Daily NASCAR

I don’t understand JR Motorsports. They spend an awful lot of time complaining about their money situation. Dale Jr. advertised how much the wrecks cost him at Daytona; and they seem to constantly be advertising their struggle to find sponsorship (welcome to the club). And lest you think otherwise their team spokesman is more than willing to underscore how much Jr. is putting into the team out of his own pocket. So what do they do? They decide they’re going to run a car full time that they don’t appear to have fully funded. What!?

Apparently it was just too good of a team not to run full-time. And That’s fine. I’m happy for Scott Wimmer. Certainly Wimmer is a proven winner in the Nationwide Series and he’s a little easier sell to sponsors. When he’s in good equipment he’s shown he can be competitive. But why the sudden change in rhetoric?

Maybe they do have money lined up for this team. Maybe this weekend is a way for them to cement some deal. Or perhaps they lined something up for the #88 and had enough money from another deal to keep this thing going. I don’t know.

If they don’t though I hope for their sake they’re not going to try the ‘let’s run well and hope we impress a sponsor strategy.’ We saw how well that worked for Ganassi, not once but twice. Ask Aric Almirola and Dario Franchitti (and all the people who got laid off). Or how about RAB Racing, a team that really doesn’t have any money, trying to make a go at a full-time run this season with Scott Riggs (right now their asking fans to help sponsor their ride). This strategy generally has one certain result: lost money.

Unfortunately waiting and hoping you can quickly put a deal together just isn’t very realistic, especially in the Nationwide Series. You can get away with running a competitive truck team (and not lose your ass) by piecemealing different small deals; it’s substantially harder in the Nationwide Series (unless Junior is willing to lose some money).

It’s fine if they want to run a team full-time without full funding. I don’t care. But quit talking about your money issues and how much everything is going to cost you. We get it at this point.

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If you watched the Nationwide race this weekend it was hard not to notice the two white Fords. Normally this paint scheme (or lack thereof) is saved for those underfunded, or unfunded programs, with little known, or older drivers. Not the case here. The team’s both came out of the Roush Fenway stable and piloting the cars were two of the sport’s brightest young prospects: Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The sight of those unsponsored Roush cars was certainly odd. This is a team that is among the best in the garage at selling sponsorship (not so much keeping it though) and certainly one of the most competitive in the Nationwide Series.

This season the team has both of the rides in question partially funded by existing deals with Conway Freight and Citi Financial, but up to now has been unable to lock down deals to fund the cars for the whole season.

If this was just about any other organization this might be a source of concern for the drivers; think JR Motorsports, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Fortunately for these guys that’s not the case at Roush.

As odd as it may seem to see a team like Roush run without sponsorship, especially that blatantly, this is not the first time Roush has run one of its teams without a primary sponsor. Carl Edwards ran a good portion of the 2003 truck schedule without sponsorship and other Roush prospects have done the same, including Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., David Ragan, and Colin Braun.

While this may seem a lesson in how to lose money, it really says so much more.

The commitment of  Jack Roush to his development program and its drivers shines through in this moment (and others like it). Few owners these days are willing to give young, untested drivers the opportunity to show what they’re  made of without funding. Not Jack Roush. His commitment to drivers he sees as future stars, or at the very least worth developing further, is highly commendable.

On top of that it signals to potential sponsors Roush’s commitment to keep those teams running in spite of adversity. It says with Roush you’ll find stability and you’ll find an owner willing to put performance and future development above the almighty dollar. It says this isn’t a team that’s going anywhere.

In a world where money has become a synonym for talent, I respect Jack Roush’s willingness to find real talent without deep pockets. He’s using his fortune to help those without it, and usher in the stars of tomorrow. It’s a shame there aren’t more owners willing or able to do the same thing because, after all, isn’t this the way things ought to be?

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by Holly Cain

Filed under: Nationwide Series, Danica Patrick

The second stop on NASCAR’s “Danica Live Tour” is at California Speedway this weekend and really, is there any more appropriate setting than the land of red carpets and bright spotlights for Danica Patrick to meet her next racing challenge?

In a place that rewards fame as much as substance, Patrick is intent on having both.

She, more than anyone else in American racing, is thriving on this masterfully mixed potion of sports and celebrity.

Patrick’s racing talents — she is the first woman to win an IndyCar race — and magazine-cover looks and personality have give her a world of opportunities away from the track. Her off-track pursuits and exposure have created a demand and financial support for her behind the wheel.

And she makes no apologies for that. Nor should she.

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We are hearing that 19 year old driver Marc Davis will return to the Nationwide Series next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Sam’s Town 300.  He will be behind the wheel of the #58 Macys.com Cavi Chevrolet for XXXtreme Motorsport.

Davis, fresh off a third place run in the ASA’s Freestate 500 in South Africa, last appeared in the Truck Series at Homestead at the end of 2009, and his most recent Nationwide Series start was at Nashville in June of ‘09.

It’s been a tough off-season for the young driver from Maryland with the devastating loss of his father and team owner Harry in January.  Harry was Marc’s biggest supporter, and an advocate for diversity in NASCAR.  But even with the hardship, our source tells us the team is hoping to put more support together to run additional races in 2010.

Expect an announcement from the team very soon.

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As I write this the countdown for the Daytona 500 is entering it’s final hours. While NASCAR’s biggest race has yet to begin, the week’s other events have provided an exciting lead-in. On Thursday, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne won their respective duels to secure positions on the second row for the 500. The Truck Series and Nationwide Series took to the track on Saturday. Tony Stewart won the Nationwide race for the second straight year and Timothy Peters edged out Todd Bodine to score his second Series win. This is the NASCAR week that was February 7 to 13, 2010.

Welcome to NASCAR, Danica – now kick butt

Wrecked cars will cost Dale Jr’s teams around $200,000

Back home, JPM’s move struggling for acceptance

ESPN Changes Reap Big Rewards

Strolling through NASCAR’s storied Daytona Beach history

Vintage Insiders

I Gotta Question About Firesuits

Start And Park Teams Aren’t Ruining NASCAR

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

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