Rowdy People

Meet NASCAR’s Appellate Court

New from The NASCAR Insiders:

So you’ve spent the entire off-season getting ready for Daytona. When you get there you make it through pre-race inspections, qualify and race. After you win the Great American Race, NASCAR pulls you into the garage for the obligatory post-race inspection. Uh-Oh. NASCAR finds that there were improper weights added to the car and they take away the win. What do you do now?

No fear, you can appeal within 10 days to the National Stock Car Racing Commission, otherwise known as the NSCRC. After you appeal and pay $200 you will get a hearing with a three member panel. They then hear arguments and decide whether to uphold the penalty, reverse it or modify it. If you’re unhappy with their decision you can still appeal the ruling to the NSCRC commissioner.

So now you might be asking yourself, who are these 32 commission members (plus the commissioner) who get to decide the fate of NASCAR’s penalties? While I don’t have the time to profile all 33 members, here is a chance get to know some of the members of NASCAR’s appellate body.

Charles D. Strang, commissioner- Strang is a former outboard boat racer who parlayed his knowledge of boats into success on the business side. He worked with famed NASCAR car owner Carl Kiekhaefer before joining Outboard Marine Corporation where he eventually rose to CEO and chairman of the board. He retired from the company in 1990. As commissioner of the NSCRC, Strang is the final stop in the appeals process.

Barbara Cromarty- Barbara along with her husband Jim own the Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, N.Y. The track, located on New York’s Long Island, hosts NASCAR Whelen Modified events among others. As an aside, I found when looking for information about the Cromartys that they were the owners of the Amityville Horror house immediately after the Lutz family; the Lutz’ made the haunting claims popularized by the book and movie of the same name.

Denis McGlynn- He serves as President and CEO of Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment Inc. and Dover Motorsports Inc., which operates the Monster Mile (Dover International Speedway). The 62-year-old has served as director of the motorsports side of the company since 1979.

Janet Guthrie- Guthrie is the first woman to qualify for both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. She competed in 33 NASCAR Cup series events between 1976 and 1980. In those 33 starts she had five top-10s and an average finishing position of 19.3. Her highest finishing position was a 6th place in 1977.

Lyn St. James- Along with Guthrie, St. James is one of just five women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500. She has eight CART and five IRL starts. She also has two 24 Hours of Daytona wins and one 12 Hours of Sebring win.

Clay Campbell- Campbell is the President of Martinsville Speedway, a track he grew up around. His grandfather H. Clay Earles, is the founder of the famed Southern Virginia short track . He also had a brief foray into team ownership. In late 2007 along with Joey Arrington, Stacy Compton, Lori Hamilton and others he joined the ownership team of Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia. The team ceased operations at the end of the 2008 season.

John Capels- is a former CART team owner and president and chief operating officer of the series. He was also the president of the United States Auto Club (USAC). He is currently USAC’s chairman.

Les Richter- Richter is a 1952 graduate of the University of California and former Los Angeles Rams football player. Following his nine seasons in the NFL he went on to become the President of Riverside International Raceway; later he was instrumental in the creation of the California Speedway. Eventually Richter rose to senior vice president of operations for NASCAR.

Below are the remaining members

Mark Arute- COO and GM of Stafford Motor Speedway
Gary Bahre- former president of New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Buddy Baker- former NASCAR driver
Lee Baumgarten- director of operations at Phoenix International Raceway
John Bishop- IMSA founder
John Cooper- former president of Daytona International Speedway
Doug Fritz- president of Richmond International Raceway
Harry Gant- former NASCAR driver
Richard Gore- owner of Old Dominion Raceway
Russell Hackett- owner of Caraway Speedway
David Hall- former president of Gaylord Communications Group
Jack Housby- president of Housby Trucking
Spencer Lueders- NASCAR’s Competition and Patent attorney
Grant Lynch- president of Talladega Superspeedway
Leo Mehl- former Goodyear racing executive
Bud Moore- former NASCAR car owner
Steve Page- president of Infineon Raceway
Dale Pinilis- operator of Bowman-Gray Stadium
Cathy Rice- GM of South Boston Raceway
George Silbermann, chairman- NASCAR managing director of racing operations
Bob Smith- NASCAR director of business affairs
H.A. ‘Humpy’ Wheeler- former president of Speedway Motorsports
Kevin Whitaker- operator of Greenville Pickens Speedway
Jim Williams- president of Irwindale Speedway
Jo DeWitt Wilson- former president of the North Carolina Motor Speedway

