Filed under: Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
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Two weeks ago New England Sports Ventures (NESV) agreed to purchase the Premier League Football club, Liverpool. The deal was facilitated through a vote by the team’s board which ousted the team’s current ownership in a forced sale. The soccer club, one of the most successful in league history, has been mired in recent years under crushing debt and abysmal performance. The fans, the banks, and the board had had enough.
So you’re probably asking what soccer, and more specifically Liverpool, have to do with NASCAR? Well, not a whole lot, except the two share past and present owners – George Gillett and John Henry.
NESV, if you’re unfamiliar, is a sports investment company principally owned by billionaire John Henry. Among the company’s assets are the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park and half of Roush Fenway Racing.
The guys unceremoniously booted out of Anfield are Tom Hicks, the former owner of the Texas Rangers and current owner of the Dallas Stars, and George Gillett, the former owner of the Montreal Canadiens and current owner of Richard Petty Motorsports.
Hicks (who by the way has been in the news this year because of the bankruptcy and subsequent takeover and sale of his Texas Rangers) and Gillett sought an injunction in the sale of Liverpool. The High Court in London turned down the pair and a Texas judge, after briefly granting an injunction, allowed the sale to move forward. Hicks and Gillett have threatened a billion dollar lawsuit – they have backed off this some though.
What makes this particularly uncomfortable in NASCAR is the close partnership Gillett’s Richard Petty Motorsports has with Henry’s Roush Fenway Racing. The two share equipment, drivers, and a compound in Concord, NC. Now John Henry isn’t exactly a fixture in North Carolina, but you can imagine, with Gillett and Hicks likely to lose A LOT of money, where this might be less than ideal.
You can amp up the uncomfortableness should Gillett and Hicks decide to do file a lawsuit against those involved in the sale, including Henry’s NESV.
In all honesty, I don’t think the business relationship of RPM and RFR is any worse for the wear, but it’s still an interesting story. Just think, if you’re Foster Gillett, George Gillett’s son and the managing partner of RPM, what happens if you have to deal with the Fenway Sports Group, NESV or John Henry himself?
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I had visions of well produced, unique video content, fresh stories about the team and drivers, perhaps blogs, and areas for fans to interact. What we got was a rehashed version of what they already had.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look at the ‘new’ Roush Fenway website.
Don’t get me wrong, the site is pretty. It’s much better than what they had before, and it’s nice to see all the links work and actually have content on them. That said, after an article in Sports Business Journal, and what was reported as a $500,000 spend on the site (that includes a relationship with the Barbarian Group, a broadcast studio in the shop, and reassigned team executives) I was expecting something great – something I had never seen before. This I think I’ve seen.
The site was built to serve two purposes – business and competition. On the business side, I think they’ve done a pretty good job – it’s certainly more than anyone else in the sport is doing. The cheesy photos of their business development team notwithstanding, that part of the site has a lot of good information. I would imagine there are locked portions of the site that offer additional helpful information for the team’s corporate partners too. It’s the other half of the equation that disappoints me.
The competition part doesn’t look or work any different than any other team website. They’ve got replayed press releases on the front page, minimal video content, and driver/team profile pages.
In the video department I was expecting well produced, innovative content (check out this QVC style sales video they made for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.). Instead what they’ve got are essentially video pre and post race reports. While they are reasonably well produced, the content is not so innovative. On top of that I wonder about the format. If you’ve got the studio, why not do a weekly interview style show with one driver/multiple drivers (instead of a bunch of spliced together soundbites)? And what’s the deal with that sunset background?
Maybe I’m being too hard, too early – perhaps there is more, better content to come – but I’m pretty disappointed with what I’ve seen. NASCAR teams have neglected the power of their websites for too long (I wrote about that here), and I thought Roush might be the one to change that. I guess not.
A few months ago I wrote a post lauding Roush’s developmental commitment even through sponsorship adversity. I said Roush’s commitment to Colin Braun and to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was evident in its continued support of two underfunded teams. And I applauded the man (Jack Roush) and the team (Roush Fenway) for giving chances to those who couldn’t necessarily fund their own rides.
About a month later though Roush booted Colin Braun from the ride full-time in favor of a split schedule with other drivers. This wasn’t good for my argument – that is that Roush was a bastion for the development driver. As the picture became clear and the weeks have progressed though, Jack Roush has, in my mind (for what that’s worth), continued to demonstrate the importance of young and developmental drivers to his organization.
Roush, for his part, gave Colin Braun two full seasons in the Truck Series and some random Nationwide starts. Despite being one of the best funded teams led by a very good crew chief (Mike Beam) Braun was only able to score one win and finish 13th and fifth in the points in his two Truck campaigns. This season Braun wrecked (or was involved in wrecks) in five of nine races he competed in. Jack Roush, rightfully so, had seen enough.
