I heard a rumor this weekend about a “funded” driver with an opportunity at a large, well respected organization. I would name names, but I don’t know how much credit I give the rumor. That really isn’t the point of my post though.
This movement toward the funded driver has become the rule instead of the exception in recent years; while not so prevalent in the Cup Series, this is very visible in the Nationwide and Truck Series.
Now I write this not to bash those who are able to fund their own rides. Certainly some of these guys have talent and are more than deserving of their positions. That said, not all of them are.
Again I’ll refrain from naming names, but I think we all can think of a few guys who probably shouldn’t be driving a stock car in one of NASCAR’s national series. Now how would you feel if one of those drivers took their money to your favorite team (if your favorite team hasn’t already accepted money from a funded driver)?
Would that make you feel different about that team? Personally I feel like we hold larger, older, more established organizations to a different standard. I guess it wasn’t so bad when DEI took Paul Menard’s money, but, let’s face it, Paul Menard isn’t that bad.
But what if Childress, Hendrick, JGR or Roush were willing to take money from a not so great funded driver, just for the sake of the paycheck? Or even as has been rumored, Menard to RCR? This is something RCR has never done. Is it just a sign of the times?
Personally I’m conflicted about these situations. From a team standpoint I understand money is tight and these organizations can use these drivers for information and to have another butt in a seat. From the other side though these organizations are taking part in an activity that isn’t looked upon too favorably (especially by fans).
Just something to think about. These situations are likely to occur more often in the future, but I always kind of expected this phenomenon to remain with smaller organizations. Oh and if I hear more about the rumor I referenced at the beginning and can actually do a reasonable job verifying it I’ll spill the beans.
Update: So I guess Catchfence was more comfortable with the rumor than I was. Good timing on my part though, right?
Whatever your feelings are on JWT, you’ve got to wonder what this means for Stephen Leicht. This is a kid who does have talent, but does not have a big sponsor behind him. Let’s hope RCR finds an opportunity for him.
I’ll be honest with you, I have a lot of respect for Richard Childress and his organization, this is a storied organization, but this makes me think a little differently about them. Maybe I’m making too much of this, but it’s a sad day. As TC remarked to me, I hope they’re ready to hire a lot more body hangers.
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on Oct 28th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Funny, I almost sent you a question for ask the insiders about Menard and Childress, but it was more of a rant than a question so I chose not to.
RCR taking Menard is defenately a sign of the times. Menard had daddy’s money that will follow him no matter how bad he runs, there is no other plausible explanation why RCR would hire Menard. He is better off with Mears and we all know that’s not saying much. If Richard can use daddy Menards money to improve the entire RCR team of course he will take it. It’s a sad statement on the current state of Nascar.
on Oct 28th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Interesting piece on another sign of the times. I don’t have a big problem with this if the driver possesses at least some of the skills necessary to run competitively.
Frankly, I think it unlikely that a major team would ever strike a deal with a funded driver with substandard ability, because they don’t need to financially, and if they did feel the financial need, the sport is probably doomed. That said, I can’t see any top team willing to suffer the embarrassment of a lousy driver in their stable.
Also, isn’t a poorly performing driver with a loyal fan base and strong sponsorship similar to a funded driver? He may still be making money for the organization, even while failing on the track. No one seems to have any qualms about this situation.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Not intending to start a flame war or anything like that with this comment. Just throwing this out there.
Hendrick has already done that. The #88 is a cash cow. Think Jr would ever loose that ride? I don’t care if he was to finish 43 every single week. I say this as a Jr fan, so don’t take it the wrong way.
Hes a fair driver, #24 is points this season Were as Menard is #32 not much difference there. Take into account that Jrs teammates are running 1-3…. Menards is in much less quality equipment.
I think of other drivers in the sport that have driver popularity even approaching Jrs… #14 #24 #18 #9 #99 #29 #55 All but one gets it done on the track, so even their sponsorship should go away, they have a huge fan base and the talent to bring to another company.
The Michael Waltrip situation is even worse then Jr’s. I find myself at a loss as to when his last top 5 was…. Rain short at louden I think 2 years ago or last year. But people love the guy (me too) hes got a great personality. If not for his charm and fan base, theres no way in hell a car owner would put him in a car. But he can bring in the $$ so hes out there 3 laps down.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Journo,
Tell me, what’s the difference between a “funded driver” and someone like Kirk Shelmerdine or Morgan Shepherd or Robby Gordon, for that matter? A driver who manages to convince a number of sponsors that he’s worthy of ride? I can’t see a difference, unless, perhaps, it’s jealousy of the funded driver’s salesmanship or family wealth.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Well I was kinda bummed when I heard Menard was going to be part of the Yates-RPM merger. I can’t blame Menard because if I was rich I would force my way into some form of racing too lol!