While not all of NASCAR’s all volunteer commission army are free of direct ties to the sanctioning body, by all accounts they provide a fair assessment of penalties. According to NASCAR.com they modify or overturn 1 in 3 penalties. Not bad odds if you ask me.

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNASCARInsiders.com. We do more of the same every day! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

New Teams Finding Opportunities in Down Economy

When we look back at this off-season, what we will remember the most were all the teams we lost to closings and mergers, and all the employees who lost their jobs. It has certainly been one of the toughest periods in the history of our sport. But where holes have been left behind by teams like Petty, Bill Davis Racing, and Hall of Fame Racing, other teams are finding opportunities to jump in head first.

We heard this week that former crew chief Tommy Baldwin is working on putting together a deal to run the entire Sprint Cup season, possibly with Dave Blaney behind the wheel. While we don’t know about the team’s funding and sponsorship plans for 2009, we can be optimistic that some are trying.

Besides Baldwin’s team, the list of new blood includes JTG/Daugherty Racing and Germain Racing in the Cup Series; Cardinal Motorsports, RAB Racing, and Sheltra Motorsports in the Nationwide Series; and Stringer Motorsports and Red Horse Racing’s team expansion in the Truck Series. Derrike Cope has even announced plans for a Cup and Truck Series schedule.

The current situation in NASCAR parallels something we have seen in the past in the conventional business world. There, when the economy is down, some folks have found opportunity. Those who are smart, recognize an opening, and have the stomach for the risk, put themselves in a position to possibly carve out a spot when times are tough. Examples of such companies include Microsoft, Burger King, CNN, and FedEx. Racing isn’t too different.

These small teams coming in face very serious challenges trying to secure sponsors, drivers, and finding ways to be competitive. But even with those obstacles, they now have an edge over small teams who attempted to break in over the last several years. With the sport being as strong as it had been before this season, it had been a struggle for smaller teams to gain their footing in the sport because they have been up against the top 35 point rule and the mega teams. Now, with the possibility of less teams showing up to the track each weekend, they have a shot.

With just a little over a month now remaining before the season opens at Daytona, there is no telling how many of these teams will survive. Some will run partial schedules, some will make it the whole way, and others will struggle and die. But what all of this does show us is that even with times being tough, people still want to race. And really, that is all we can ask for.

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNascarInsiders.com. We do more of the same all week, every week! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

Where They’ve Been and Where They’re Going: Part 4

This is part four in the series, looking at how Cup teams fared in 2008, and where they are headed in 2009. Each post will feature two teams and we will iron out details for the upcoming season and give our own projection for what to expect in ‘09.

Penske Racing

2008 started out on a high note for Penske Racing. Ryan Newman captured the team’s first Daytona 500 victory, and former IRL champ Sam Hornish Jr. climbed behind the wheel full time.

It was former champion Kurt Busch who entered 2008 with hopes of repeating his 2004 championship run. After finishing 2nd behind his teammate in the Daytona 500, it looked like he may well have been on his way. His effort though was hit or miss the remainder of the season. While he ultimately won Loudon, his average start and finish was the worst it had been since his first season in the Cup series in 2001.

Ryan Newman, always a favorite to have a breakout season, began 2008 with a victory in Daytona and his first win since 2005. However the 43 time pole winner had a less than stellar season, capturing just two top-5s and eight top-10s. He had his worst career average start and his second worst full time average finish. Despite this, in one of the worst kept secrets of the season, he announced he would be leaving Penske for the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing.

