The Spin Out Zone – NASCAR.COM’s Track Smack Guys Get Bumped

Hold on – here is the bump and the SPIN OUT!

For a few minutes every Wednesday I read Track Smack just to see what
NASCAR.com’s famous foursome are thinking about the hot topics of the week.
However, this week I am walking away wondering to myself why I even waste my
time.

Like so many of you, I spend a ton of time reading NASCAR articles from the
major media outlets to the smallest of web sites. After reading today’s Track
Smack, I am convinced that many of us little guys and gals writing our own
opinion columns on the Internet deserve the opportunity of doing Track Smack.
More importantly, give us the chance to ask the NASCAR.com’s BIG 4 the questions
instead of them throwing up soft ball questions where the answers are so tame
and predictable.

Most of the time, you’ll find their answers to be politically correct. For
example, this week’s first question was asking why only 43 cars are entering the
Winston Cup race again this week? Rodman, Smith and Smithson said money or
economics. Packman didn’t even answer. HELLO! Bro’s (as Marty Smith would say)
let’s be honest, yes of course it’s the money but, let’s look at the big
picture.

All the good to great drivers and teams have sponsors. What company in their
right financial mind wants to spend millions of dollars to sponsor a bad driver
or team? The cost of running a team has skyrocketed, so if you’re walking in the
shoes of the sponsors, ask yourself what is my return on investment? Look at the
sponsors who are forking out millions only to see their car consistently running
in the back of the pack. For them, it’s a marketing nightmare. But, even if a
company wants to play hardball with the big boys, they are competing with the
other sponsors who are locked in with great drivers. It’s kind of like LOVE,
when searching for that special someone, the good ones are all taken!

Companies normally have some sort of a performance model in place for their
employees. This leaves employees, management and investors asking why pay out
the big bucks for a driver who will pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars, if
not millions at their expense only to end up with poor performance levels each
week? Doesn’t follow their corporate performance model!

As for the future of seeing 43 cars at the track each and every weekend, I
believe the numbers will come back when teams take a serious look at both talent
and desire vs. only desire to drive. Sponsoring a car whether in Winston Cup or
Busch makes perfect sense for a company lucky enough to be teamed up with a
winning team. They’ll get the most for their marketing dollar. But a company
that is basically paying the same, however teamed up with a loosing team won’t
stick around long. They’re getting squat for their investment. So moving
forward, we’ll see more sponsors making lateral moves similar to that move made
by Lowe’s. Let’s face it, Skinner did nothing for Lowe’s, however NOW Jimmie
Johnson has Lowe’s sitting above Home Depot on the track. Rumors have M&M’s
moving to another team and Duke’s is about done with the #90. Which brings me to
Hooter’s, wonder if they are re-thinking that deal?

So dude’s of Track Smack, the politically correct answer is yes, it’s the
money. The REAL reason is NO ONE wants to sponsor a driver and team that doesn’t
have the talent to stay up front. It’s not really the cost per say, but the cost
per performance!

This weeks SPIN OUT goes to – the Track Smack Boys! For avoiding the REAL
SMACK and tip toeing around the TRACK!

Until next week, happy bumping!