With the opinion about the numbers and the little dance the story took over the last few weeks, it got me to thinking.
At first, we were all thinking the number 8 was a potential sale item between race teams. Then we heard it was out of their hands, and then this last week, NASCAR declared it could be bartered between teams. A most exciting prospect indeed, for teams and fans alike.
But there is one hurtle that needs to be dealt with in this whole number 8 scheme, and that, may very well be Teresa Earnhardt.
It goes without saying that the fans want to see Budweiser and the number 8 go to Hendrick Motorsports. What Budweiser does is something unto themselves and will do what they need to do to position themselves best within the industry.
What Teresa needs to do is consider the idea of letting the number go. The number is DEI's to use for the moment, and it does have marketing appeal to retain it. A smart team would retain it. But a smarter team may ponder the very idea of making a gesture to the fans and letting the number go.
I'm not saying for them to give it away, but for them to make whatever financial arrangement that would be amicable to everyone, without making it a prohibitive maneuver.
Teresa's image is mediocre at best with the fans. Not being at races, making the hard business decisions that the fandom didn't agree with, and having her public differences with Jr, to the parting of ways that I'm sure some might believe to be her fault entrely. Business decisions, based on a business basis and not an emotional or public pressured one, are tough all around.
Here's hoping the 8 ends up where it truly belongs.
Bruce Simmons, the Fan Reporter.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Absent Crew Chiefs and their Technology
As if we didn't suspect this one!!
Technology helps absentee crew (chief) members stay in touch with their team, and be able to still have input and feedback!
Evident by Tony Eury Jr.'s tech-savvy setup in his motor coach last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, the crew chief was anything but silent.
"I stay in touch with things like NASCAR TrackPass and the cell phone. I keep up with the practice lap times and instant message back and forth with our team engineer, H.A. [Mergen]," said Eury, who will return to the pit box this weekend in Daytona after serving a six-race suspension for improper brackets used to attach the rear wing to the COT of the No. 8 Chevrolet.
According to NASCAR rules, suspended crew chiefs are not permitted to communicate with their crews via team radios, however, NASCAR is not in a position to monitor all outside communication that may take place, such as cell phone calls, instant messaging or text messaging.
Also, crew chiefs are not allowed to enter the garage areas so most -- including recently suspended Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte -- set up shop in their motor coaches just outside the track and utilize AM/FM Pi Antennas to monitor radio traffic.
(Would this explain the overly chatty Jeff Gordon on his com at NH last weekend?)
No matter the level of communication, NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said the suspensions still serve their purpose. (Bull...., take the primary pit crew staff off of pit stops and now we'll see the impact.. ya can't call that in!!)
Read the entire article at www.nascar.com
Technology helps absentee crew (chief) members stay in touch with their team, and be able to still have input and feedback!
Evident by Tony Eury Jr.'s tech-savvy setup in his motor coach last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, the crew chief was anything but silent.
"I stay in touch with things like NASCAR TrackPass and the cell phone. I keep up with the practice lap times and instant message back and forth with our team engineer, H.A. [Mergen]," said Eury, who will return to the pit box this weekend in Daytona after serving a six-race suspension for improper brackets used to attach the rear wing to the COT of the No. 8 Chevrolet.
According to NASCAR rules, suspended crew chiefs are not permitted to communicate with their crews via team radios, however, NASCAR is not in a position to monitor all outside communication that may take place, such as cell phone calls, instant messaging or text messaging.
Also, crew chiefs are not allowed to enter the garage areas so most -- including recently suspended Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte -- set up shop in their motor coaches just outside the track and utilize AM/FM Pi Antennas to monitor radio traffic.
(Would this explain the overly chatty Jeff Gordon on his com at NH last weekend?)
No matter the level of communication, NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said the suspensions still serve their purpose. (Bull...., take the primary pit crew staff off of pit stops and now we'll see the impact.. ya can't call that in!!)
Read the entire article at www.nascar.com
NASCAR Sponsor Battles
As potential suitors line up to replace Anheuser-Busch as the title sponsor of NASCAR's second-tier series, Sprint Nextel has this warning: Buyer beware.
When Nextel paid $700 million to replace R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s Winston brand as the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series, it believed it was receiving a fertile platform to peddle its cell phones and service. Now its attention is divided between racing and the federal courts.