While Braun’s days with the team appear to be numbered, he was given a reprieve by his sponsor Conway Freight, despite its discontent with the situation.
Where one driver appears to have run his course though, another has gotten an opportunity. Roush Fenway signed Brian Ickler to run at Charlotte – and from what we’re hearing beyond. The young driver has been able to put together limited deals throughout his career and is getting his opportunity to excel in top-notch equipment.
With Braun in just 14 more races this season that leaves plenty of opportunities for Ickler to get seat time. And we’re hearing in addition to this weekend’s race at Charlotte, Ickler will also run at Daytona and Kentucky in the coming weeks.
Adding Ickler to a stable that includes Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and young Chris Buescher (check out TC’s post from yesterday) further adds to a portfolio of great potential talent. While certainly driver development isn’t an exact science (Roush has proven that), committing to building the stars of tomorrow continues to be a priority for this organization – and for that I continue to commend them.
Pages that don’t work. Under construction banners. Replayed press releases. Poorly produced video content (or clipped TV interviews). Lackluster traffic. Pitiful efforts.
All these things and more describe the websites of NASCAR’s biggest teams. For all their sponsorship dollars and sales savvy, the sport’s elite have largely failed in their efforts to attract a strong audience to their Internet presences.
In our very unscientific TNI poll we found a little less than half of respondents regularly visit the websites of their favorite teams or drivers. According to comScore Hendrick Motorsports had just 68,000 unique visitors in March. The traffic numbers for other teams are lower (by comparison NFL teams regularly have unique numbers from the low six figures to the low seven figures per month).
The popular excuse is that NASCAR fans follow the drivers, not the teams, so they don’t visit the team sites. I don’t believe this is the whole story though. The teams, for their part, have done very little over the years to utilize the potential of their sites.
What you currently find on their websites is non-exclusive content (press releases), some photos, and the occasional video collage set to ridiculous music. Some teams have attempted blogs, but they get forgotten; and while others have done a good job with video recently, I don’t trust they’ll continue to do it.
Roush Fenway is making steps in the right direction, but the end result is still to be seen. According to Sports Business Journal, the team is spending close to $500,000 on a new team website (this includes the site, a relationship with the Barbarian Group and a new studio) – the new site will be “half competition/half sales.” Team president Geoff Smith said this was a way for them to modernize their outreach. Welcome to the 21st century Geoff (you’re only 10 years late).
One of the key components of this redesign is video content, and the team has already started to wade into that. They recently produced a Home Shopping style infomercial for Ricky Stenhouse. It was mildly entertaining, but about 4 minutes too long. Don’t get me wrong, it was well done and having a guy like Sean Pragano (Ricky’s PR guy and a former broadcast sports reporter) host is great. Every team should attempt to put out viral videos. Roush just needs to be very careful about who they’re marketing this to, and whether or not there will be an actual benefit.
Unfortunately, many teams are online just because they feel they have to be. As Michael Smith so accurately wrote, “…most teams don’t tout their sites as a legitimate source of exposure. It’s mostly a value-added component to a sponsorship deal.” While very correct, the statement is fundamentally flawed. How can a site be a value-added component if nobody sees it? Perhaps more important to this post though is why isn’t it being used as a source for exposure?
NASCAR, just like every other sport in the country, is facing dwindling coverage by downsizing newspapers, newspaper chains and broadcast outlets. Where most sports teams are looking to increase their online presence, especially on their own sites, NASCAR teams are doing nothing. I think it’s bizarre.
On top of that none of these teams do anything to promote their sites (with the exception of the occasional sticker on the car or, driver’s firesuit). It seems quite simple and logical to think that a team would want to tell people that they have a site and there are great things on it, but none do.
Honestly there is a lot teams could do to encourage people to visit. Most important is getting capable individuals in place to produce exclusive content for the site. The fact is, it takes skill and knowledge to effectively write for and produce video content. It also takes a skilled individual to consistently write compelling and interesting stories and blogs that people will return to read. If teams can effectively add value to their sites, and increase traffic, it too could become a tool for making money. Go figure.
Too often organizations delve into things without asking the fundamental, why they’re doing it. It seems like such a simple thing, but often gets overlooked. Websites certainly take time and money to make right, but with the proper individuals and the appropriate investment they really can turn their sites into a valuable part of their marketing efforts.
The single biggest problem facing NASCAR teams that want to continue being NASCAR teams is the search for, acquisition of, and retention of sponsors. Without them, we don’t get to go play on the weekends. But as the economy continues to struggle, this proposition has become much more difficult.
