Friday, August 18, 2017
Keselowski’s Truck Withdrawal Part Of A Larger Plan
Brad Keselowski
announced yesterday that he will close the doors on his successful NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series team at season’s end, leaving drivers Chase Briscoe
and Austin Cindric without clear options for 2018 and beyond.
Speaking to the
media today at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series champion – and 23-time event winner – said that while the decision was
difficult, it is part of a larger business plan that could see him return to the
sport in the future.
Keselowski has repeatedly
said that his Truck Series team operated in the red, losing money each season
despite being a perennial winner and championship contender. Asked if that lack
of profitability played a major role in his decision to close the doors, he
said, “There were a lot of decisions that went into it. There wasn’t
really one reason, but at some point, every business needs to have some
profitability. But I never went into it expecting to make money, so I can’t
really blame that. Everybody is losing a little, but that was one of the
factors. I wouldn’t say it was the only one.”
While admitting
that he has plans for the current BKR facility, Keselowski cautioned that “we’re
not ready to announce anything.” He hinted that his future plans could involve
building a new business within the current BKR facility that eventually becomes
a race team partner.
“It’s an idea,
absolutely,” he said. “If you look at all the business owners at this level –
and really all three of these levels – they have a sustainable, profitable
business outside of motorsports. That’s going to remain the key for any owner
to have success.
“The reality is,
I can only be a race car driver for so long. When that time comes up, my
business will have to shut down, because I don’t have a profit center. Having
that profit center is what helps you get through the ebbs and flows that every
race team has.
“I need to have
one of those profit centers. That doesn’t mean that I’ll be a Cup owner
one day, but it means when the time is right -- if we achieve the goals that I
have -- I’ll have the opportunity to make that decision myself and not have it
made for me.
“I know where I
want to go and we’re in the middle of putting all that together,” he
added. “Until it’s together, I don’t want to get too far down the road
with it. But I know that I’m committed to the facility and the community to
have an operational and functioning business in that area. I plan to do just
that. Hopefully, that opens a spot to retain a good number of our people.”
He also said he
plans to retain most of the team’s equipment and assets, adding, “The trucks
and parts go out of style and are irrelevant so quickly that I’m going to
liquidate that. But a good part of the equipment that we have I’m going to keep
and utilize for future opportunities.”
Keselowski
called the process of informing his drivers and employees “very difficult,” adding
“I feel like we’ll be able to find a good home for probably 75 percent of the
group. Whether that’s new business opportunities, Team Penske or different
things… I still need people within the fold that I have. I feel
really bad for the 25 percent that I’m not going to be able to find a spot for,
but I’m wishing them the best and thankful for their help over the years.
“Being a
business owner, it’s more about the people than anything else,” he said. “You
care about them. They give you their all and you want to give them your
all. In some ways, you feel like you’re letting them down when
you’re not able to keep it going, so that’s never any fun.”
Despite his unexpected
withdrawal and that of Red Horse Racing just a few weeks ago, Keselowski said
he believes the NCWTS is still strong.
“The Truck
Series has been around a long time,” he said. “It’s going to be around a lot
longer than me, so I’m not so self-centered to think that series is based
solely on my team and participation. It’ll be around. It’ll be all
right. I don’t know where the future is going to take me in my life. I
know that I’m trying to be positioned to have as many opportunities as possible
to kind of control what (my future) might be, and this is a necessary step business-wise
to have those opportunities.
“It’s not really
the most pleasurable (decision) to undertake. In fact, it really kind of
stinks. But it was the right move long-term and I’m hopeful that it works out
for the best.”
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Harvick: Earnhardt "Stunting The Growth Of NASCAR"
Former
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick pulled no punches last
night when talking about the imminent retirement of fellow driver Dale
Earnhardt, Jr., saying the sport’s perennial Most Popular Driver “had a big
part in stunting the growth of NASCAR” by not winning enough races.
Speaking
on his weekly Sirius XM NASCAR Radio show “Happy
Hours,” the 2014 series champion said he is puzzled by the popularity of Earnhardt,
who has won just nine races in the last 10 seasons.
“He
is the most popular driver, but did he have the credentials to back up being
the highest paid driver in the sport? Probably not,” said Harvick. He was the
most popular driver in the sport (and) he could demand a huge sum of money,
because he brought things in from the souvenir side of things and a popularity
side of things, that other drivers didn’t. He earned his money a different way.
It wasn’t from a performance base.
“This
is where some of the growth in this sport has not reached the levels that it
should have,” he added. Because our most popular driver hasn’t been our most
successful driver.
“When you look at other sports; basketball (and) football --
and you look at their most popular (athletes) -- they’re also right up there at
the top of the list as their most successful. So, I believe that Dale Jr. has
had a big part in kind of stunting the growth of NASCAR, because he’s got these
legions of fans. (He has) this huge outreach, being able to reach different
places that none of us have the possibility to reach. But he’s won 9 races in
10 years at Hendrick Motorsports.
Harvick
admitted that “these aren’t the most popular comments,” but insisted “those are
real-life facts that you can look up on the stat sheet.”
