97forever
Team Owner
Well, hell.
I looked back four pages and didnt see any topics on how the deep financial troubles faced by the Big Three US automakers could in theory impact Nascar.
Thats not to say this hasnt been discussed here, and if so I apologize for rehashing it. I just dont get by here as often as I once did.
Call this an exercise in speculative thinking, then.
Ok, anyway, as of this morning as reported on Fox News, GM shares are down to a staggering low of TWO DOLLARS per share. Thats right. A twenty gets you ten share.
Any verification you need for the troubles facing that company are literally all over the net, tv, newspaper, etc.
Chrysler, of course, is in even worse shape, and is very very unlikly to exist as a US nameplate in the near future.
Ford, make no mistake, is also suffering from this economic downturn, but fortunately had enough sense not beg shamelessly at the feet of Government. (At least not to the extent GM and Mopar did.)
(Also, while we are speaking of US automakers, Toyota is now a player in Nascar so must be mentioned too.
And even the Japanese giant is, for the first time in decades, feeling a pinch in car sales.)
Anyhow, or main focus here is GM primarily, as a loss of any of the other three nameplates would be much less impacting. And how the loss of factory support due to cut backs by that automaker could(and will) affect Nascar .
For the record, of 43 cars in any given top tier Nascar event, the Chevy nameplate will represent plus 40% of the cars in the field, usually running between 18-20 teams. Chevy is still all about field-saturation racing: "out number the competition and you have to win more".
The problem is, Nascar has come to almost rely on that. At times, GM could almost keep Nascar afloat single-handedly. The sheer spending power of Car salesman/felon Rick Hendrick alone is certainly staggering in and of itself.
But thats beside the point and not even in actuality where the sanctioning body's biggest problem lies. The biggest problem is that, through either very shrewd business savvy or outright hoodwinking and politicking, Chevy controls almost every single top 't-shirt and cap' driver. All the top money guys.
Gordon, the Earnhardt legacy, Johnson, now even Stewart. Poor old good guy Mark Martin even. And thats just Hendrick alone, lets not forget RCR and the whole Earnhardt sr. mythos and Kevin Havawreck.
So?
So Nascar is very very dependent on the money the Chevrolet brandname COMBINED with the Chevrolet drivers name recognition and merchandising clout bring to the table.
Face it: Dodge could fold tomorrow(and might any day now in fact) and barely cause a ripple. Penske would have his drivers retro-fitted into Toyota's faster than hell would burn kindling. The other Dodge teams would just become non factory supported jokes: in other words, about what they are as it is.
Toyota and Ford, thanks to Gibbs and Roush, have slight barganing power, of course, but combined they are not the money maker Chevy/Hendrick/RCR/the Earnhardt name is by any means at all.
In summation, simply, For Nascar to survive as we know it GM(Chevrolet specifically) must survive as recognizable and distinct as we know it as well.
Nothing is out there to fill the void in Nascar of a Chevy factory support collapse.Even IF each former bowtie driver were dropped into Fords and Toyotas, the LOSS of fans would be staggering. Admit it, you Gordon and Earnhardt fans dont wont to see Jeff or Jr drive for Roush anymore than I would want to see Edwards in an Impala.
So the cut-back, (and yes, google it, its a certainty,) of Chevy racing programs is very interesting.
Terry Dolan of GM racing said this back in November, well before the situation were as grim as it is now in February:
"From a NASCAR standpoint, we're fully committed to fulfill the agreements we have in place," Dolan said. "We've built a program over the years that has paid some quality dividends back to General Motors, between winning races and winning championships and having a strong alliance with the fan base, it's a good platform for Chevrolet and a tool to sell vehicles.
"What has to happen, though, I think, whether it's us or any other key sponsor looking at the sport, is to determine if the current cost that it takes to participate is consistent with other opportunities in the marketplace? IF NOT, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WAYS TO REMAIN COST EFFECTIVE."
Yeah, and that happened, well, yesterday most likely.
Five billion more or so for Chrysler, GM begging for scraps from the Obama Administration. Nascar, rest assured, is watching this very closely.
And that begs the question then, especially given the history of Chevy ass kissing Nascar has always practiced: is it not at all possible that Nascar itself could toss a little bailout money towards Chevy? Say ten billion or so?
Or is it possible that Nascar inc, could outright buy out General Motors? Or does Nascar lack the funds for such an endeavor?
The scenarios are staggering. Back door deals between a newly formed alliance of ,say, France and Hendrick, negotiations with Waggoner and stock holders meetings...that damned UAW head dude thrown in. Crazy stuff.
I dont know. Todays economic crap keeps me confused anyway.
What do you folks think? What does Nascar and/or GM do? How would a major player pull out affect the sport in your opinion?
