Recently in NASCAR Category
With the recent decline in popularity, NASCAR President Mike Helton told the drivers at the beginning of this season to "have at it". He believes that letting the drivers police themselves, without NASCAR officials stepping in all the time, will generate more attention to the sport. Well, the sport got the attention this past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but not the kind of attention the sport needs and/or wants.
Carl Edwards and Brad Keslowski have had a heated feud between them, dating back to this incident, where Keslowski bumped Edwards and sent him flipping into the wall, injuring spectators. This past weekend, Edwards took retaliation with this bump. Luckily, no fan or driver was injured.
NASCAR parked Edwards for the rest of the race, which was only 3 laps away from finishing, and put him on 3 weeks probation. A mere slap on the wrist for Edwards. NASCAR has stood by its "have at it policy", but this incident is not just a "racing deal". Spectators, let alone Keslowski himself, could have been seriously injured. By not suspending Edwards, NASCAR has left the door wide open. What will it take for NASCAR to realize that retaliations, such as Edwards', need to be dealt with? Hoopefully the cost is not the life of a driver or an innocent spectator.
Jeff Gordon leaves IMG and explores new opportunties by just marekting internationally. He is getting involved with a motorsports marketing agency in Indianapolis, which has not been represented any NASCAR driver before. Jeff is seeking a new direction in his career and is tried of the traditional deal.
Gordon had spent more than 10 years with IMG, and during most of that time he was the only NASCAR driver in the agency's talent stable. But as Gordon, 38, approaches the twilight of his driving career, he's looking for a deeper selection of business opportunities within motorsports that extend beyond endorsements.
Imagine the outrage if the National Football League had ended the Super Bowl early (maybe due to a weather problem or field issue) with the Arizona Cardinals up 23-20. Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes would not have happened. Think for a minute of the resentment that would have occurred if Major League Baseball had ended the World Series early last year because of rain. Fans and players would have felt cheated and disappointed. Sponsors would be rethinking their investments. Television ratings would have dropped.
Despite all the obvious negative impacts of such decisions, NASCAR made the judgment on Sunday to end the Daytona 500 with 48 laps left because of rain. Yes, the Daytona 500. The "Super Bowl of Auto Racing." Arguably the most exciting moments in motorsports or maybe in all sports are the final laps of the Daytona 500. However, on Sunday there was not a three-wide, bump-drafting battle for position, a last lap pass for the win or a burnout by an excited driver. There was only an announcement about 20 minutes after that rain started that NASCAR had called the race. Thanks to that terrible call, Matt Kenseth won the race and the only initial celebration was a high-five.
I was involved in the business of the sport for a NASCAR team for several years. I have waited through many rain delays. Sometimes we would finish the race on Monday. At least the race was decided on the track. It was well worth the wait and the extra night in the hotel. As a fan, I surely feel cheated. As a sponsor or team marketing director, I would be flabbergasted. There were several cars that were making their way to the front with about 25 percent of the race still left. Tony Stewart and his new sponsor Office Depot had a great shot at winning. Jeff Gordon was coming on strong. Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr., despite his race-long struggles, was back on the lead lap and had a chance to move to the front in the remaining laps. Nothing against Matt Kenseth, but he hardly had the best car. He did have the best luck though. It was dumb luck from a dumb decision.
It is hard to say what that full business impact of NASCAR's choice will be. Sunday's event on FOX drew a preliminary national rating of 9.2 and a 19 share. Last year's full race drew a 10.2/20. Those tuning in to the race to watch the final laps were treated to a post-race report followed by the new Simpsons in HD. What a shame. We were supposed to be on the edge our seat both on the couch and in the grandstands. The only reason I was on the edge of my seat was to reach for the remote to change the channel.
Like all other sports, NASCAR has been hit hard by the recession. Many sponsors and advertisers are pulling out. Thousands have lost their NASCAR-related jobs in North Carolina and thousands more fans are finding it difficult to attend races and buy merchandise. The Daytona 500 should have jump-started the 2009 season and re-energized fans, teams and sponsors. Instead it made most of them feel more than a little "under the weather."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of NASCARs most popular drivers without a doubt. He has earned this popularity due to his outstanding racing skills that have gotten him to the point where he now is in his career. Earnhardt lately is in a bit of a drought and is looking to break that streak of 62 winless soon. Among NASCAR fans 1/3 people consider Earnhardt their favorite driver. Earnhardt is on the line if he does not start winning some races. At this point he earns around $22 million a year in endorsements which is far more then other drivers. This shocks some since he is far behind other drivers as far as success goes. NASCAR feels Earnhardt is becoming the A-Rod of their sport. Even if Earnhardt doesn't start winning consistant his sponsors won't leave him out in the cold. NASCAR needs Earnhardt to start winning to help the organization as a whole. If the big gun isn't winning people arent watching. Although Earnhardt will still be making his money, NASCAR is losing money while he finishes outside of the top spot. Earnhardt is the big star of the sport and they need him to succeed in order for the organization as a whole to grow.