So, should a title sponsor that pays $70 million per year to help finance and promote the sport expect some protection against its rivals? NASCAR believes so, and it's willing to go to court to prove it.
"Exclusivity isn't new in sports. AT&T has done the same thing with American Idol. They have done the same thing with the NCAA Final Four. You pay a premium for that, and there are rights and privileges that go back to you."
Sponsor conflicts aren't new to NASCAR, but none has been at the $750 million level.
Two years ago, NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. had competing sponsorships from Gatorade and Powerade. Although NASCAR and ISC are owned by the same family, Gatorade was the official drink in Victory Lane at all ISC tracks, and Powerade was the official sports drink of NASCAR. That meant every car pulling into Victory Lane at half of the racetracks in the sport had to display Powerade bottles and Gatorade banners.
Jimmie Johnson, who represents Gatorade, once was fined $10,000 for knocking Powerade bottles off the top of his car in Victory Lane, and Jeff Gordon was warned for not driving to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - presumably to avoid having any Powerade bottles placed on his car until television cameras were turned off. Powerade became tired of the controversy and dropped its deal with NASCAR last year. (Ouch, and that was nice piece of insight that, to the common, watch on weekends fan, did not know about.)
See the entire article at www.jacksonville.com
When Nextel paid $700 million to replace R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s Winston brand as the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series, it believed it was receiving a fertile platform to peddle its cell phones and service. Now its attention is divided between racing and the federal courts.
So, should a title sponsor that pays $70 million per year to help finance and promote the sport expect some protection against its rivals? NASCAR believes so, and it's willing to go to court to prove it.
"Exclusivity isn't new in sports. AT&T has done the same thing with American Idol. They have done the same thing with the NCAA Final Four. You pay a premium for that, and there are rights and privileges that go back to you."
Sponsor conflicts aren't new to NASCAR, but none has been at the $750 million level.
Two years ago, NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. had competing sponsorships from Gatorade and Powerade. Although NASCAR and ISC are owned by the same family, Gatorade was the official drink in Victory Lane at all ISC tracks, and Powerade was the official sports drink of NASCAR. That meant every car pulling into Victory Lane at half of the racetracks in the sport had to display Powerade bottles and Gatorade banners.
Jimmie Johnson, who represents Gatorade, once was fined $10,000 for knocking Powerade bottles off the top of his car in Victory Lane, and Jeff Gordon was warned for not driving to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - presumably to avoid having any Powerade bottles placed on his car until television cameras were turned off. Powerade became tired of the controversy and dropped its deal with NASCAR last year. (Ouch, and that was nice piece of insight that, to the common, watch on weekends fan, did not know about.)
See the entire article at www.jacksonville.com
TNT and the Daytona Telecast
During the TNT presentation of the Daytona Cup race, the Pepsi 400 (Did you hear that Pepsi is going away and Coke is taking over?), TNT will be unveiling its "wide-open" coverage, using a concept that mixes live racing action throughout the entire telecast while also appeasing advertisers without traditional full-screen commercials.
In other words, we get to see the race, no interruptions, but sometimes, we might have to tolerate a smaller screen while our favored advertisers get some screen time!
Ads, or as TNT calls it, "sponsor interaction with the show" means technologically as a broadcaster and for the fans is we get more racing action. They say if it's a successful endeavor we can see this every race they cover next year.
Instead of having graphics running at the top of the screen and then also at the bottom, TNT will only have a graphics area in the bottom quarter of the screen. It will not superimpose most of the graphics over the live action. Instead, that graphic area will feature the logo of a company sponsoring that portion of the telecast with the current running order streaming across the top part of the graphic area. (Hmm, sounds like we're going to be getting a 50%-er!!)
TNT will put a breakout box at times on the lower right corner of the screen, using it for interviews as well as commercials. When the breakout box isn't being used, other stats will be shown in the graphic area.
We can only hope this will work out well. This is going to be like the Indy 500 coverage, or at least, that's what sparked this idea into fruition, as far as this reporter can tell.
www.scenedaily.com
In other words, we get to see the race, no interruptions, but sometimes, we might have to tolerate a smaller screen while our favored advertisers get some screen time!