Harvick
said Earnhardt’s massive fan base is “totally confusing to me,” adding that “Jimmie
Johnson should be our most popular guy, because he’s won seven championships.
But when you look at the souvenir sheets every week, he’s 3-4-5, coming off of
a championship year.
“That
part is a little bit confusing.”
Harvick
said Earnhardt’s late father, Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Sr. “became Dale
Earnhardt because of the fact that he won seven championships and was out there
grinding every week. That hasn’t happened (with Junior). The thing that makes
sports go around is success. The people… that are the most popular people in
other sports, win.”
“Lebron
James wins. Steph Curry wins. Peyton Manning won. That’s how you drive the
sport and take it to a new level; when your most popular guys are winning, week
after week after week. It’s so confusing to me, the whole scenario. I keep
bringing up Jimmie Johnson because he’s won seven championships. (We should be)
putting him on a pedestal with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, but it’s like
that doesn’t even register with everybody out there.”
Harvick
also discounted Earnhardt’s recent comments about declining driver salaries,
saying, “Dale’s never really been in a position -- since he’s been at Hendrick
Motorsports -- to understand where normal driver salaries even are.
“He’s always been the highest-paid guy in NASCAR. He’s been the guy that makes
the most money.
“Hendrick
Motorsports is about to go through a total reset,” he said. “For years, they’ve
had the highest-paid athletes in motorsports on their team. Now, with Jeff
Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kasey Kahne exiting within a two-year period,
it’s a complete re-branding. Sure it’s going to lower the cost. Hendrick Motorsports
has had the highest paid drivers for a number of years, with Jeff Gordon and
the highest paid driver, Dale Jr.
“(In
2018), they’re going to have some of the lowest payroll with three of their
drivers. They’re going to lean on Jimmie Johnson to be the veteran guy and lead
the company; teaching those guys how to race. And they’re going to have to pay
him more than the other three guys combined, in order to take that role and
push Hendrick Motorsports forward.”
Monday, August 07, 2017
COMMENTARY: "Right-Sizing" Proving Painful For Veteran Drivers
Kahne is out at HMS
Three of NASCAR’s biggest
names are currently “at leisure” for the 2018 season; a fact that many observers
struggle to understand.
Hendrick Motorsports confirmed
today that Kasey Kahne has
been released from the final year of his contract, freeing him to explore other
opportunities for 2018 and beyond. Last week, Stewart Haas Racing declined to
exercise its contract option on Kurt Busch, while Matt Kenseth currently has no
ride lined up for next season, after losing his spot with Joe Gibbs Racing.
How
do three proven drivers with a combined 85 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
wins and two series championships find themselves on the outside, looking in?
And while we’re at it, how does Greg Biffle – a former Xfinity and Camping
World Truck Series champion with 19 career MENCS wins -- languish on the
sidelines while drivers with a small fraction of his resume continue to compete
every week?
The
answer comes down to money, or the lack thereof.
“Kasey
has worked extremely hard,” said team owner Rick Hendrick in announcing Kahne’s
impending departure. “He’s a tremendous teammate and person, and he has been
totally dedicated to our program since day one.”
Kurt Busch is a free agent...
All
of that is unquestionably true. Unfortunately, Kahne is also a veteran driver
who expects a certain level of compensation for his labor. And like Kenseth,
Busch and Biffle, Kahne’s desired level of compensation makes him expendable in
these changing economic times.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – who owns
a top NASCAR Xfinity Series team in addition to his driving duties with
Hendrick Motorsports – explained the realities of today’s NASCAR to NBCSports.com recently, saying, “You’ve
got a guy who you think has got a lot of talent (and) a lot of potential, and a
veteran who is established but wants three, four, five, six times the amount of
money. You’re going to go with the younger guy, because it’s a better deal
financially.”
...as is Kenseth.
Earnhardt said that in an era
where sponsorship is increasingly difficult to come by, drivers can no longer
write their own check when it comes to salary.
“The trickle-down effect is
coming through in the drivers’ contracts and making a big difference in the
decisions these owners are making,” said Earnhardt. “You can’t pay a driver 5ドル to 8ドル
million a year, if you ain’t got but 10ドル million worth of sponsorship.”
And
that, my friends, is the rub.
It’s
not 1998 anymore. The days when a sponsor would happily stroke a check for 30ドル
million per year are long gone, and they’re not coming back anytime soon. The
number of sponsors willing (or able) to fund an entire, 38-race season can
easily be counted on the fingers of one hand. And as sponsorship wanes, teams
must respond by cutting payroll, slashing expenses and paring their operation
closer to the bone than ever before.
End
result?
Biffle: Still sidelined
A
proven commodity like Kenseth finds himself jettisoned in favor of 21-year old
newcomer Erik Jones, who will win races and contend for championships while
cashing a much smaller paycheck than the man he replaced.
Busch
has his contract option declined by Stewart Haas Racing, who will almost
certainly attempt to ink a new pact with the former series champion, at a lower
rate of compensation.