It's no secret of the financial situation that has taken over the globe. It's also probably no secret that this very situation that has ruined many jobs is also affecting the sports world. One aspect of the sports business world that has truly started to suffer is the naming rights to various stadiums and future stadiums that have plans to be built. With the economy in a mess it's difficult for many big name companies to take over the naming rights of the stadiums. With some teams holding out on choosing a partner until after the economic crisis it's hard to say how this problem will be resolved.
In theory, waiting for the economic crisis to end truly isn't the best solution to this problem. With no real end to this recession in sight, people may need to start thinking of a real solution instead of just waiting. Stadiums are getting more and more expensive whenever they are built, so now it has come down to either finding a reliable partner for naming rights or taking on this burden yourself. Whatever teams decide to choose, hopefully it will be the right one, but for now all the fans can do is sit back and watch as their teams fight through the economic crisis.
For the most part it is clear that our environment is going through some problems, especially with the burning of vast amounts of fossil fuels and the greenhouse gases which leak into our atmosphere. Recently stadiums and arenas across the country have realized that they themselves often times burn some much electricity and create a large amount of waste put into landfills. When a baseball stadium is lit up even for just six hours they use 6,420 kilowatt hours of electricity. What is very surprising is that is how much kilowatt hours it takes to power the average household in the United States for a year. Sport complexes do not have all the answers but they are making an attempt to start somewhere. They are using more bio friendly ink for their printers and are using more bio friendly chemicals to manicure their fields. But still there are many problems to be fixed, such as how many cars drive to just a single game. Of course these problems are far from being solved but at least stadiums and professional leagues are stepping up to attempt to fix problems they have put on our earth.
NASCAR will experience a no-testing policy next season to save millions of dollars during a the U.S. economy downfall. Crews met at Homestead-Miami Speedway to discuss the change being implemented. In the three top three series of the season, Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Trucks, the tracks will not be able to be tested. Pat Tryson, the crew chief for the No. 2 Dodge driven by Kurt Bush, said "It has pluses and minuses," in that times are rough but perhaps the change will make the races more interesting and could end up benefiting many racers. What makes this decision so crucial is NASCAR planned to increase testing to 24 sessions per team, with every Cup track included. A staggering fact is teams spend more than $3 million a season on testing and that mone
y will hopefully rejuvenize the sport during these hard times. However, teams can continue testing but not on NASCAR tracks.
Personally, not even being a NASCAR fan, I think that this idea of cutting out testing for these crews is great. It is not good that our economy is really struggling now and it is hurting our sports, but by taking out these test sessions other teams are going to get great oppurtunities to rise. Smaller, less strong crews and drivers will now have an even greater oppurtunity to contend with the big boys. The races, I believe, will now be more spontaneous and less boring. Because of no testing on these courses, drivers will further have to show their driving skills and abilities in order to adjust to quick situations. Maybe this is a step that the NASCAR had to take in order to shake up the sport. We will see once the season begins.
Last Wednesday at the SEMA show, Ray Evernham was approached by a fan inquiring about what driver he will be bringing to Gillett Evernham Motorsports the upcoming season. Evernham responds implying that there will be a new driver but he will not be involved. Over the past few years, his involvement with the company has decreased immensely and he is looking to end his career with GEM, not with racing. His future definitely doesn't involve owning another racing team. He wants a role that allows him to spend more time with his son and have a more open schedule. Being considered one of the greatest innovators in racing, his involvement with racing is definitely not ending. It is almost ironic that since his decrease of involvement, GEM's performance has suffered. He hopes that GEM function just as well without him and accomplish much more. He is excited to move onto the next stage of his life.
I think that Evernham is doing great things with his life leaving GEM. He has been with them for so many years and has done great things for them. Racing is obviously his passion and it will be for the rest of his life.
Jimmie Johnson took home his second consecutive Nextel Cup Championship on Sunday, November 19, 2007. Team owner, Rick Hendrick said it was "his time" this year, and he did just that.
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HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Totally calm and cool, Jimmie Johnson left the pre-race drivers' meeting Sunday afternoon flashing the peace sign at people wishing him luck.
Two fingers.
Two consecutive championships.
Johnson became the first driver to win consecutive championships since Jeff Gordon in 1997 and '98, wrapping up the title by finishing a trouble-free seventh in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Matt Kenseth won the race. (read more)
When it was over, he and crew chief Chad Knaus were already thinking about a third.
"We're just really hitting our stride," Johnson said. "I think that we have a lot of good years ahead of us and we'll be fighting for more championships and certainly winning more races as the years go by, and hopefully be a three-time champion in the near future."
This Sunday drive was a coronation, and Johnson knew it. Deep down, so did everyone else, too. NASCAR is changing eras next season, but the Johnson era atop the sport is just getting started.
Team owner Rick Hendrick was along for the ride when Gordon ruled the sport, and said it's clear this is Johnson's time now.
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As reported on sportingnews.com
With the title sponsorship in place, Nationwide is expected to build ties to International Speedway Corp., as well. ISC owns 11 NASCAR tracks, and the current insurance category sponsor is AAA Insurance -- it is the "official auto club" of ISC's tracks.
It has not yet been announced what Nationwide will call the racing series, which also has been labeled the Grand National and the Late Model Sportsman series.
NASCAR will have some sponsorship sorting out to do. Currently, Allstate is the official insurance company of NASCAR, and Nationwide Insurance likely will take over that role.