Sam Hornish Jr. joined the team full time in 2008. He helped usher in the brief influx of open wheel drivers. While Hornish began with promise he failed to gain footing in the series. Ultimately he failed to qualify for the races at Talladega and the season ending race at Homestead. His best finish of the season was 13th at the Coke 600 in Charlotte.

Penske’s promising 2008 became what can best be summed up as disappointing. Kurt Busch has struggled to gain footing at Penske. The successes he has had have been met with a lot of struggles. Likewise Sam Hornish Jr., who appears to have the confidence of Roger Penske is in a challenging position. He will enter 2009 outside the top-35 in points. Based on his qualifying failures at Talladega and Homestead, he might have a rough start to 2009. While there continue to be rumors floating around about his possible return to the IRL, my money would be on his return to NASCAR.

The loss of Ryan Newman may or may not be big for the team. David Stremme is making his Cup Series return with the team after being bounced by Ganassi in 2007. He had some successes in the Nationwide Series last year, and looked like he was headed for a decent finish in his only Cup Series start in 2008 before he wrecked. Despite the likelihood that Stremme will struggle, Newman hasn’t been great the last several seasons. Now whether that was lack of chemistry with his team, or something else, I can’t say.

Despite losing Kodak as a sponsor, the team still has Miller Lite on the #2 car, Mobil One on the #77 and Alltel on the #12. Alltel may present the team with trouble though with their announced merger with Verizon Wireless. It is highly unlikely that the Alltel name will be maintained and as we saw with AT&T, it is unlikely NASCAR and Sprint will allow a new competitor to enter the series.

Penske as always has promise, but I don’t think 2009 is going to be their season. It is a great organization which I have a lot of respect for, but their lineup is fresh (with the exception of Kurt Busch) and their struggles in the past couple of seasons looks likely to continue into 2009.

Dale Earnhardt Inc.

DEI entered 2008 as a newer, larger organization; they consolidated their facilities, turning the large, former Ginn Racing headquarters into their Cup shop. Despite losing Dale Earnhardt Jr., the new and improved DEI had four Cup teams with Martin Truex Jr., Regan Smith, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola and Mark Martin sharing a ride.

Truex started 2008 as another driver with great promise. He struggled throughout the year though. When his contract came up in the middle of the season there was speculation that he might head elsewhere. With Mark Martin out of the picture though DEI had cash available to pay their new lead driver. Truex opted to re-sign. Ultimately he went winless and failed to qualify for the Chase.

Regan Smith joined DEI after Ginn Racing was bought out in 2007. The 24-year-old driver has had some success in lower series’, but wins have been elusive. Despite winning Rookie of the Year honors, the driver struggled this season. He had no top-5s and no top-10s. While the victory at Talladega was stolen out from under him, there weren’t many shining moments this season. As such he became the victim of the eventual merger. He is rumored to be headed to Furniture Row Racing.

In two full seasons with DEI Paul Menard’s star has not shown too brightly. He struggled in 2007, missing six races, and while he did make all the races this season his best finish of 2nd was his only top-5 and top-10 all year. He finished 26th in points, but opted to take his money to Yates Racing for 2009.

Aric Almirola and Mark Martin shared the #8 ride throughout the season. Both were inherited through the merger with Ginn and Martin was expected to do big things at DEI. While he did perform the best of all the DEI drivers, Martin was only in the car part time. Almirola, while not spectacular, showed marked improvement over 2007, posting his best finish of 8th at Martinsville. Martin announced toward the end of the year that he would be leaving DEI for Hendrick Motorsports to compete full time.

The loss of Paul Menard, Menard’s as a sponsor, Mark Martin and Army forced DEI to do the unthinkable at season’s end. The announced merger with Chip Ganassi Racing as reported was caused by the failure of the team to find sponsors and contractual obligations the team had with both Martin Truex and Bass Pro Shops, which stayed with the organization.

