Aug. 14, 2006 - What a day!
To our longtime listeners and new readers:
Let's see...I was called a "wiener" and a "crack pipe-smoking media wanna-be" simply for breaking a story before the "legitimate media" did. SO...here's the story:
I got a phone call on Monday night from a long time friend and racing insider giving me a heads up that Robby Gordon has purchased Robert Yates Racing. "Thanks", I said, since our show is recorded on Sunday and the news didn't exactly do me any good on a Monday...but wait! I KNOW!! It's time to email the most powerful man in NASCAR media...one Jay Adamczyk, known to 1.7 million readers per day simply as "Jayski". I had a funny feeling he would find this as newsworthy. Jay has known about LTN for many years, and we have exchanged email many times during that span. So, at 9pm CDT Monday
I sent the following note to the "NetGod":
The LTN Radio Network has learned that Robby Gordon has purchased Robert Yates racing to be effective this week. The Yates engine program is not included in the sale. We have not learned the status of the contracts between RYR and sponsors M&M/Mars and Citifinancial, and how they will be affected by the sale.
I knew the impact of this was going to be significant. It came out of left field, and "legitimate" media HATES finding out this sort of thing from a source that isn't mainstream, because it CAN'T POSSIBLY BE TRUE!
The post was on Jayski.com first thing on Tuesday, and I can just imagine the phones ringing across NASCARLAND. LTN co-host Ed Cluka was woken by a regular member of the NASCAR touring media to muse that this is probably all a plot by Jack Roush to buy up more teams and get around the new rule limiting the amount of teams that one owner can control. No, that isn't it. Among my many calls was a fellow media "outsider" who checked with his own sources and I'LL BE DAMNED, BUT IT'S TRUE. Not only is the sale IMMINENT, but the RYR Fords are all going to be re-skinned by Fontana as Chevrolets. David Gilliland was supposed to be announced at Indy as RYR's new driver, but something "came up" at the last minute and Yates was left to stammer something about "not having all the details" of the contract worked out. Hmmmm...details like SELLING OUT TO GORDON, perhaps? Gilliland is a California buddy of Gordon and WILL be in the #38 Chevy's for Gordon.
Now...in the meantime, Jayski's story shook this response out of RYR:
UPDATE: a representative from Robert Yates Racing says this is NOT True and will not happen, denying that Yates is selling to Robby Gordon.
My first reaction was "a representative"?? Still not the kick in the teeth I was afraid was on the way. No, that came a couple hours later, also posted on Jayski:
UPDATE 3 from RGM: "The rumor that we have consummated a deal to purchase Robert Yates Racing is just that, a rumor. As we publicly stated several months ago, we have spoken to a number of organizations about the idea of aligning resources with the goal of creating a championship-caliber program. In today's NASCAR, great people and multiple teams are two of the requirements needed to win a championship and there are really only two ways for us to get there. The first is to find additional marketing partners for a second, third and fourth car, and the other is to align with another team that is interested in the same opportunities. For months we have been talking to multiple sponsors and teams, and while one of those teams is Robert Yates Racing, we have not purchased Robert's program."(John Story, General Manager and CEO, Robby Gordon Motorsports)(8-15-2006)
Hmmm, my first reaction was akin to how I felt hearing Bill Clinton tell the folks who voted him into office that he never had sex with Monica Lewinsky. AH... but imagine having this story come out while you're having talks with M&M/Mars (a deal probably worth around $20 mil per year) and Citi bank (probably around $10m). This John Story fellow had better reasons to lie about Monica than Slick Willie did.
In the mean time, the Sirius satellite radio program came on at 2 central, and host Dave Moody decided since he didn't hear this from "legitimate" media, there was NO WAY it could be true. But that's not enough...he called me a "crack-pipe smoker" and a "media wanna-be". And the one that REALLY hurt..he called me a "WIENER". I called his silly show to try to explain that I actually HAVE been doing this for awhile and that I really MIGHT have good sources built up over the years, but I found myself getting pissed at his total lack of respect. (Besides, when I told him I had more listeners than HE did, he turned from being rude to just plain ugly. Which is understandable). They terminated my call and proceeded to make fun of this website, and MOCKED us. A true professional. You know you truly have made the big time when you are named an MRN backstretch announcer. His daily show originates from NASCAR's headquarters in Daytona, so you can just imagine the unbiased opinions he is allowed to have.
Right now, the racing world believes that this never was a story in the first place, and that you just can't trust some guy in Milwaukee to get a story as big as this one before you read a press release.
Thanks to all those who can keep an open mind. My biggest error was saying this will happen this week, as it looks like it may not happen until next week. He who laughs last...
--Todd Behling
