Post by dalejrfan on Nov 5, 2005 2:18:18 GMT -5
Single-car owners like idea of scaling back bigger teams
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Cal Wells III sat outside his hauler at Atlanta Motor Speedway, surrounded on all sides by larger, better-funded teams.
When he goes looking for sponsorship dollars, he must compete with behemoths such as Roush Racing.
When he tries to talk with a promising driver, he knows that a super team such as Hendrick Motorsports could be ready to swoop in.
No wonder Wells was happy to hear that NASCAR plans to limits the number of teams a car owner will be able to field in the Nextel Cup Series.
"As it relates to me personally, I'm in favor of it. As it relates to making this a better sport, I'm in favor of it,'' said Wells, owner of PPI Motorsports. "I think it's going to be very good for the garage area, very good for the sponsors, very good for NASCAR.''
Of course, teams such as Roush and Hendrick don't see it that way. They've used the formula that works for any successful business -- hard work, ingenuity and persistent expansion.
Roush has grown into the sport's most dominating team, a five-man operation that gives the Chase for the Nextel Cup the look of an office pool. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth make up half of the 10-man field competing for the title, one of them hoping to give the team its third consecutive championship.
Hendrick isn't far behind with his four-man team that includes finalist Jimmie Johnson -- second in the points with three races remaining -- and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, the winningest driver outside the Chase with four victories.
Together, those teams have combined to win 22 of 33 races this year.
"Obviously, there's some owners who would disagree with me,'' Wells said. "I respect that. Roush has done a great job and deserves everything they get, as does Hendrick.''
Three other teams have played prominent roles. Joe Gibbs Racing has points leader Tony Stewart, who also is tied with Biffle for the most wins (five). Evernham Motorports is represented by Jeremy Mayfield in the 10-race shootout. Penske Racing South has the other two finalists, Ryan Newman and the retiring Rusty Wallace.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), Richard Childress Racing (Kevin Harvick) and Robert Yates Racing (Dale Jarrett) have managed one win apiece.
That's about it.
For teams such as PPI Motorsports and Bill Davis Racing, cracking the top 20 on any given weekend is considered a success. Even such legendary names as Wood Brothers Racing and Petty Enterprises have been pushed aside by the mammoth teams.
"The sponsors want to go to the bigger teams,'' Davis said. "Yeah, it's frustrating.''
Now, with Roush, Hendrick and Chip Ganassi Racing poised for future expansion, NASCAR is ready to step in. Chairman Brian France announced last month that limits will be phased in throughout the next few seasons.
While vague on the details, France suggested that NASCAR would probably limit teams to four cars at first, then eventually scale back to either two or three cars.
France said he's concerned that smaller teams have little chance of contending and addressed two other issues that have could affect the long-term health of the sport: prospective owners being scared away by the multicar operations, and young drivers being denied a chance to break into the series.
"Certainly, it would be a challenge to come into this sport today and do a startup team,'' Davis said. "I'm sure it's discouraged many people from trying to do that.''
It's easy to see why expansion is the key to success.
More cars allow a team to do additional testing, share resources in the garage and trade notes on the track. Those sort of advantages usually lead to more wins, which makes it easier to attract the big-money sponsors and top drivers. The teams with the most money and best drivers essentially feed on themselves, growing even larger as everyone clamors for a piece of their success.
"What if Jack had all 43 cars?'' Wells asked. "I know that's probably an extreme, but where does it stop? Five cars? Seven? Ten? Twelve?''
Bigger teams would mean fewer teams, which NASCAR fears will slow its impressive growth during the past decade. Wells pointed to the makeup of the other major sports while making his plea for greater diversity.
"When ownership is spread over a large group of people, like it is in any other sport, that breeds new ideas, provides better competition and makes the sponsor base more even,'' he said.
Sponsorship is the most crucial element to any team. Wells would like to add a second car next year -- he figures it would cost only 70 percent of what he's paying for his first car because of shared resources -- but hasn't found anyone willing to step up with even that much money.
"It's a fantasy right now,'' Wells said, rolling his eyes.
Of course, just because a team has more than one car doesn't necessarily mean it will be successful.
Ganassi has three drivers and plans to add a fourth next year, but the team hasn't won a race since 2002. Petty, which usually runs at least two cars, is winding down its sixth consecutive season without a win.
Kyle Petty, who drives his family's No. 45 car, doesn't begrudge the success of teams such as Roush and Hendrick.
"Roush helped build this sport into what it is. Hendrick helped build the sport into what it is,'' Petty said. "No one cared about those guys when they weren't winning races. Now, everyone wants to penalize the guys who built up the sport. That's not fair, either.''
No one is quite sure how NASCAR would impose a limit on the size of teams. In a sport where rivals form alliances to cut down on costs and improve the chance of success, there's all sorts of potential loopholes and shortcuts that must be addressed.
Could two supposedly separate teams still share the same facilities? The same employees? The same engine-building technology?
What if Hendrick Motorsports split into two teams and gave Gordon, who already has a substantial ownership stake, control of the new organization but kept everything else the same? Would NASCAR step in and order a complete split?
"If you had a totally clean canvas, 44 cars and 22 owners would be the best thing,'' Wells said. "But the horse is already out of the barn on that one.''