In my opinion it’s harder to root for or pull for an organization when you know that one of their drivers (and hell they only get 4 drivers in cup) is just there for because he has money…I don’t think it’s avoidable unless NASCAR had like a skill standard lol kick out everyone who under preforms.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I’d rather have a funded guy hovering around 32nd in points (Menard) than a guy who bleeds my bank account each week and does basically the same thing (Sorenson, Stremme…and I hate to say it…Labonte). There’s an obvious benefit with Labonte — past champion and fan base — but I don’t get the other two.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:06 am
It’s not easy on this one, but I’ll keep it short.
Drivers that are low on talent, but well funded have many other series available to race in that are way more fun to drive than any of the three NASCAR touring series. That is why in Grand Am they have the Sportsman trophy for drivers that are loaded in the pockets, but no as much talent as a factory driver. Some of them hone their skills and become contenders. Paul Menard would have a much better time in Grand Am, but Pop’s wants the 35 race exposure for his northern home improvement center. He should fund his son in GA and back a professional in Cup….IMHO.
Folks, why do you think Danica Patrick is so highly touted? Trust me here. It’s not due to performance potential….it’s unlimited funding potential!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:17 am
echoing some earlier comments, sponsor dollars don’t go strictly in order of finish (champ gets the sponsor willing to pay the most, #2 driver gets the next biggest spending sponsor and so on), there are a lot of drivers with funding whose on track performance leaves something to be desired… yet have done something to make their sponsors happy.
personally, I don’t know how most sponsors justify the money. Are Shell sales any higher because of the money they pay for Harvick? If I need a hammer, I’m going to drive past Home Depot to get to Lowe’s because I like Johnson more than Logano? And Best Buy sales are likely to depend more on their prices for big screen tvs than on Allmendinger’s on track performance next year. At least with Menard we know what his sponsor is getting for the dollars.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Grover said it perfectly…Hendrick already did it. Do you really think they care Dale Jr is having a bad year?? He’s still the most popular driver…he doesn’t have to win. NASCAR’s probably not that happy, but that’s another topic.
Paul Menard is not that terrible…and RCR is losing some sponsors. I don’t have a problem with it.
I can’t drive a stock car…hell, I can’t even merge on the Garden State Parkway. If I were very rich I would find and hire the best talent I could …not attempt to drive the car myself. I would not want to finish last each week, or put others at risk.
The problem with this trend is that you lower the bar, of course. If all a driver brings is money, the competition goes out the window. Do we really want to see a 5-peat?? 6-peat?? lol
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Townley is the strongest argument possible against funded drivers. He has shown minimal skills and little progress over the course of the year, and has no business at this point in Nationwide. It makes me furious that a talented driver like Landon Cassill is forced to spend a year off the track, while a human pinball like Townley “races” every week.
I won’t even eat at Zaxby’s as long as he’s driving their car. Given all the cautions he causes, at least his car is painted the right color.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I said this when Jr. got the Hendrick ride. Kyle was and still is a much better driver. It’s about the money with all the teams, not just a certain few. If NASCAR wants to refuse a license to a “funded driver” then let them. It’s their ball game. I just hope nobody gets seriously hurt because of them.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Won’t it be funny if Menard & Townley both go to RCR next year? A double whammy. If that happens, we’ll know just how bad things really are in that organization.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Yep…I was going to say Jon Wes Townley. When I have the guy’s over for a Nationwide Race, they are amazed at how I can predict when he’ll bring out the caution. (It’s inevitable) But….on that same note, if I had that kind of funding…I’d be knocking on doors to get a ride. The bigger the team, the better……
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I think that it should be remembered that every driver is a funded driver in some form or another. When a driver gets into a car these days, someone, has written a cheque. Jimmy Johnson? Lowes. Jeff Gordon ? Dupont. Just because a driver , such as Menard, has a way to fund a drive that is not an obvious sponsorship, don’t knock it. Do you really think that daddy big buck Menard is not squeezing his company’s suppliers for dollars? As I said, everyone has to have a cheque written by someone. And what is to say that, for example, menard was to win a race? Not beyond the bounds of reality, would anyone think he would have to stop bringing dollars?
“Gentlemen” drivers that can buy a ride have always been a part of racing, just watch Kevin Buckler, that’s how he’s run his sports car teams for ever!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Even before I got to JWT’s name in the article, that’s who I thought it was.