Biffle
– who sources say was near the top of Richard Petty’s wish list when Aric Almirola
was sidelined by injury earlier this season – gets passed over in favor of 23-year
old Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, in large measure due to the gaping disparity in
their pay demands.
And
Kahne is let go by Hendrick Motorsports, likely in favor of young William
Byron; a wildly talented 19-year old who will race competitively for less money
than Kahne likely has scattered beneath his couch cushions.
NASCAR
has recently come face-to-face with a difficult (though arguably long overdue) period
of right-sizing. The days when mid-pack drivers owned their own private jets
are long gone. The team owner’s helicopter went up for sale years ago, and the
mountain chalet is now a luxury, rather than a necessity.
There
is a leaner, meaner NASCAR on the horizon, and the transition will be
uncomfortable for some. In the end, though, we will ultimately get back to what
the sport was supposed to be about all along, racing instead of revenue
BREAKING: Kahne, Hendrick To Part At Season's End
Hendrick Motorsports has announced that Kasey Kahne has been
released from the final year of his contract, allowing him to immediately
pursue opportunities for 2018.
“Kasey has worked extremely hard,” said Rick Hendrick, owner
of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s a tremendous teammate and person, and he has
been totally dedicated to our program since day one. I’ve always believed that
he’s a special talent, and I know he will thrive in the right situation. We
will do everything we can to finish the season as strong as we can.”
Kahne, 37, will complete the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series schedule
for Hendrick Motorsports. He was signed by the organization in April 2010,
nearly two years before his February 2012 debut in its No. 5 Chevrolet. Now in
their sixth season together, Kahne has earned six of his 18 career
points-paying Cup victories with the No. 5 team.
“I’d like to thank Rick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports
for their hard work and dedication, along with providing me a great opportunity
and success over the last six years,” said Kahne, who most recently won July 23
at Indianapolis. “We won six races together and I'm coming off of one of the
biggest wins of my career at the Brickyard, which has given the (No.) 5 team a
lot of momentum heading into the playoffs. We still have a lot of racing left
in 2017 and finishing strong is our top priority. I look forward to what the
next chapter in my career holds.”
Hendrick Motorsports will announce 2018 plans for its
four-car operation at a later date.
Busch, Keselowski Offer Differing Views On Mid-Race Crash
Busch was fuming after the race.
Kyle Busch stalked away from
his M&Ms Caramel Toyota following Sunday’s I Love New York 355 at The Glen; trailed by a pack of reporters
anxious to witness a promised, post-race dustup between the Joe Gibbs Racing
driver and rival Brad Keselowski, who had tangled on-track earlier in the day.
Despite an earlier warning
that his crew “better keep me away from that @#$%& after the race,” Busch
disappointed the media entourage, walking straight to his team’s transporter
without so much as a sideways glance toward Keselowski.
Their lap-45 crash – as well
as an earlier pit road miscue that dropped him to the tail of the field –
ruined what appeared to be a dominating day for the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR
Cup Series champion, dashing his hopes of sweep the WGI weekend and claiming
his second consecutive MENCS checkered flag.
The two raced side-by-side
into The Glen’s tricky “bus stop;” a right-left-left-right chicane that is
difficult to negotiate, even in single-file formation. They banged doors and
spun, with Busch unable to re-fire until he had fallen nearly a half-lap behind
the leaders. Both drivers were forced to pit shortly afterward for tires and
body repairs, effectively ending their hopes for Victory Lane.
Kyle led early...
Busch rebounded to seventh at
the finish, with Keselowski 15th after driving through too many pit
stalls on his final stop and serving a NASCAR penalty.
"I was going in the
corner and I had (AJ Allmendinger) behind me,” explained Keselowski afterward. “I
got to the corner and my spotter said `somebody there.’ I had already gotten to
the corner and by then I was already committed.
"I
think he was probably committed (as well). It looked like he tried to make a
big move from a couple of car lengths back and it was more than what there was
room for. It probably didn't help either one of us. It was a bummer.”
Asked for his post-race take
on the incident, Busch said simply, "Imagine that. I couldn't tell you
(what happened). I haven't seen (the replay)."
Brad led late...
Busch and Keselowski have had
their moments before on the 2.454-mile road course. In 2012, Busch spun after last-lap
contact from Keselowski on an oil-slicked race track, ending his hopes for
victory.
Earlier this season, they tangled
on the opening lap of a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan International
Speedway in June, and following a similar dust-up at Bristol Motor Speedway in
2016, Busch called Keselowski “a dirty racer.”
This time around, however, both
drivers likely owned a share of the blame, whether they accept it or not.
"This is a track where
you fight for inches,” countered Keselowski. And we both are probably not
willing to give in. It didn't help my day at all either, I can tell you that. I
wasn't looking to get into him and I don't think he was looking to get into me.
He probably had the dominant car. He didn't need any trouble. Neither did I.
After viewing the post-race videotape,
Busch later tweeted that he “was going to make the corner just fine until I got
drilled in my right side door.”
Asked if he expects to talk
through the incident before this weekend’s race at MIS, Keselowski said, “I
don’t think (Busch) is really the listening type.
“So that is pretty doubtful.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)