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Cal Wells III sat outside his hauler at Atlanta Motor Speedway, surrounded on all sides by larger, better-funded teams.
When he goes looking for sponsorship dollars, he must compete with behemoths such as Roush Racing.
When he tries to talk with a promising driver, he knows that a super team such as Hendrick Motorsports could be ready to swoop in.
No wonder Wells was happy to hear that NASCAR plans to limits the number of teams a car owner will be able to field in the Nextel Cup Series.
"As it relates to me personally, I'm in favor of it. As it relates to making this a better sport, I'm in favor of it,'' said Wells, owner of PPI Motorsports. "I think it's going to be very good for the garage area, very good for the sponsors, very good for NASCAR.''
Of course, teams such as Roush and Hendrick don't see it that way. They've used the formula that works for any successful business -- hard work, ingenuity and persistent expansion.
Roush has grown into the sport's most dominating team, a five-man operation that gives the Chase for the Nextel Cup the look of an office pool. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth make up half of the 10-man field competing for the title, one of them hoping to give the team its third consecutive championship.
Hendrick isn't far behind with his four-man team that includes finalist Jimmie Johnson -- second in the points with three races remaining -- and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, the winningest driver outside the Chase with four victories.
Together, those teams have combined to win 22 of 33 races this year.
"Obviously, there's some owners who would disagree with me,'' Wells said. "I respect that. Roush has done a great job and deserves everything they get, as does Hendrick.''
Three other teams have played prominent roles. Joe Gibbs Racing has points leader Tony Stewart, who also is tied with Biffle for the most wins (five). Evernham Motorports is represented by Jeremy Mayfield in the 10-race shootout. Penske Racing South has the other two finalists, Ryan Newman and the retiring Rusty Wallace.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), Richard Childress Racing (Kevin Harvick) and Robert Yates Racing (Dale Jarrett) have managed one win apiece.
That's about it.
For teams such as PPI Motorsports and Bill Davis Racing, cracking the top 20 on any given weekend is considered a success. Even such legendary names as Wood Brothers Racing and Petty Enterprises have been pushed aside by the mammoth teams.
"The sponsors want to go to the bigger teams,'' Davis said. "Yeah, it's frustrating.''
Now, with Roush, Hendrick and Chip Ganassi Racing poised for future expansion, NASCAR is ready to step in. Chairman Brian France announced last month that limits will be phased in throughout the next few seasons.
While vague on the details, France suggested that NASCAR would probably limit teams to four cars at first, then eventually scale back to either two or three cars.
France said he's concerned that smaller teams have little chance of contending and addressed two other issues that have could affect the long-term health of the sport: prospective owners being scared away by the multicar operations, and young drivers being denied a chance to break into the series.
"Certainly, it would be a challenge to come into this sport today and do a startup team,'' Davis said. "I'm sure it's discouraged many people from trying to do that.''
It's easy to see why expansion is the key to success.
More cars allow a team to do additional testing, share resources in the garage and trade notes on the track. Those sort of advantages usually lead to more wins, which makes it easier to attract the big-money sponsors and top drivers. The teams with the most money and best drivers essentially feed on themselves, growing even larger as everyone clamors for a piece of their success.
"What if Jack had all 43 cars?'' Wells asked. "I know that's probably an extreme, but where does it stop? Five cars? Seven? Ten? Twelve?''
Bigger teams would mean fewer teams, which NASCAR fears will slow its impressive growth during the past decade. Wells pointed to the makeup of the other major sports while making his plea for greater diversity.
"When ownership is spread over a large group of people, like it is in any other sport, that breeds new ideas, provides better competition and makes the sponsor base more even,'' he said.
Sponsorship is the most crucial element to any team. Wells would like to add a second car next year -- he figures it would cost only 70 percent of what he's paying for his first car because of shared resources -- but hasn't found anyone willing to step up with even that much money.
"It's a fantasy right now,'' Wells said, rolling his eyes.
Of course, just because a team has more than one car doesn't necessarily mean it will be successful.
Ganassi has three drivers and plans to add a fourth next year, but the team hasn't won a race since 2002. Petty, which usually runs at least two cars, is winding down its sixth consecutive season without a win.
Kyle Petty, who drives his family's No. 45 car, doesn't begrudge the success of teams such as Roush and Hendrick.
"Roush helped build this sport into what it is. Hendrick helped build the sport into what it is,'' Petty said. "No one cared about those guys when they weren't winning races. Now, everyone wants to penalize the guys who built up the sport. That's not fair, either.''
No one is quite sure how NASCAR would impose a limit on the size of teams. In a sport where rivals form alliances to cut down on costs and improve the chance of success, there's all sorts of potential loopholes and shortcuts that must be addressed.
Could two supposedly separate teams still share the same facilities? The same employees? The same engine-building technology?
What if Hendrick Motorsports split into two teams and gave Gordon, who already has a substantial ownership stake, control of the new organization but kept everything else the same? Would NASCAR step in and order a complete split?
"If you had a totally clean canvas, 44 cars and 22 owners would be the best thing,'' Wells said. "But the horse is already out of the barn on that one.''