Just this year alone we’ve lost longtime sponsors like DeWalt Tools and Jack Daniels. With more companies pulling out and the case for investment in motorsports more difficult to make, teams must find new places to look for potential sponsors and new ways to keep them happy.
One tactic some teams have employed through the years is to lure sponsors away from their competition. An example of this is Discount Tire. The national tire store chain first appeared in the NNS Series on a Chip Ganassi Racing entry; they later moved to Roush Fenway Racing. Now for 2010, Discount Tire is moving from RFR to Penske Racing with Brad Keselowski.
When a deal like this happens, often times it’s because a team promises similar exposure for a smaller investment. But in other cases, it could be the opportunity to work with a specific driver or the hopes of better performance. Either way, it can be an ugly situation.
I’ve seen some discussion over the past few days about Miccosukee moving from Billy Ballew Motorsports to Kyle Busch’s new truck team. To say that KBM stole the sponsorship from BBM or to suggest that it is somehow not right or fair for this to happen is wrong. Racing is a business and teams must do what is necessary to survive. In this instance, obviously KBM did a better job selling their team to Miccosukee, and the Indian tribe made the conscious decision to move. On the flip side, Miccosukee found better value for their money at KBM. As I see it, no blood, no foul.
The successful sponsorship formula has never really stopped changing or evolving since racers first started asking businesses for money. As we progress and move forward, expect teams to continue being creative with their marketing and sales plans. As we’ve seen in recent years the multiple sponsor approach is becoming the new standard.
Right now is as difficult a time to find sponsorship as any in the sport’s history. It’s a cutthroat atmosphere for teams and the team who can offer the most for the least is likely to come out on top.
This year has been a particularly brutal one for car counts in the Camping World Truck Series. While there usually is a full field, many teams choose to start and park. Looking at 2010 though things are looking up for the truck series.
Richard Childress Racing is expected to field at least one team in 2010 for team owner Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon. The last time RCR fielded a full time truck series team was 1999. There have also been rumblings that Tim George Jr. will drive a second truck for RCR. As the original championship team in the series, it is exciting to see RCR make a return.
Newcomer organization Turner Motorsports (they will make their debut this weekend) also has plans to run one full time and one part time team in 2010. Ricky Carmichael has said he will jump from Kevin Harvick Inc. to the team to run the full season. In addition to running the #1 car in the Nationwide Series, James Buescher is also expected to run at least 19 races for the team.
And then there’s Kyle Busch Racing (or whatever it’ll be called). While nothing has been announced they are rumored to be running at least two teams in 2010. We’ve heard they might also field a third part time truck for Kyle. With some of the talent they are rumored to be bringing in, this team could be a force very quickly.
In addition to the above teams, Mario Gosselin has said he will run the full 2010 schedule with sponsorship from MyTireMonkey.com. Gosselin’s a two time USAR Pro Cup Champion. This year’s ARCA Re/Max champion Justin Lofton has also said he will go truck racing full time next season with primary sponsorship from his father’s cattle company.It’s uncertain where he’ll end up.
Most existing organizations while not necessarily locked up for 2010, are expected to maintain their truck counts. Just to name a few, Randy Moss Motorsports has said they will be back with Mike Skinner in 2010 and they hope to continue fielding a second truck. Kevin Harvick Inc. has said they will return next season with one full time and one part time truck. And Thorsport has re-signed Johnny Sauter for 2010 and will return with Matt Crafton as well.
Uncertainty does still remain with a few regulars though. Wyler Racing needs to find sponsorship to run the full 2010 schedule; something Stacy Compton says they’re still $500,000 short of. Circle Bar, which will lose James Buescher this year, may be down to just one team next season if a funded driver is not found. At Red Horse Racing the number of teams also looks heavily dependent on sponsorship. Team owner Tom DeLoach has said Timothy Peters will be back though.
Obviously the loss of Roush Fenway is difficult for the series. 2010 will be the first time since its’ inception that Roush won’t compete. Their scaled back efforts this season though made the loss, less difficult to deal with.
Perhaps this post is coming a little too early because there are still quite a few guys who don’t have anything locked up yet, but I’m optimistic 2010 will be a strong year for the series. With ratings up and competition consistently good, I’m looking forward to next season.
Rick Ren Leaving KHI?
We’ve been hearing quite regularly for the last few weeks that crew chief Rick Ren will leave Kevin Harvick Inc. at the end of the season. He’s rumored to be heading to Kyle Busch’s new team to serve in a general manager type role.
As we first reported in July Kyle Busch is expected to start a team fielding two or more Camping World Truck Series teams and possibly a Nationwide Series team in 2010.
Rick Ren joined KHI in 2007 after a stint with Johnny Benson at the now defunct Bill Davis Racing. Since joining the team, he and Ron Hornaday Jr. have racked up 16 wins and one championship (a second looks inevitable this season). He has more than 30 years experience in NASCAR.
