NASCAR’s front-runners feel an urge to merge
Teams fielding or building toward four-car powerhouses that cost less per car to operate and generate high levels of technical information are becoming the standard. That's fine for those with money to compete, but jeopardizes the little guy who historically has depended on a passion for racing as much as cash.
Jack Roush, winner of two Nextel Cup titles, set the bar in February when he sold half of his racing empire, which includes five Cup entries, to John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group, whose holdings include the Boston Red Sox.
Since then, operations bearing many of the sport's biggest names — Dale Earnhardt Inc., Robert Yates Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing — have taken on partners at the Cup or Busch series levels.
Monday, another of NASCAR's top owners, Ray Evernham, announced he'd sold majority ownership in his racing operation, which includes three Cup teams, to George Gillett Jr., owner of hockey's Montreal Canadiens and Liverpool of the English Premier soccer league.
It's a sign of the times that few men can do it all.
"It's a sign of the expense of Cup Racing as well as the degree of difficulty in being competitive," says Max Muhleman, president of Charlotte-based Muhleman Marketing Inc., a pioneer in corporate sports marketing with a history of motorsports involvement. "The expense and the degree of difficulty have never been higher." More at USA Today
[Editor's Note: How much are these mergers driven by the fear of Toyota coming into Nextel Cup? Toyota are now dominating the truck series after laying low for a year and taking their lumps. Are the traditional NASCAR teams afraid of the Japanese powerhouse and feel the need to merge and strengthen before Toyota destroys them?]