Yes, I am invloved on the business/marketing side of the sport. I have been for quite a while now. I must say that I got into the sport because I loved racing. All forms. Cars, fenders/no fenders, bikes, boats, dirt/paved, left, right or NO turns.

Early in life, I lived within earshot of IMS. Later in high school we moved out to the far westside of Indy within earshot of IRP (sorry O’Reilly’s, I cannot call it ORP). While I prefer some types over others, early on I learned to appreciate the differences of each form and that it takes a lot of talent to do well regardless of type.

But, while I got into the sport because I loved it, I was very naive. It is a business. Always has been. Always will be. For the crew guys, engineers & drivers it is about going fast and winning. They do not care about my side of the business as long as I get them enough money to be fast. But on my side of the sport, it is about money. Hopefully enough to let them be fast, most usually it is more important to make sure the owner can take distributions.

As you can see, over the years I have become very realistic (some might say jaded) about the sport. It has provided me with a nice living. I have done some really cool things that the 5 year-old hanging on the fence at IMS could have only dreamed about. But as the old saying goes…”follow the money.”

Sorry Neon, I was not there, but I am sure power, greed and politics were a part of the chariot races in the coliseum. It may not have been as blatant as logos on the horse’s blinders, but I am sure money was involved.

Now, back to Danica…..mockery?!?! First, that has already happened. Talladega Nights was not that far off! It was a comedy full of satire and silliness, but the sponsor references were pretty darn close.

Second, I would be more concerend if she were Milka. Milka is dangerously slow and horribly in the way. While Danica may not be the fastest driver on the track, she is only off the pace by fractions…not minutes like Milka. Especially relative to the non-Penske/Ganassi cars, she is very respectable.

Also, I will disagree with you a little on the owners being unable to wait. Yes, today most of them are unable to wait. However, it is mostly because they did not look to the future 6-7-8 years ago. Most of the teams that are going away today failed to invest in performance when times were good.

RYR was winning races and championships 7-8-9 years ago. Times were good. Cash was flowing black. But Robert failed to invest in performance improvements or developing drivers.

Kasey is just the example. Clearly Kasey had talent, but RYR did not find a way to invest in him. Meanwhile, Robert lived in one of the top-10 most expensive homes in Charlotte.

Roll the clock forward to a couple of years ago. Economy is still solid. Most teams are flush with cash, but RYR is going under. I know this is in a different topic, but Yates going under today is not a result of the economy. It is the result of poor management over the last 10 years.

With that, time to grab lunch, head to the track and avoid Laburnum.

I will whole heartedly admit that from my perspective, as a driver and all around motorsport enthusiast, we need to step outside the reality box and look at what “could be” in order to make racing the pinnacle sport. Otherwise, we are just another stick-n-ball sport.

Honestly, my fear in the whole Danica Patrick saga is that it makes a mockery of the “sport”….as an actual “sport”! If people are willing to accept racing as one big infomercial….then so be it! I know for sure that viewership would skyrocket for NASCAR when DP arrives…..at least for a little while. Therein lays the problem. As you say, owners don’t truly look into and prepare for the future (likely because they cannot afford to wait). If what we read is true, DP is propping up the IRL & DP is the most popular driver in the IRL. Yet DP hasn’t been involved in a single photo finish that has become common in the IRL.

So, Knob my friend, I feel as though we are on the same page in understanding what drives the “sport”. $$$$. Agreed?
I will go down kicking and screaming like a 3 year old, all the while demanding epic battles between ultimate warriors of the asphalt! So what’s it going to take? Settle for reality, manipulate a fake outcome in the form of a Lucky Dog, sell t-shirts, or simply pit me 43 old west gunslingers in a do-or-die shootout? I dunno, maybe I’m better suited for the Roman era in the coliseum?

And it’s not only because of the drivers – heck, it may not even be primarily the drivers. There may be 43 great drivers out there, but only 10-15 great cars.

And why must one either want to see a great race or want to measure T-shirt sales? Junior sells zillions of T-shirts; good for him. Now let’s see a race! But then again, I don’t get a cut of the T-shirt sales. If I did, I’d hire Junior or Danica right now!

Dear Danika,
Sweetheart, you’re gonna crash every race, for awhile. Better get that padding into all of the right places. It’s gonna hurt!

Mid-pack guys on your list…..Jamie has been in the series 7 years and has 2 wins and is currently 22nd in points. McDowell ran well in ARCA and DP’s a few years back, but has not impressed in NASCAR. Yeley was great in USAC, but did nothing in Cup while his teammates were winning races and championships. Kvapil did well in Trucks, but was mid-pack in Cup. Granted Regan has not had much of a chance in NASCAR, but other than Hooters or WKA, what has he done?

I will give you that some of the younger guys on your list have talent. No money, but some talent.

In an IDEAL world, yes, I want pure speed and talent…from my drivers and crew. Forget money and marketing, I want race wins. I also want to watch races that have dog fights, wheel to wheel from the front of the grid to the back, every corner, every lap.

But since most of us around here live in reality, let’s go back to what makes business sense. Again, assuming I do not have unlimited funds to develop one of your youngsters out of my pocket. With that, yes I take Dan or Paul Menard for the short term and invest in the young driver.

The problem is that most owners do not actually invest in the future (in racing or as we have seen with the economy, most industries). They take the excess cash flow and buy bigger/more houses, jets, helicopters and yachts. They do not invest in the young driver and try to develop their talent and marketing potential. Then when the cash cow driver leaves, the owner cries poor, shuts down the team, flies off to one of his houses and has a few bottles of wine. The fans and media feel sorry for them that they could not cash in their franchise for hundreds of millions of dollars like the stick & ball sports.

DEI is case in point…what did they do with the $$ from Menard (or even Jr’s Bud money)? They sure did not invest it in Regan. Yates is not doing that with Paul either. They fired all of their “development” guys and only kept the paying drivers.

So, Mr “I demand speed”, forgetting the ideal situation…who do you hire?

Knob- Mid-pack drivers list? Hmmm I cannot quite figure out which drivers I’ve listed were mid-pack in their respective series. There is an awful lot of speed in my list. I kinda prefer (no…demand) that in my driver! Are you suggesting “Dan” (ie Danica) just the cash cow to fund my legitimately promising other young driver for the future? I thought that is what Menard is to Yates, yet everyone seems to boycott him.

Thanks Doug in CA & Knob for confirming what we’ve known all along. Racing is 90% marketing w/ the 10% competition being merely an occasional bonus.

Maybe it’s just me but, don’t you people have a yearning desire for a dog fight between 2, 3, 10, 30 or heck 43 drivers that at the end of the day leaves you speechless and exclaiming “damn I just witnessed a truly epic battle between the undisputed “best” gladiators on the planet??? Or are you one that cares most about the competition to sell the most t-shirts and commercials?