Good thing he’s bringing his own money. Car repairs/replacements can get pretty expensive.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Great point, Zieke! One could say that Junior is the most prominent “funded driver” because a team owner knows that he won’t have to work to put logos on the side of the car.
Steve, sponsorship is complicated because you can’t always make a straightline relationship between spending on advertising and income. In some cases it’s worth it just for the name recognition. No, you might not drive past a Home Depot to get to a Lowe’s, but when you do see a Lowe’s you know right away it’s a hardware superstore and you have some positive association (mostly subconscious) with success and achievement because of the 48 team’s 4 championships. (Including this year.)
Sponsorship also helps in-house as well. It gives your staff a common interest, and when your driver and showcar appear at a company function, it sparks pride and gives them warm fuzzies about the company. An adman once said that superstar athlete’s endorsement probably didn’t increase a car rental company’s market share, but the athlete appeared at their convention and patiently posed smiling with every franchisee. A month later, the franchisee received a framed autographed picture with the athlete and after that, the franchisee then had a story to tell when renters came in and saw the picture on the wall.
WCK
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
All- I think I should have defined the term “funded driver.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not a “funded driver.” He has sponsors which were secured because he is popular and has some talent. He has 18 wins and two Nationwide Series championships after all. If that’s the way we’re using the term “funded driver” then everyone is funded.
Here I’m talking about the guys who are buying rides. Your Paul Menards, and Brian Scotts and John Wes Townleys. Those are “funded drivers” as I use the term here. I very clearly don’t mean guys who bring sponsors with them, or guys who have sponsors. That wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense because that includes just about every single driver.
Again Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not a “funded driver” in the sense that I use it in this post. He, just like every driver, has sponsors because they like him as a spokesman for their companies, and he gets their companies on television. That’s how sponsorship works.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
What exactly does Brian Scott have to do with anything?
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Mike: Brian is a funded driver, as in it is his family money that pays for his racing endeavors.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
“Grover said it perfectly…Hendrick already did it. Do you really think they care Dale Jr is having a bad year??”
No I don’t think HMS cares the Dale Jr. is having a bad year. If they did they would not have put him in the car he finished 27th in Pocono last June in Charlotte. Which means it is still one of the cars Tony Jr. built on DEI specs from 2007, as he has mostly driven since he has been at HMS. If RH cared he would not have allowed it. They are happy to just take the money Jr. brings and use it to get Jimmie another championship, while Jr. could not possibly run competitively against him.
Marybeth
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
I feel pretty good about funded drivers since they tend to employ 8-20 crewmen and mechanics at the shop & track. Those crewmen still need jobs in these hard times last I checked.
This phenomenon is just part of the recession. It’ll pass. But in the mean time, race owners need to keep showing up every week or become the next Junie Donleavy. So as a point of last resort, a funded driver will have to do.
Besides, it lets crewmen live to race another day!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
mkay, first, last time I checked Brian Scott has run pretty good and has talent, so don’t compare him to Menard or John Wrecks Townley.
second, this whole drivers buying into rides thing doesn’t always work as the sure incentive to earn a driver a ride. Remember last year, when Kyle Petty try to buy into either a Cup of Grand Am ride with the Wells Fargo sponsorship? Yeah, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t even been hired by a start-and-park team, much less a good Cup team. What about Scott Riggs? Had sponsorship with State Water Heaters, was rumored to Yates. And unless Riggs changed his name to Darnell, Labonte, or Menard, that didn’t happen. And then there’s Scott Lagasse. Got fired by CJM’s Nationwide team, said that Pizza company was going with him to a new team. Jayski is still waiting on that phone call to hear his blockbuster new deal. And then there’s Bill Lester, we won’t open that chapter.
Point being, the teams won’t hire absolutely anybody. The drivers must have some talent. Menard was coming on at the end of his DEI (now EGR) tenure, with a couple of poles. JWT, as god awful as he’s been, did okay in ASA and ARCA, maybe the Childress deal will be good for him. Also, one everybody is forgetting, is Marc Davis. He’s hitched a few rides, and he looked okay last season in the Gibbs car, maybe another good team will do the trick. As long as I see potential, I see no problem.
One exception: Danica doesn’t have a shot in NASCAR, but I want her over hear for obvious reasons. WE HAVE NO MORE PURDY WOMERNS IN NASCAR! Honestly, the more she piles up a wall, the more she’s on TV, so the better!
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
JRexx- I didn’t say anything disparaging about Brian Scott. But his family does fund his ride; that is a fact. He is what we consider a “funded driver.” He is no different than Paul Menard or John Wes Townley in that respect. They all have rides funded by their parents money. That wasn’t an indictment on his talent though.
