April 20th, 2009 
Journo Trail Motorsport began 2009 with a lot of positive press at their back. They were to be the only team in NASCAR majority owned by a minority and they were bringing with them Chase Austin and Jarit Johnson, two good prospects in their own right. But what started as an ambitious plan, has of right now failed to put even one car on the track.
Now we are hearing, among other things, the team hasn’t paid employees in a month. It sounds like they were supposed to have been paid for the last two pay periods last Wednesday, but received nothing.
In addition to the employees there are indications that MRD Motorsports, which provided the team with equipment and personnel for the first two races, has yet to be paid for their services.
We are also hearing the team lacks even basic equipment, let alone a truck for Chase Austin to compete in at Kansas this weekend. Last week, he even seemed unsure of the team’s plans, saying he believes the team can have a truck ready for him by Kansas. It will be interesting to see if the team is on the entry list.
Now I haven’t been shy of my skepticism of this team. They have a ton of priority issues, which I pointed out pretty extensively in a post I wrote last month. I think moving into the old Yates/Petty shop was premature and unnecessary. But that is small stuff compared to what we are now hearing.
There are many people with that team counting on a paycheck to make mortgage and car payments. I am sure many of them also have spouses and children to feed.
I am a big advocate of start-up teams in the sport. I think they only add to the competition and the great story lines. But I think it is pretty pitiful to keep people hanging on to a job if there is no intention of making a go of the team. I hope for the sake of Trail and for the sake of everyone who works over there, this situation gets rectified very soon.
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Seems to be a much to familiar story in so many businesses recently (be it motorsports or not). How long can an employee be expected to remain loyal, when the human body requires food daily? I hope the Trail employees make the best decisions for their families first.
The visionaries (start ups, etc) should be commended for trying to capitalize in this era of change. But a solid, and more important…..realistic, business plan cannot be overlooked.
No matter the era, the rule still applies. If you want to make a “small” fortune in racing….start with a “large” fortune!