I fully understand the idea behind putting the best face on something. It’s in the best interest of companies, and in our case race teams, to make sure they’re portrayed in the best light possible. With the uptick of “funded drivers” in recent years though this desire to put the best light on things has taken a turn toward the laughable.
Consider the announcement this week that Nelson Piquet Jr. is joining Kevin Harvick Inc. to run the full truck schedule in 2011. In this case it wasn’t the team – their release was actually pretty moderated – but the driver himself that left me shaking my head.
Piquet said, talking about where he was at and where he wanted to be in the future:
“I want to get there because I deserve it and because of wins and because teams want me to be there, not because I’m going to bring a sponsor.”
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great he wants to move through the ranks of NASCAR based on merit, not on money. That said, I have a hard time believing his hire at KHI is a purely charitable move on the team’s part.
Coincidentally, Piquet settled a libel suit with Renault just last week regarding comments they made about Piquet following his involvement in the now infamous “Crashgate”. No figure was announced, but it was said to be “substantial damages.” I honestly don’t think the two are directly connected – you don’t generally get a contract worked out in seven days. I digress.
This rosy picture people like to paint though gets to be a little much. Remember last season when Richard Childress said at a press conference John Wes Townley had a lot of “talent”? He then cut Townley after five races – like he didn’t know what he was getting into. Apparently by talent, he meant money.
Or how about Brian Scott? After signing the young driver to run for his family owned team in 2011, J.D. Gibbs said:
We’ve done this enough to know we’re never going to do a deal just to do a deal. We learned in the past the hard way. Unless you have a guy there that you think can win races, win championships and compete week in and week out, it’s not worth doing. So, our guys really kind of got together a while ago and figured, ‘Hey, Brian is one of those guys when you see what he’s done in just a really kind of a short career span,’ and I think that’s really going to bode well for us.
Overly optimistic and rosy? Perhaps. I think the truth is, he’s a pretty competent driver and he brings with him a lot of money. Did they sign him because he was the best candidate to bring Gibbs another Nationwide Series championship? I doubt it.
I write this not to bring any of these guys down. I really do hope for their sake, and the sake of the sport they’re successful in their endeavors. I just wish we could come to a point when we can call an orange an orange, and not try to make it the apple that it will never be.
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Justin Allgaier has had a solid season. In his second year in the Nationwide Series he has one win, two poles, 11 top-fives, 19 top-10s, 221 laps led (including 88 laps led this weekend) and a solid lock on fourth place in the points. He’s the leading Nationwide-only driver in the points and one of only four in the top-10. And yet he’s looking for a ride (I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago).
On the flip side is Brian Scott. He’s an OK driver and an affable guy. He lost his ride this season after the sale of Braun Racing to Steve Turner, owner of Turner Motorsports – it turns out Steve Turner only likes funded drivers when he’s doing the funding. Anyway, Scott, who has been driving for RAB Racing as of late, has had a mediocre season in which he’s posted one top-five and five top-10s. He sits 14th in the points.
Now both of these guys have talked to Joe Gibbs Racing about next year. One has money to fund a ride, the other doesn’t.
Last month JD Gibbs spoke glowingly about Scott and their potential relationship.
“I have a lot of respect for Brian…I met him several years ago and have followed him since he’s been in the sport. I think he’s gifted. We’re just going to go to work and see if something works out…We would love to have someone that could run for the full driver’s championship. Right now we can run (for) the owners championship but we can’t run the full drivers (title). I’d love to have someone that could run for the full driver’s championship and he’d be a good fit for that.”
On the other hand Allgaier spoke to ESPN’s David Newton a couple of weeks ago about where he stands.
Richard Petty Motorsports would be an ideal place for this budding star. Joe Gibbs Racing has been rumored to show interest. Allgaier admits he’s had casual talks with both of them, but not to the point he would say there is strong interest unless he has a sponsor promising to come with him.
Talking about how and why drivers have their rides these days has been a bit of a taboo subject. Consider this little back and forth between Kenny Wallace and Brian Scott on Twitter. Wallace, while talking about Trevor Bayne, said: “MY THOUGHTS..Trevor Bayne is a good driver, He will get a ride Imediately (sic) !..Brian Scotts dad is wealthy he will BUY a ride Imediately (sic)…”
Despite the bluntness of the statement, what Wallace said was true. Joe Scott’s the chairman of the JA & Kathryn Albertson Foundation, an Idaho real estate developer and the grandson of the founder of the grocery chain Albertson’s. The Scotts have money and are very able to help their son’s career.
Justin Allgaier too comes from a family who has been able financially to help his dream. Funding an ARCA team though is a little different than a Nationwide team. And the fact is, Allgaier got his job at Penske on his merits – not his family’s money.
Unfortunately, what we have today is a very expensive sport where winning and being competitive isn’t always the most important thing. There was a time not too long ago that rent-a-rides only existed at small organizations. Today, just about everybody has somebody paying for a ride.
I worry often that this practice is leaving us with a talent vacuum. The drivers are certainly out there, but if the only ones getting a chance are the ones with money, what does this mean for the future of competition?
It’s a tough situation we’re in, but one I hope doesn’t stand the test of time. It’s unfortunate a driver with all the talent in the world and strong record is no longer guaranteed a ride, but a driver with a thin record and all the money in the world is.
Even though the NASCAR Silly Season has quieted down some, there are still plenty of rumors floating around. Here are a few of the bits we’ve heard over the last week or so.
