Comments on: Teams Putting The Cart Before The Horse

By: Tommy

Tommy — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:50:39 +0000

Unless the owner is independently wealthy, preferably worth over $100 million, there is no way they can even consider running even half the season on 3 million. It’s just impossible.
Low overhead is one thing, but there are fixed costs that are just impossible to avoid. Simply credentialling a medium sized team is 50 grand a year. Do the math, almost $1300 for a crew member licenses, not counting annuals for how many people.

I have no doubt that some of these teams, like Tommy’s, will give it their best shot. However, if they don’t come up with real sponsorship, they will not last the season.

You won’t see start and parkers in the 500. Most of these teams will not even come close to sniffing a starting position. Starting at California, when the underfunded former full time teams don’t show up, it will be another story. You will see some West coast guys show up, run a few laps and pocket enough money to pay for one West Series race. It’s going to look bad at the end of pit road at California Speedway. I’m sure TV will try to avoid those pit road shots.

By: Steve C

Steve C — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:05:30 +0000

You may have 1 or 2 teams that start and park, but with the race being Daytona and the amount of money posted for the purse I think you will see racing all the way back to the 41st posistion. It costs roughly 200k to build a car so start and park really does not work anymore. From what I have been reading most of these new teams plan on racing most of the season, either full time or part time. I am figuring that the western races, (Texas, Las Vegas, Phoneix and California) may be short feilds, anyhing east of Texas should have a full field. The final factor is sponsorship, the only other reason for short fields would be sponsorship, I have been hearing that these new start up teams have cut the amount to sponsor a car for the full year as low as 3 million dollars, most of these teams are claiming low overhead will allow them to do this. It’s going to be an intersting year in NASCAR.

By: Tommy

Tommy — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:20:01 +0000

It’s another ridiculous comment from Nascar PR that will only be believed by the naive or delusional.

15 new teams….come on now.

Most of these so called 15 teams will make their obligatory Daytona appearance and load up the truck on Thursday afternoon and head back home. The ones that return to the track will only do so if the car counts stay low and they can collect money as a start and park.

In the past, Finch showed up at a track with a handful of people and didn’t even set up on pit road. I wonder how many times we’ll see that happen. Nascar would be wise to discourage that behavior as the media will jump all over that. I equate start and parking with voluntarily forfeiting a game in order to collect the loser’s share.

By: T.C.

T.C. — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:49:46 +0000

K: While you are right about there probably not being a full field of regulars, a lot of these teams intend to compete. At this point, we are well beyond NASCAR “needing” teams to show up to fill the field. There will probably be 55 or 60 teams show up to qualify for the 500. California may be a different story, but not Daytona…

By: K

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:48:06 +0000

For everyones information………it pays like $200,000 to start the Daytona 500. They don’t have a full field of regulars so guys are coming out of the woodwork to make some $$$ and then go home.

They may spend 20k-30k or so to come down, ride around in practice, qualify and make the race due to not enough cars, run a lap or two, pull it in and be up a pretty penny.

NASCAR has before given “teams” like this incentive to come and fill the fields.

By: Bump Linkin’ on an All Star Showdown Friday | Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:05:21 +0000

[...] Steve has been talking – or is it squawking – a lot about the potential for a resurgence of the start-and-parkers of some years back. The NASCAR Insiders have a great article on that too… [...]

By: Ross

Ross — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:23:58 +0000

Does anyone know what the going cost is to run the Daytona 500?

By: JT

JT — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:23:39 +0000

I guess there are dreamers out there that wish they would be the next Alan Kulwicki.

Back in 1991 (also a year of recession), Kulwicki and his team started the season with no sponsorship. R.J. Renyolds did help Kulwicki and three other unsponsored teams by hooking them up with one-race deals for the Daytona 500 with one of the 4 branches of the military. Kulwicki ran decent in the 500 and made enough to go to the next two races (Richmond and Atlanta). Then fate intervened at Atlanta.

Hooter’s had sponsored a car that missed the show at Atlanta. Kulwicki qualified decently for the race and approached Hooter’s about moving the one-race deal to his team. A good run by Kulwicki at Atlanta led to Hooter’s and his team to establish a race-to-race sponsorships. By Charlotte, Hooter’s agreed to sponsor Kulwicki for the rest of 1991. After Kulwicki won at the Night Race in Bristol, Hooter’s agreed to extend the sponsorship to 1992, which was Kulwicki’s championship season.

By: Zieke

Zieke — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:12:58 +0000

Seems that alot of people just don’t get it when it comes to going racing in NASCAR’S top series. It takes lots of money just to field a car, and that does’nt mean a competitive one. I guess these folks are just trying to get their name out there so someone will notice them. They obviously have more money than brains, and even that won’t last long. Just ask Bobby Ginn. Even racers like Morgan Shepard can’t do it, so why would “out of racing” people think they can? And how about James Hylton’s plans for Daytona? I know he’s a racer, but get real! I would consider him a real hazard on the track with anyone else.

By: windowlicker

windowlicker — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:08:04 +0000

I just saw on jayski that Joe Nemechek plans on running a full cup AND Busch series with his own team. No sponsors mentioned. I don’t get it.