Brad Keselowski makes his own Top 25 biggest influences in NASCAR list

   Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski decided to make his own list of the most influential people, places and things to fans in NASCAR, which he posted on Twitter on Saturday.

   Here's what he posted:

   Brad K's Top 25 NASCAR influences
   Note: I didn't include the fans because it seems redundant. This is the top 25 most influential to the fan experience. They come so far before everyone else it seems silly to list them here.

   1). Sponsors- from driver behavior to car paint schemes and even race formats. Nothing else even comes close. 
   2). TV- commercial breaks + often biased personalities and corporate influence dictate how the majority experiences a race.
   3). At Track experience, (hotel prices, traffic, restrooms, concessions and phone service)
   4). Schedule- over and under saturation of a market. Competition against other sports and holidays
   5). Goodyear- unfairly, usually only a negative. When they miss, we all lose.
   6). The Weather- start time delays, lightning strikes and beyond.
   7). Dale jr- unquestionable fan favorite. When he's running well, a large portion of NASCAR's fan base is happy.
   8). Track Inspectors- in a sport where fractions of an inch mean everything, their interpretations rule the land.
   9). France family- majority owners of NASCAR and ISC tracks.
   10). Robin Pemperton/John Darby/David Hoots- these 3 control the majority of both the day to day and long term vision of the competition side of the sport.
   11). Mike Helton- Boss of the 3 above.
   12). Bruton smith- majority owner of Smi tracks and catalyst for many of the sports innovations. 1
   3). Track surfaces- new surfaces produce less side by side racing. Properly maintained older surfaces have become fan favorites.
   14). Car manufactures- they speak, auto racing listens. See the gen-6 & EFI.
   15). Rick Hendrick- richest team, with the strongest relationships in the sport.
   16). Lobbyists- track upgrades, military sponsors and traffic patterns can all be radically effected by these groups.
   17). JGR- owns 3 of the winningest teams in cup, dominant in nationwide.
   18). Danica Patrick- brings a new level of excitement to the fan base as the first well known female in a major male dominated sport.
   19). Tony Stewart- Team owner, multiple NASCAR champion. His resume commands industry respect.
   20). Jeff Gordon- The kid from Indiana now has the Ironman record behind him along with 4 championships.
   21). Print, digital and social media- The only source for a detailed analysis of the sport, hardcore fans call them home.
   22). NASCAR driver services team- commercials, media previews and at track autograph sessions are predominately controlled by this group.
   23). Gen6 car- nothing has brought more buzz to NASCAR in 2013
   24). Kyle Busch- wins races, draws love and hate by fans and sponsors alike.
   25). Me- You're reading this aren't you?

   To read The Charlotte Observer's biggest influences list, go here.

Air Titan has 'cost issue,' but available to every track

   NASCAR Chairman Brian France said Saturday that NASCAR’s new Air Titan track drying system is available to every track but admitted there is a “cost issue” involved that has made it difficult for track owners to incorporate its use.

  France said without the Air Titan system at Talladega, Ala., earlier this month, neither the Nationwide or Cup races would have been completed on their scheduled days.

  “My hope is that we will get the cost down, number one, and that every track in risk of having rain will be using the system,” France said. “It just takes the industry a little time to realize that it really works, all of us to get together and implement it.”

   The Air Titan uses compressed air to blow water off the track surface, shortening the time needed to dry the track and return it to raceable conditions.