Ads, or as TNT calls it, "sponsor interaction with the show" means technologically as a broadcaster and for the fans is we get more racing action. They say if it's a successful endeavor we can see this every race they cover next year.
Instead of having graphics running at the top of the screen and then also at the bottom, TNT will only have a graphics area in the bottom quarter of the screen. It will not superimpose most of the graphics over the live action. Instead, that graphic area will feature the logo of a company sponsoring that portion of the telecast with the current running order streaming across the top part of the graphic area. (Hmm, sounds like we're going to be getting a 50%-er!!)
TNT will put a breakout box at times on the lower right corner of the screen, using it for interviews as well as commercials. When the breakout box isn't being used, other stats will be shown in the graphic area.
We can only hope this will work out well. This is going to be like the Indy 500 coverage, or at least, that's what sparked this idea into fruition, as far as this reporter can tell.
www.scenedaily.com
Kenny Schrader and the Woods Brothers
If anyone's been wondering about Kenny Schrader and the Woods brothers, a statement released recently noted that as soon as they get back into the top 35 in driver points, Kenny will resume the driving duties, as the plan has been all along.
Sigh. I'm the Ken Schrader fan of all Schrader fans, but at what point do we see our guy ponder retirement from the Cup series so he can quit being benched? I pull for the guy every chance I get, but he's had the worse luck, or what not.. and sadly, I don't expect to see him in the winners circle again in Cup.
woodbrothersracing.com
Sigh. I'm the Ken Schrader fan of all Schrader fans, but at what point do we see our guy ponder retirement from the Cup series so he can quit being benched? I pull for the guy every chance I get, but he's had the worse luck, or what not.. and sadly, I don't expect to see him in the winners circle again in Cup.
woodbrothersracing.com
Wii Sponsors the 16
It's been noted that Greg Biffle will have a Nintendo sponsor on the car at Watkins Glen and Dover...
Who boy, make sure wrist straps come with that sponsor!!!
Who boy, make sure wrist straps come with that sponsor!!!
Dan Wheldon to NASCAR - NOT
Well, so far, the rumors were that Dan Wheldon is coming to NASCAR....
I waited.. I didn't think someone who's doing as well as he is in the IndyCar Series would want to jump ship.. so I waited...
And now Chip Ganassi is saying that isn't so....
Therefore, I still wait.. because half the time when someone starts denying rumors, well, we'll just wait and see.. time tells all.
Bruce
I waited.. I didn't think someone who's doing as well as he is in the IndyCar Series would want to jump ship.. so I waited...
And now Chip Ganassi is saying that isn't so....
Therefore, I still wait.. because half the time when someone starts denying rumors, well, we'll just wait and see.. time tells all.
Bruce
Monday, July 2, 2007
A Reminder: Eury Jr is Back
Starting with this weekends Daytona race, Tony eury Jr is back on the war wagon for Jr.
The Number can be Bought
It's now being said the the number 8 can be bought via financial arraingements, but that is between the teams.
The numbers are doled out by NASCAR, but it's between teams as to who has what.
"There is nothing keeping Hendrick Motorsports from buying the #8 from Dale Earnhardt Inc. as long as NASCAR approves the transfer of the number. .... NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said it is unlikely the governing body would prevent such a transfer, adding the financial terms are not a concern."
http://sports.espn.go.com
The numbers are doled out by NASCAR, but it's between teams as to who has what.
"There is nothing keeping Hendrick Motorsports from buying the #8 from Dale Earnhardt Inc. as long as NASCAR approves the transfer of the number. .... NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said it is unlikely the governing body would prevent such a transfer, adding the financial terms are not a concern."
http://sports.espn.go.com
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Busch & Sauter cars Impounded
Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauters cars were impounded after the race in New Hampshire after the post race inspections found the vehicles to be too low in the front ends.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the cars were impounded and will be transported to the sanctioning organization's research and development center in Concord, N.C., where the measurements will be checked on special equipment to confirm the problem before determining what, if any, penalties will be meted out.
The rest of the article talks about the more recent COT penalties.
foxsports.com
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the cars were impounded and will be transported to the sanctioning organization's research and development center in Concord, N.C., where the measurements will be checked on special equipment to confirm the problem before determining what, if any, penalties will be meted out.
The rest of the article talks about the more recent COT penalties.
foxsports.com
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