Catch Can Man Back in April we told you that NASCAR was considering eliminating the catch can man for both the Nationwide and Cup Series just like they did for the Truck Series for the 2010 season. For the CWTS, NASCAR implemented a new style gas can that self vented and didn’t require the use of a catch can. We are hearing now that NASCAR has scrapped the idea for the Cup Series, but that they will implement this rule for the NNS for the 2011 season. We are not yet clear on whether this means NASCAR will also allow less than seven crew members over the wall, because we have heard that may not change. What it does do is scrap the catch can position and will probably slow down pit stop times.
More on the new Turner Motorsports We reported a little over a week ago via Twitter that we’d heard the Braun Racing sale to Steve Turner was a done deal. Journo even included that info in his recent post about Mr. Turner. More details are emerging about the deal and what this new Turner Motorsports will most likely be. First, we’ve heard that the team will still probably run 3-4 Nationwide cars next season, and that they may expand their Truck Series program to three teams. We’ve also heard that the team will utilize Chevrolet equipment, and that the current fleet of Braun Toyotas will be switched over. Look for James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael, Reed Sorenson, and Brian Scott to all continue driving for the team, with the rest of the seats still up in the air.
Marc Davis returns at Dover After a failed attempt to get back on track earlier in the season at Las Vegas, we are hearing that R3 Motorsports has reached a deal to run Marc Davis in their #23 Nationwide car at Dover. It will be Davis’ first NASCAR start since Homestead at the end of 2009 and his first NNS start since June of ’09. Davis will be the fifth different driver for R3 this season, with Robert Richardson Jr, Alex Kennedy, Coleman Pressley, and Johnny Sauter having shared the ride. Expect an announcement from the team this week.
Like we always do here at TNI, we will keep you posted if we hear more as these stories develop.
Now that Danica is taking a NASCAR hiatus for a few months, can we please get back to talking about the actual competition in the Nationwide Series?
Three races into the season, the top ten in NNS points could be mistaken for the top ten in the Cup Series. Seven of the top ten are Cup drivers, with only Justin Allgaier, Steve Wallace, and Scott Riggs representing the NNS only crowd.
Of the three, Allgaier looks to be strongest challenger to unseat a likely Cup-driving champion. In three starts this season, he has one top five and three top ten finishes. At Las Vegas, Allgaier looked to be a contender for the win before fading late and finishing seventh. He certainly has the backing and the team to get it done, and the knowledge and experience from a solid rookie campaign could push him over the top.
There are also several intriguing new-comers to the series who could surprise and break through for wins. James Buescher, Trevor Bayne, Brian Scott, Colin Braun, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all could have a say before the season is over. They all have the necessary talent and are all driving in equipment that has won in the recent past. Three races in, Buescher, Bayne, and Scott are all inside the top 20 in points, while Braun and Stenhouse have struggled and will have to dig themselves out of a hole.
Of the three Nationwide only drivers in the top ten, I think the most interesting story is that of Scott Riggs. He was tabbed to pilot the #09 Ford for RAB Racing only a few short weeks before Daytona. Riggs filled the seat that was vacated when John Wes Townley left the team and took his family sponsor to Richard Childress Racing. The RAB team is running without a major sponsor, yet has still found a way to be competitive against fully funded, Cup backed teams. With a little help, this team could be a factor.
It seems unlikely that, with so many Cup drivers in every race, a young driver like Allgaier will be celebrating at Homestead. Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and Paul Menard are all planning on running the full slate of Nationwide Series races. But like they say, that’s why we run the races.
I apologize for the delay in getting this post up. We had some Internet connectivity issues last night that prevented me from posting. Thanks!
There are some drivers out there, who no matter what they drive, always seem to not get enough racing. A name that comes to mind is a guy like Ken Schrader. He would race in the Cup Series on a Saturday night, fly somewhere and maybe race an ARCA race on Sunday, fly somewhere else and race a dirt latemodel race on Monday. It doesn’t matter what it is, Schrader just wants to race.
We saw a few more examples of drivers like Schrader this weekend. The 42nd Annual Snowball Derby took place at Five Flags Speedway down in Pensacola, FL. The Derby is a four day long event which concludes with a 300 lap super latemodel race on Sunday that draws drivers and cars from all over. This year’s entry list for the Sunday race was around 60 cars.
And if you watched any NASCAR coverage this year, you’ll recognize some of the entrants: Kyle Busch, Brian Ickler, David Stremme, Steve Wallace, Ryan Seig, Shane Sieg, Brian Scott, Cale Gale, and James Buescher.
The racing also featured some young up and comers like Johanna Long, Ross Kenseth, and Chase Elliott.
In the end, Kyle Busch triumphed for his first Snowball win, but from what I understand it wasn’t easy. The entire field was only separated by a few tenths in qualifying and some bigger names, like James Buescher, went home.
With the NASCAR schedule being so grueling, from February to November, you’d think most drivers would want a break from being at the race track. But not these guys. Less then two weeks have passed since the end of the season, and these guys have already found their way to a race track.
Regardless of what you think of a driver, you almost have to automatically have respect for guys like this. To them, it isn’t about the money, the big sponsors, or the TV time. All they want to do is get in a car and go door to door with the best in the country. It’s about the racing and being able to compete.
And I think, as long as there are always guys like this in the top tiers of NASCAR, the future will be very bright.
*For more coverage on the 42nd Snowball Derby, stop by Speed51.com
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.