The merged team brings together Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and a yet to be named fourth driver. The team only has two and half sponsors (Bass Pro Shops, Target and Wrigleys) for 2009, and the likelihood of that unannounced fourth driver remains to be seen.

I think this team has great potential for success in 2009. Truex is a powerhouse waiting for his opportunity and Montoya just needs help and consistency. While I think Almirola will struggle next season without the veteran guidance, I think he will have some solid runs here and there. Depending on who the fourth driver is I don’t see any reason why the organization can’t have two cars in the Chase in 2009.

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNascarInsiders.com. We do more of the same all week, every week! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

The Big Three “What If”

What if the big three don’t get the bailout? What if the big three do get the bailout?

What if the big three go bankrupt? What if the big three don’t go bankrupt?

What if the big three pull out of NASCAR? What if the big three don’t pull out of NASCAR?

In any case, what does it all mean for our beloved sport? Let’s see…

In the last few weeks, I’ve seen and heard it all. As we sit right now, both the U.S. and Canadian governments have pledged funds to float Chrysler and GM. So the first line of questions has been answered. Now, whether or not they will get more bailout money beyond this initial round, we’ll have to wait to find out. But for now, they are sticking around.

The questions surrounding our sport now turn to what all this means for NASCAR’s factory support. GM, Chrysler, and Ford have all already announced cutbacks to their NASCAR spending, but none have pulled out completely… Yet.

I’m not usually one for “what if” because it’s really pointless. But for the sake of argument and this blog post, lets say it; What if they all pulled out?

Let’s get one thing straight right away. The landscape of NASCAR would most definitely change without these companies involved. I’ve seen it estimated that combined the automakers spend somewhere between $120 and $140 million annually on competition and marketing efforts. An overnight evaporation of that level of involvement would be very significant. But would it break the sport? Absolutely not.

Teams have survived factory pullouts before, they could definitely do it again. I believe this because the business model of teams has changed drastically since even the last pullout. Teams don’t rely on factory money to survive; the corporate sponsors now foot the majority of the bill. They use much of the factory support to aid in research and development for the racecars. This happens through engineering efforts, testing, and things like wind tunnel time. Without that backing, these activities would just be curtailed.

Would it mean more job losses? I definitely think so. Engineering and testing staffs would be the hardest hit. They are the folks who work hand-in-hand with the people from the manufacturers.

The question then becomes, would most fans really notice a difference on track? You know, I really don’t think so. Teams would pretty much be limited to what information they currently have on file and what they could obtain in their shops and during race weekends. The teams may not make such large leaps in terms of competition gains, but they would still progress. The haves would still be the haves, and the have-nots would still be the have-nots. The have-nots may even be able to make some gains on the big boys.

Now, do I really see a complete exit by the American automakers coming? I really don’t. Even if they don’t offer engineering help, and the Richmond race ceases to be the “Chevy Rock & Roll 400,” the manufacturers would still be involved, even if only a little. They would still toss the teams a little dough just to keep them running Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Impala, and Dodge Charger decals on their cars.

I think what some people don’t understand about car companies being involved in motorsports is that it isn’t a charity or hobby for them. They do it because it helps them sell more cars. If it didn’t, they would have gotten out a long time ago. There is actual, real, and tangible value in being involved.

Looking to the future, the American automakers have a monumental hole to dig themselves out of. They have a lot of problems to fix. But when it comes right down to it, the only way for these companies to continue is to sell more cars. And when selling, you need to be able to reach your customer. Guess what NASCAR fans are? They are the automakers’ core customers.

Do you really think they are going to turn their backs on that kind of access? I think not.

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNascarInsiders.com. We do more of the same all week, every week! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

Ask The Insiders Wednesday #2

*As promised, here are the answers for those of you that sent in questions yesterday.

Ask The Insiders Wednesday is back for edition number 2! In case you don’t know what this is, we will be answering any and all reader questions every Wednesday until at least Daytona comes around. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us! It’s answer time…

1. From Savannah:

How do you feel about fans wanting to know details about their favorite driver’s personal life? In some ways, as a public figure, I think that it is relevant for them to be asked general questions about their personal lives. However, some of the fans feel that they are entitled to know every little detail about the driver. Are there any drivers that you dare not ask a question that could be interpreted as something about their personal lives. I remember a rant that Tony Stewart had after reading some fans’ comments about one of his girlfriends.

