Are Cup Teams Trying To Minimize Damage Of GM’s Pullout?
Hendrick Motorsports
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General Motors’ decision to significantly cut its financial support to the Sprint Cup Series is very troubling.
The bankrupt automaker had already announced it was pulling most, if not all, of its support to the undercard series, namely the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.
But pulling support from the Sprint Cup level is like George Steinbrenner pulling his financial support of the New York Yankees.
Since GM made the announcement on Wednesday, we’ve heard from various Cup team owners optimistically saying that they feel they’ll be able to make up the difference of the lost GM cash with new sponsorship from other companies.
But at the same time, Rick Hendrick admits he’s having trouble getting Kellogg’s and Carquest to sign on the bottom line for next season.
If a guy like Hendrick – the most successful and most powerful team owner in the sport – is having trouble convincing current partners to re-up for next year, it’s pretty clear he’s trying to minimize publicly what significant damage he’s really facing.
If Hendrick Motorsports can’t keep or attract new sponsors, especially with having won the last three Cup championships, what makes NASCAR or other team owners think they can so easily and readily replace any money that will be lost from GM’s pullback?
Frankly, I’m willing to bet that the multi-car teams like Hendrick, Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, are going to lose at least one car from their operations if things don’t improve by 2011.
That’s right, roughly 18 months from now, if the economy doesn’t come back significantly and a “new” GM emerges from bankruptcy but with a significantly smaller support package for Chevy teams, don’t be surprised if HMS and the other operations start contracting and cutting more personnel, if not entire teams.
I especially wouldn’t want to be in Richard Childress’ shoes right now. After years of coveting an increase from three to four teams in his Cup operation, he was finally able to add that coveted fourth team this year with the acquisition of Casey Mears.
But with Chevy cash going away, don’t be surprised if Mears’ team goes almost as fast as it came.
And what about HMS? If it has to eventually scale back from four to three teams, who goes? Jimmie Johnson? Is Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team forced into retirement? Is Mark Martin’s comeback going to be stopped before he hits full stride? Or, God forbid, would Hendrick be forced to cut Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
It’s funny how just a few years ago, there was so much consternation when NASCAR chairman Brian France decided to limit the number of teams any one owner could own to four.
But with the way things are going, with the most recent turn of events being GM’s scaling back, we may soon be talking about limiting team owners to three – or maybe even two teams, not by NASCAR mandate, but rather out of sheer fiscal necessity.
Have a good weekend, everyone. We’ll catch you back here on Monday.
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