, and how well they cooperate dictates what we have as a product for our fans. And our fans create everything," Keselowski said. Keselowski also noted how television has changed the landscape of all sports and how that's affected attendance — especially in NASCAR. Keselowski speculated on why NASCAR hadn't adapted to that, mentioning Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy, specifically: It's not the first time the outspoken Keselowski's comments have drawn the focus of NASCAR. He was fined $25,000 for criticizing fuel injection in November 2011, the last in a policy of "secret fines" that NASCAR eliminated last year. Keselowski became the first Sprint Cup driver to send a tweet during a race when last year's Daytona 500 was delayed by an inferno. He tweeted again in a November race at Phoenix International Raceway but was fined $25,000 and placed on probation. In January 2012, NASCAR announced it no longer would fine drivers in secret, but France said the sanctioning body still could punish those for disparaging remarks. Besides Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin also were punished for making comments (or Twitter posts) that NASCAR deemed detrimental to its brand. "If you challenge the integrity of the sport, we're going to deal with that," France said. "What's really interesting is I can't tell you how many owners or drivers come up to me and say, 'Thanks for doing that because some of these comments were irresponsible and unhelpful to growing the sport.' "Now, having said that, you can be critical of things you don't think we're doing well, in particular a race call. You can say, 'I don't think I was speeding; I disagree with that.' We understand that. It's when you go after the integrity of the sport is where we will step in, and they will be public." After Keselowski's comments about fuel injection (which he essentially called a publicity stunt that didn't improve competition but cost teams money), France explained NASCAR's reasons for taking punitive measures against its stars. "We went for 50-something years and never had a system to fine anybody for disparaging remarks in the sport," France said during a 2011 news conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "We're the only sport on the planet that had that. So we simply in the last couple of years changed that policy because we thought we needed to. "We've taken a position that drivers are going to be able to speak their mind and criticize the sport way more than any other sport would allow. However, there have to be some limits. We thought those limits were being exceeded in the last couple of years because you can't denigrate the sport. We're not going to accept that." During Champions Week in Las Vegas last November, Tony Stewart made the case for allowing NASCAR's eighth-youngest champion a wider berth in expressing himself. Stewart, who drew the ire of NASCAR in 2007 for comparing the sport with professional wrestling after a state of caution flags for debris, said, "I don't think Brad's learned to be cautious yet. Hopefully that won't bite him like it has a lot of drivers in the past. It's refreshing. It's nice to see somebody who just speaks from the heart and isn't guarded, and that's the way all of us should be. "I think that's what the fans want to hear. But I'm so scared that at some point, somebody is going to turn on him, and it goes downhill from there." Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan PHOTOS: The career of Brad Keselowski Story Highlights
When Bill France Jr. was in charge of NASCAR, he had control of all these pieces and wasn't at the mercy of the TV world. He had control of the tracks and NASCAR, which is now divided in two with Lesa (France Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corp. that controls 12 tracks) and (NASCAR Chairman) Brian (France). France Jr. had relationships with the sponsors, drivers and teams. Now we don't have that. Those three other pieces are segregated. Those three pieces need to get together. And until all three of those can unite, we're a house divided, and we're making bad decisions that are affecting how to generate revenue for the sport.
In today's sports world, you have to be very powerful in drawing people to TV, and we're not TV-friendly. That's one of the key areas for success. Part of that is we're not delivering a product. And we're fighting the tracks. We have to be up on the wheel a little more and looking for what's in front of us, and when we see it, we have to be able to react on it. And in order to be able to react on it, we need to be united.