I think there are certain instances when driver’s personal lives are newsworthy; for instance when Aaron Fike was caught doing heroin in the parking lot of that amusement park. However who is dating who, or who is divorcing who I don’t think is anyone’s business but the party’s involved. If a driver makes something public than they deserve people’s interest, however otherwise I would tend to say, stay away from it.

Now don’t get me wrong I understand why people are interested in these things. I like to hear gossip just like anybody else and there certainly is no shortage of it around this business. However I would never ask anybody about their personal lives in a professional capacity unless they instigated it - Journo

2. From DD:

Why does the gas can-man shake the can? Is this some kind of signal to the crew or driver that fueling has been completed, during the pit stop?

I believe you are referring to the catch can man, and yes his shaking the empty gas can is a signal. He is letting the jackman know that the car is full of fuel. The jackman usually controls when the driver leaves by dropping the jack, and the jackman won’t drop the car to release the driver until the car is full of fuel. The jackman will watch the changers to see when they are done, and he can see that shaking can out of the corner of his eye. Changers done, shaking can, and he’ll drop it - T.C.

3. From Amy:

How common is it for over-the-wall members to change positions? I mean do tire changers ever decide…ah..to heck with this- I wanna be a jackman??

I don’t want to say it’s common, but I also don’t want to say it’s uncommon. It definitely does happen. Depending on what skills they have and what opportunities are available, many guys will change positions out of necessity. Need a carrier? They are a carrier. Need a jackman? They can also jack. There are a lot of guys who, along the way, just learned how to do the other positions. So switching isn’t a big deal for them. You will also see things like age and physical health affect position changes. If a tire changer’s knees won’t let him change anymore, its not unheard of for guys to become carriers or catch can guys, etc. So it does happen - T.C.

4. From Neon:

We know who is voted as the most popular driver by the fans. Who is considered the most popular driver in the garage area? And the most respected crew chief?

I would say Jeff Burton is probably the most respected driver around the Cup Series; he is often referred to as the "Mayor." Generally it is the veteran drivers who garner the most respect, which makes sense.

As far as the most respected crew chief, one doesn’t really stand out. You could probably ask ten different people and get ten different answers - Journo

5. From Traci:

What happened to (Michael) McDowell??? Where is he now?

I honestly don’t know specifically what Michael McDowell is doing right now, but my guess would be that he is sitting at home by the phone waiting for someone to call him. He is in the unenviable position of trying to find a job right now and there are unfortunately not too many out there. I hope he is able to find something, but the odds are not in his favor - Journo

With that, this installment of “Ask The Insiders Wednesdays” is in the books. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNascarInsiders.com. We do more of the same all week, every week! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

Wood Brothers and Petty in a Predicament of Their Own Making

Wood Brothers and Petty are a big topic of discussion around the sport these days. Much of the talk centers around how sad it would be to lose these two iconic organizations in the wake of one of the worst economic downturns in the last century. I am however not quite as nostalgic. Both of these organizations were once at the top of their games, but today stand as shells of their former selves.

Since 1953 The Wood Brothers have racked up 97 wins with some of the greatest drivers in the sport; David Pearson, Marvin Panch, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough and the list goes on and on. Their last win? 2001. The same is true at Petty where they have had 248 wins since 1949. Again though, their last win was in 1999.

Perhaps The most telling sign of how out of touch these teams have been throughout the years is their almost defiant stance to leaving their respective birthplaces; Petty in Level Cross, NC and Wood Brothers in Stuart, Va. As the years have come and gone I know they have lost out on the best and brightest talent in the sport because of their locations. If I live in Charlotte, I am probably not willing to commute or relocate to either place when there are good jobs where I am at. By the time they finally did move, Wood Brothers in 2003 and Petty in 2007, it really did not matter.

