Tony Raines

E

esorlxaw

Guest
Folks:
So, as most of you know, one of the things I was most excited about this upcoming season was the number 74, BACE motorsports team finding a sponsor. As we have seen, there has been not number 74 to grace the track thus far. It seems, as I found at www.tonyraines.com, that the inability to find a sponsor for Tony and the Nextel team has led them to not have the 74 running this year.
Most sad is that Tony did a very impressive job in a car that remained mostly unsponsored all year long. While not only being a competent racer, he was far from a field filler and was able to intermittantly pull of some excellent finishes. He, as far as I can remember, did nothing that would lead us to name a boner move after him "Pulling a Foyt or Sauter" and was nothing but the picture of class on and off the track. However, this man could not get a sponsor...I'm sure I was one of many who said, "if he could do that well without a sponsor, imagine what he could do with a well funded team". Alas, we may never know. It's a shame to see drivers move up in the ranks to sponsored and well funded teams without having much experience in the series. I've seen some great teams given a young, brash driver to work with who have already started to show signs of terribility (i made that word up) within the first two races. If only Tony could have found a home at one of those teams, I'm sure we'd have witnessed the evolution of a great racer.
Okay, I'm done.
 
Tony Raines is a damn good driver and worthy of a car in Nextel. That 74 team couldnt really compete last year with your DEI RCR Roush Hendricks but they held there own and had some good finishes. Its too bad Nascar is getting so expensive its really driving out alot of sponsers and good drivers.
 
Originally posted by esorlxaw@Feb 26 2004, 01:59 AM
Folks:
So, as most of you know, one of the things I was most excited about this upcoming season was the number 74, BACE motorsports team finding a sponsor. As we have seen, there has been not number 74 to grace the track thus far. It seems, as I found at www.tonyraines.com, that the inability to find a sponsor for Tony and the Nextel team has led them to not have the 74 running this year.
Most sad is that Tony did a very impressive job in a car that remained mostly unsponsored all year long. While not only being a competent racer, he was far from a field filler and was able to intermittantly pull of some excellent finishes. He, as far as I can remember, did nothing that would lead us to name a boner move after him "Pulling a Foyt or Sauter" and was nothing but the picture of class on and off the track. However, this man could not get a sponsor...I'm sure I was one of many who said, "if he could do that well without a sponsor, imagine what he could do with a well funded team". Alas, we may never know. It's a shame to see drivers move up in the ranks to sponsored and well funded teams without having much experience in the series. I've seen some great teams given a young, brash driver to work with who have already started to show signs of terribility (i made that word up) within the first two races. If only Tony could have found a home at one of those teams, I'm sure we'd have witnessed the evolution of a great racer.
Okay, I'm done.
Click to expand...
VERY well said, and I couldn't agree more. It is extremely sad to see drivers and teams like this not be in the field. Wonder why Nascar doesn't help a team like this when they're paying for those bogus field fillers?
 
I agree with you, I has never understood how so many drivers that have consistantly finished in the 'top 30' in points for many years can still have a ride and good drivers who no-doubt will have better finishing position are sitting on the side lines...is it sponsorship issues or is it called ride-buying? Nascash is really starting to look like American open wheel racing.
 
I agree with your assessment of Raines. I'm sure you know he is hardly the first driver to fall victim to the money game. I remember J.D.McDuffie back in the 70s. He had as much talent as anyone else, but didn't have the money to keep up. He won few races here and there, but he never won as many as he should have. And in all honesty, I think Johnny Benson falls into that catagory as well. I've always thought that if you put Mike Wallace in equal equipment, he'd run off and leave Rusty and Kenny also.
 
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