Hence why I wrote in the original post, “Now I write this not to bash those who are able to fund their own rides. Certainly some of these guys have talent and are more than deserving of their positions.” Please feel free to include Brian Scott in that list.
I wouldn’t include Marc Davis in this list either. He started out his NASCAR career as a Gibbs development driver. When he was released he did start his own deal, but they have sponsors. That’s the only way they’re able to afford to run. The Davis’ are not independently wealthy. Marc’s father is a retired CBS News cameraman. He’s not the co-owner of a chain of successful fast food restaurants, or the billionaire owner of a successful home improvement company. Very different situations.
And Danica at this point is also not a “funded driver.” She does not pay her own way and neither does her family. She has sponsors, who pay very good money for the right to be represented by her. If you’re not funding your own ride, you’re not a “funded driver” here.
on Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I agree that Menard has some talent, its not like only money allows him to keep his car in the top 35. I think having a top 35 driver that pays his own bills is a good business move for any owner trying to keep the guys at the shop in a job.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 5:02 am
““Grover said it perfectly…Hendrick already did it. Do you really think they care Dale Jr is having a bad year??”
No I don’t think HMS cares the Dale Jr. is having a bad year. If they did they would not have put him in the car he finished 27th in Pocono last June in Charlotte. Which means it is still one of the cars Tony Jr. built on DEI specs from 2007, as he has mostly driven since he has been at HMS. If RH cared he would not have allowed it. They are happy to just take the money Jr. brings and use it to get Jimmie another championship, while Jr. could not possibly run competitively against him.
Marybeth”
…and I would like to add to the above, ‘the net effect of all of this is to grind Jr.’s career to dust.’
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Given the confusion of who is and who isn’t a ‘funded’ driver, maybe you need three categories: ‘Townleys’, who lack any real talent and survive on the basis of family money, ‘Jrs’, who have sponsorship deals out of proportion to on-track success, and ‘Johnsons’ whose performance lives up to the sponsor dollars?
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 7:16 am
TC/Journo you asked a couple of days ago for feedback? Well there you have it. 25 comments on a somehwhat controversial subject.
I understand the diffference between a “self” funded driver vs fully sponsored driver. The real problem is that fans pay good money to see the best “professional” drivers race. Regardless of where the coin comes from to fund the team/driver, more and more these days you are not seeing the best drivers available on this planet. Period!
If I go to an NHL, NBA, MLB or NFL game I am “typically” witnessing the performance of the best atheletes in their respective sport. In NASCAR, or many other forms or motorsport as well, you are not witnessing “the best” 43 drivers available. Period.
There again Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretsky or Joe Montana never even had to buy there own game jersey!
Talladega might be just the place for a funded driver to squeak thru “the BIG one” and suprise all w/ a win. Imagine the comments then.
on Oct 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I thought John Wes Townly was a pseudonym for Buckshot Jones. My bad!
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 1:07 am
I was thinking on this subject today and got thinking, doesn’t John Wes Townley drive for Jay Robinson Racing. You know, Jay Robinson Racing who has had like 2 top tens since he joined the Nationwide series. I know Townley’s wrecking can’t be blamed on a bad team, but if he had good equipment and could qualify top 10 or 20, he might avoid some wrecks. Like I said, maybe Townley to RCR could work out.
Also, did someone really make a Buckshot Jones joke? Seriously?
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 1:12 am
And to Journo, I understand the Brian Scott thing now. As well as what you mean by Danica, though I’m pretty sure she has a couple sponsers from IndyCars who will follow her every footstep.
And I see the Marc Davis thing to a degree. But every race I’ve seen him in this year, and I’ve counted 3 or 4 different teams in 2 different series, he’s sponsored by WHUR and Howard University. Now, I may be misunderstanding that sponsorship deal, but it just appears to me he’s buying a ride, even though, yes, one of those teams was his family’s team. That’s just the way it appears on paper, you know?
on Oct 31st, 2009 at 1:15 am
JRexx- RAB is a pretty good team (not RCR) but not like any of their counterparts on the “other side of the garage”. They get all of their equipment from Roush and have the best equipment in all other areas thanks in large part to the Townley’s money. I think this is the reason JWT is the butt of a lot (or most) jokes around the garage. He’s a nice kid, but I have serious doubts this is the answer. I hope though for RCR’s sake he is a little more competitive next season.
on Nov 4th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Its sad – teams will put a monkey in the car if it has a sponsor. I know numerous young drivers with real talent, who are skilled behind the wheel and under the hood that are not given the chance because daddy insn’t loaded.