The reason for the lack of performance on track can be most attributed to their management. Where they were running their organizations like race teams, their competitors were running theirs like a business. When their competitors began to expand and grow, they stood stagnant and silent, refusing to change with the times. For decades these teams had every opportunity to continue their legacies as the sport’s greatest names, but they did nothing.

When Richard Childress, Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick were just getting started in the 1980s, Petty and Wood Brothers were already showing signs of fatigue. When the big-three began to grow and adapt throughout the 1990s to become what they are today, the two storied organizations remained where they were.

Petty’s biggest problem today can be summed up in two words: Boston Ventures. Where this sort of thing has worked for Gillett-Evernham (George Gillett owns other sports teams, is hands on and left the organization largely intact) and Roush Fenway (Again the Fenway Sports Group has experience running sports teams, but has little involvement with race team), it was doomed from the start at Petty. David Zucker, despite his Ivy League education, has no business running a race team, and anybody with any front office experience in NASCAR should have seen that. He has no idea what it takes to attract sponsors, or make them happy; he doesn’t know anything about the competition side of the sport; and he certainly has no experience lining up talent. While there are people below him that handle these things, the buck stopped with him. His disconnect with not only organization but the entire sport has marked his failure as the chief executive of Petty Enterprises.

At Wood Brothers, the problem lies with too much reliance on family. Len and Eddie have struggled to maintain the organization and letting Jon stay in the car for as long as they have has been nothing short of irresponsible. With the finishes they have had, it is no wonder sponsors don’t stick around for too long.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think the history we have is one of the greatest things about this sport. But ultimately, because this sport does not franchise (which I think would be a terrible idea), and it is so easy to enter and exit, many great teams throughout the years have failed. Some examples include Holman-Moody (96 wins, 2 championships), Bud Moore (63 wins, 2 championships) and Junior Johnson (139 wins, 6 championships).

Ultimately the moral of the story is, times change and if you’re not willing or able to adapt you are going to get run over. I think it will be sad if either or both leave the sport, but if these teams fail they have no one to blame but themselves.

*If you liked this, stop by www.TheNascarInsiders.com. We do more of the same all week, every week! Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

So I Heard You Might Be Looking For A Driver

Lets say you own a race team. It’s a pretty good team that has a solid and stable outlook for the future. You’ve got all the pieces in place for next year: a good crew chief, the right mechanics, fast pit crew, etc. Only, there is one problem. You don’t have a driver. Crap.

As you are sitting in your big plush owner’s office trying to figure out who your next steering wheel holder is going to be, you realize the phone is ringing. And as you listen to it ring, you suddenly realize it hasn’t stopped ringing since word got out that you might have an open seat. Everybody who considers themself a free agent driver has been calling you non-stop trying to throw their name in the mix. I sure hope you’ve got that unlimited calling plan.

There was a snippet today on Jayski’s Truck Series page about Johnny Sauter visiting ThorSport’s shop in Ohio. ThorSport runs two trucks in the series, the #88 with Matt Crafton and the #13 which was driven by Shelby Howard in 2008. Duke Thorson’s #13 truck has been a rent-a-ride in the series for a few years now, and it appears as though Howard’s deal might be up. And because of this, Mr. Sauter might be trying to put something together to run for ThorSport in 2009. But don’t believe for a second that he is the only one sniffing around up there. And don’t think that ThorSport is the only team Sauter is talking to. Every team with an open seat is in the same boat.

You may look at this as just another symptom of the bad economy, but this is actually a common occurrence every season. There is always a list of experienced drivers who are looking for their next opportunity, and an entire nation of young drivers looking for their first. Check out Jayski’s team chart pages for any of the three series, and you can find a list of the better known drivers who are available. As soon as a ride opens up, they will make a phone call or a shop visit to make sure the owners and managers know they are out there.