After years of complaints from fans (and drivers for that matter) over the looks of the Cup Series COT, NASCAR undoubtedly didn’t want a repeat as they developed the Nationwide COT.
This weekend we got our first glimpse of all four stickered up Nationwide COT’s. I don’t know how you feel about the cars, but in my opinion the manufacturers and teams (of course with NASCAR) did a good job making the cars look more like a production model.
I was fortunate enough to see a Challenger COT early in development and I was happy to see through the process there weren’t any major changes to it’s overall look. By far I think it’s the best looking of the new cars. The Mustang turned out well too.
I think Chevrolet missed out here though in not bringing the Camaro into the sport; though I understand their position. Mark Kent, Director of GM Racing said earlier this year:
“At the end of the day, because of the quest for very close competition and the need to have templated bodies in that series, we felt that by forcing the Camaro into the Nationwide templates that we were compromising the body lines of an iconic car. So at the end of the day we just could not get the Camaro in the Nationwide series to satisfy our requirements.”
It’s understandable they didn’t want to murder the body lines of a car they’ve been working on for many years. Still how cool would that have been?
I digress. NASCAR though now has a problem on its hands. They have visually attractive and realistic looking Nationwide cars competing with the less than handsome Cup Series COT.
After meetings this past week with drivers and team officials, NASCAR said they would make changes in 2011 to the front fascia of the Cup Series COT, presumably to make them look a little better up against the Nationwide COT. Let’s hope the changes are enough.
Now I know many of you aren’t fans of the COT and from the comments I have read elsewhere people are still complaining that this new car is still “cookie cutter”. In NASCAR’s and the team’s defense though these things could help bring down costs and will certainly make the racing safer; the hope of course is that racing will be better. Whatever the case, it’s hard to complain about the looks of the car; this is the closest we’ve seen to a production model (in my opinion) since the late-80s or early-90s.
With these new good looking cars though, let’s just hope competition isn’t the cost we all pay.
So any thoughts on the new Nationwide COT? Anything you would have liked to have seen done differently? Any hopes for the Cup Series COT? Talk amongst yourselves.
Jack Roush was a very happy man in Milwaukee. And who wouldn’t have been? Carl Edwards won the race and three of the top five were from his stable. What made it even better were the successes of Roush’s development drivers.
Throughout the garage Jack Roush is one of the very few owners who have committed to and successfully executed a driver development program. Now don’t get me wrong others currently have and have had development programs. Rick Hendrick wouldn’t be where he is at without some risks on young drivers, nor would Joe Gibbs or Richard Childress, but none of them has the program Roush has.
Just look at Roush’s stable, all but one of their current drivers was developed through their program or given an opportunity to excel in the organization (Kenseth). With Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Colin Braun, Roush has a combined 48 Cup Series wins, 60 Nationwide wins, 18 Truck Series wins (with Roush), and four championships across all three series.
Roush’s development program is perhaps most famous for its “Gong Show” which was developed into a reality television show on Discovery Channel in 2005 called “Driver X.” The Gong Show brought together some of the best and brightest young drivers throughout the country and gave them an opportunity to showcase their skills to Jack Roush and Roush management.
Among the winners of the various Gong Shows are Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Erik Darnell. While not all of the program’s winners have gone on to success, it no doubt gave Roush some great prospects.
In recent years Roush has brought on Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Braun a former go-kart and sports car driver, joined Roush in 2007 and made his truck series debut last season. While Braun’s run hasn’t been without its troubles, he landed his first win a couple of weeks ago.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined the program in 2008 and ran last year for the ARCA Re/MAX title. He was competing for the title into the final race too when he and Scott Speed got into it and ended both of their chances. Penske stand out Justin Allgaier walked away with the title. This season Stenhouse is running a partial Nationwide Series schedule for the team. Thus far he has had four starts with one top-5 and two top-10. No matter your feelings on the kid following the ARCA showdown last year, he can drive.
In addition to Stenhouse, Erik Darnell is also running a partial schedule for the team. In five starts he has two top-5 and three top top-10.
Jack Roush said this past week he planned to put both Stenhouse and Braun into the Nationwide Series next season. Where that leaves Darnell is not exactly clear.
At this point I think the biggest issue Roush is facing is where to put all these solid prospects. While he has room in the Nationwide Series for the time being, he is running up against the four car limit in the Cup Series. Certainly Yates is an option as is the partnership with Hall of Fame.
Whatever happens with the current crop of drivers, Jack Roush should be commended for his commitment to developing drivers, and not just those with money. The future is bright for Roush Fenway Racing and Jack Roush and his keen eye for talent is the biggest reason why.