I looked back four pages and didnt see any topics on how the deep financial troubles faced by the Big Three US automakers could in theory impact Nascar.
Thats not to say this hasnt been discussed here, and if so I apologize for rehashing it. I just dont get by here as often as I once did.
Call this an exercise in speculative thinking, then.
Ok, anyway, as of this morning as reported on Fox News, GM shares are down to a staggering low of TWO DOLLARS per share. Thats right. A twenty gets you ten share.
Any verification you need for the troubles facing that company are literally all over the net, tv, newspaper, etc.
Chrysler, of course, is in even worse shape, and is very very unlikly to exist as a US nameplate in the near future.
Ford, make no mistake, is also suffering from this economic downturn, but fortunately had enough sense not beg shamelessly at the feet of Government. (At least not to the extent GM and Mopar did.)
(Also, while we are speaking of US automakers, Toyota is now a player in Nascar so must be mentioned too.
And even the Japanese giant is, for the first time in decades, feeling a pinch in car sales.)
Anyhow, or main focus here is GM primarily, as a loss of any of the other three nameplates would be much less impacting. And how the loss of factory support due to cut backs by that automaker could(and will) affect Nascar .
For the record, of 43 cars in any given top tier Nascar event, the Chevy nameplate will represent plus 40% of the cars in the field, usually running between 18-20 teams. Chevy is still all about field-saturation racing: "out number the competition and you have to win more".
The problem is, Nascar has come to almost rely on that. At times, GM could almost keep Nascar afloat single-handedly. The sheer spending power of Car salesman/felon Rick Hendrick alone is certainly staggering in and of itself.
But thats beside the point and not even in actuality where the sanctioning body's biggest problem lies. The biggest problem is that, through either very shrewd business savvy or outright hoodwinking and politicking, Chevy controls almost every single top 't-shirt and cap' driver. All the top money guys.
Gordon, the Earnhardt legacy, Johnson, now even Stewart. Poor old good guy Mark Martin even. And thats just Hendrick alone, lets not forget RCR and the whole Earnhardt sr. mythos and Kevin Havawreck.
So?
So Nascar is very very dependent on the money the Chevrolet brandname COMBINED with the Chevrolet drivers name recognition and merchandising clout bring to the table.
Face it: Dodge could fold tomorrow(and might any day now in fact) and barely cause a ripple. Penske would have his drivers retro-fitted into Toyota's faster than hell would burn kindling. The other Dodge teams would just become non factory supported jokes: in other words, about what they are as it is.
Toyota and Ford, thanks to Gibbs and Roush, have slight barganing power, of course, but combined they are not the money maker Chevy/Hendrick/RCR/the Earnhardt name is by any means at all.
In summation, simply, For Nascar to survive as we know it GM(Chevrolet specifically) must survive as recognizable and distinct as we know it as well.
Nothing is out there to fill the void in Nascar of a Chevy factory support collapse.Even IF each former bowtie driver were dropped into Fords and Toyotas, the LOSS of fans would be staggering. Admit it, you Gordon and Earnhardt fans dont wont to see Jeff or Jr drive for Roush anymore than I would want to see Edwards in an Impala.
So the cut-back, (and yes, google it, its a certainty,) of Chevy racing programs is very interesting.
Terry Dolan of GM racing said this back in November, well before the situation were as grim as it is now in February:
"From a NASCAR standpoint, we're fully committed to fulfill the agreements we have in place," Dolan said. "We've built a program over the years that has paid some quality dividends back to General Motors, between winning races and winning championships and having a strong alliance with the fan base, it's a good platform for Chevrolet and a tool to sell vehicles.
"What has to happen, though, I think, whether it's us or any other key sponsor looking at the sport, is to determine if the current cost that it takes to participate is consistent with other opportunities in the marketplace? IF NOT, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WAYS TO REMAIN COST EFFECTIVE."
Yeah, and that happened, well, yesterday most likely.
Five billion more or so for Chrysler, GM begging for scraps from the Obama Administration. Nascar, rest assured, is watching this very closely.
And that begs the question then, especially given the history of Chevy ass kissing Nascar has always practiced: is it not at all possible that Nascar itself could toss a little bailout money towards Chevy? Say ten billion or so?
Or is it possible that Nascar inc, could outright buy out General Motors? Or does Nascar lack the funds for such an endeavor?
The scenarios are staggering. Back door deals between a newly formed alliance of ,say, France and Hendrick, negotiations with Waggoner and stock holders meetings...that damned UAW head dude thrown in. Crazy stuff.
I dont know. Todays economic crap keeps me confused anyway.
What do you folks think? What does Nascar and/or GM do? How would a major player pull out affect the sport in your opinion?
from attending any future NASCAR events.