It’s important to understand though, these shop tours, meetings, and at track conversations don’t mean anything. Most often they don’t go anywhere, and become just a lot of useless hot air. If I had a nickel for every time I saw a driver tour a race shop with an owner or manager I’d be rich. The stars have to align perfectly for one of these deals to come together, and I don’t hold my breath until the team shows up at Daytona with a decaled race car and a check in the bank.

An unfortunate development over the last few seasons has made some of these meetings and phone calls even more worthless. In many cases, especially in lower series, if you are a driver inquiring about a ride, you’d better have a check in hand. Many owners now won’t even talk to drivers unless they are bringing some cash to the table. It doesn’t matter how talented a driver is, or how impressive their resume might be. As they say, “money talks, bull [insert synonym for dung here] walks.”

So do I know anything specific about Sauter and ThorSport? Nope. Could there be something in the works? Of course, there is always “something in the works.” Am I going to bet Sauter is in the #13 next year? Uh… no. Like I said before, I’ll believe it when I see it.

*If you liked this, see more at www.TheNascarInsiders.com. Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!

Free Sponsorships!

Okay so maybe they’re not free, but there are programs that exist in the motorsports world today that can make sponsorships very lucrative (and cheap) for the companies involved.

Yesterday T.C. spoke about the NASCAR B2B Council and the economic impact it has on the companies that participate. In just one or two deals inside the council, teams can literally pay for an entire season’s sponsorship. While most of the dealings have little to do with their involvement in NASCAR, the payoff can be huge.

Similar to the B2B Council is the affiliate program, utilized most prominently by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. This program is probably one of the best within the sport because of the value it adds to the sponsorship. Like the B2B Council it brings together different companies with similar needs and goals but utilizes existing sponsorship as the tool through which companies form alliances. For instance Target may put together a deal with Crest toothpaste. Crest receives space on the car and in turn pays Target for some amount of exclusivity within advertising. This is why you see the Target Dodge with Polaroid, Guitar Hero etc. on the quarter panels, the hood and any other place they can think of. They also do this with the Fastenal sponsored Nationwide car. Again, why Bosch, Lenox and Ingersoll-Rand show up on the hood of the car near the Fastenal logo.

These companies’ vendors receive great advertising at discounted prices (something they normally probably could not afford) and in turn the main sponsor makes money at every end. The Target deal, which is rumored to be incredibly expensive, really does not cost the company that much money (there is a reason Target is firmly planted at CGRFS). I would assume the same could be said for Fastenal.

What teams need to be doing right now is trying to increase the value of their sponsorship deals. In addition to the excellent exposure sponsors are already getting, they should be providing an arena (we’ll call this a team B2B council) for companies to wheel and deal. If you can get marketing executives from several companies together and say, “this sponsor we have sells phones and your company (also a sponsor) is looking to find a new phone vendor,” you not only saved them money and helped facilitate a deal, you built cross sponsor relationships and created goodwill toward your team.

Now obviously the vendor program is only feasible if a sponsor has vendors. This probably would not work for maybe Conway Freight. But for sponsors like Lowes, Office Depot and NAPA they sit upon a potential gold mine. So, I ask, why not set up meetings for company executives and show them the value of NASCAR sponsorship and the value of joining forces? The cheaper a sponsorship, the more lucrative a sponsorship, the more likely that company is going to stay with your team for a long time.

There is money out there right now, but teams need to start getting creative. The days of simply selling a $20 million rolling billboard are fast coming to an end. And in a sport where it is often difficult for executives to justify the cost, if you have hard deals that you helped to create, you are going to have a bargaining chip when hard times roll around.

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Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing: Some Info & Sound Off

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that another one of the worst kept secrets of 2008 has become a reality. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Dale Earnhardt Inc. will merge for the 2009 season and become Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The four car team will feature Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex, Aric Almirola, and a yet unnamed fourth driver for the Cup Series. The team will also have at least one full time Nationwide Series car with driver Bryan Clauson and sponsor Fastenal.

The team did not release any other details today, saying the rest would come in future announcements.

From what we are hearing, Ganassi’s relationship with Dodge will end, and CGR will be let out of their remaining contract with the troubled automaker. They will switch to Chevrolet to align with DEI.

Look for the new EGR to be run out of Ganassi’s shop in Concord as its large enough for four Cup teams and a little more modern then DEI’s Mooresville locations.

As we heard today, as many as 110 DEI employees were laid off and there will probably be more to come. DEI must trim down their workforce to prepare for the merge. And while I believe most of the cuts will come from the DEI side, we understand that Ganassi will be releasing some employees as well.

In terms of leadership, I would expect the main CGR execs and leadership to remain. Current CGR President Steve Lauletta is in charge of not only the NASCAR shop, but the Grand Am and Indy car teams as well. Because of this, I don’t see Chip making any changes there. What this means for the current DEI chiefs remains to be seen. Executives like Max Siegel and John Story may be reassigned or given their outright release.

Over the next couple of weeks more of these details will be ironed out, and the EGR picture will start to come into focus for 2009. Now that it’s a done deal, what do you think? Is Dale Sr. rolling over in his grave? Was this the right move for both parties? What do you think we can expect from this organization for 2009 and beyond? Let us hear it!

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We Talkin’ ‘Bout Practice Man

Allen Iverson? Anyone? Sorry, on to the post…

You often hear during pre-race shows about who the broadcasters think will be fast during the race and who the drivers are pointing to as a favorite to win. Many times, the driver getting the attention wasn’t necessarily at the top of the speed charts during practice.

What?! So how do they know?

(This is the part where I expose a dirty little secret of the sport.) Practice charts don’t mean anything! And this is especially true at the superspeedways.

The drivers, broadcasters, and crews know who is fast during the sessions even if they aren’t on top because of a number of factors. To be at the top of the chart, all you need is one good lap. Being able to put down one good lap during a practice session doesn’t mean you will be fast lap after lap during a race. It takes sustained performance to be good in one of these races. One good lap won’t win you the big trophy.

In terms of superspeedways, one good lap in the draft will take you to the top of the charts. That doesn’t mean you will be fast in qualifying or the race. It means you got lucky and caught the draft just right for a single lap. The effects of the draft are that significant.

When watching practice, its important to note who can run consistently good laps, especially on old tires. Race tires are usually only really sticky for a few laps after they are put on, and after that, they will start to give up grip. If you can continue being fast, even when your tires aren’t good, odds are you will have a good race. Unless we have crazy instances like Indy this year, teams don’t normally pit every few laps for tires. And because they don’t, your car has to be good on older tires to win.

Since single laps don’t mean a whole lot, an important stat the crews look at during practice are the 5 and 10 lap average lap times. These charts will usually shuffle the boards a bit, and they show who can continue to run solid lap times for extended periods.

Another thing to consider, is different teams will have different agendas during practice sessions. For example, the go-or-go-home guys will be focusing on qualifying runs and will make runs with the cars in qualifying trim. They should be faster then those making long race runs, as their cars are taped up and set up to be fast for just one lap.

And if you are trying to figure out who is fast, who better to ask then the other drivers. The reason reporters and broadcasters will ask the drivers who they think is fast, is because they are on track with these guys during the sessions and get a firsthand view of each car. Drivers get a close up look at who can drive in hard, power through the center, and drive hard off the corner. They don’t need a practice chart to tell them who is blowing their doors off on track.

The last thing I will mention on this, is to remember that practices aren’t a competition. Teams are working through different changes to see what makes their car the best it can be in different situations. Veteran drivers like Tony Stewart don’t necessarily need to make balls-out runs during practice to feel how a change is going to affect their car. When their teams make a change, they head back out on track looking for a specific feel. And they will know if it’s there or not fairly quickly.

So the next time you hear somebody talking about how so-and-so “won” practice, remember, there are no trophies or big checks for being the fastest car in practice.

*If you liked this, see more at www.TheNascarInsiders.com. Oh yeah, and feel free to friend us, send us comments, or ask us questions. We are all ears!