NASCAR Nation

by Chris Myers

  Good teams know that every member is important, whether it’s the driver, the crew chief, a pit-crew member, or supporting staff. They appreciate that getting good sponsors is important, and that they need their fans’ support. Teamwork isn’t possible without a good team. That’s why Hendrick Motorsports is willing to spend good money on its teams and its cars, which makes it such a remarkable team in NASCAR. No surprise, then, that both Johnson and Knaus are a part of Hendrick Motorsports. Ever since Rick Hendrick started it in 1984, it has been a winning team. Gordon’s No. 24 has crossed many a winning finish line as part of the Hendrick Motorsports team.

  Good teams work well under pressure and persevere through tragedy. In October 2004, Hendrick Motorsports suffered a great loss when a plane crash claimed the lives of eight of their senior members and Hendrick’s twin nieces. Imagine a team where some of the key players, the ones who hold the team together and organize the team, vanish in the blink of an eye. Only the strongest team would have the strength to pull together and keep going. When Johnson took the win later that day at the Subway 500 it was clear that the Hendrick Motorsports foundation was solid. The team was able to pull together in a time of sorrow and win.

  Another great NASCAR team is Roush Fenway Racing. Jack Roush was a driver who had driven dragsters in his day. He somewhat introduced Mark Martin into the greater NASCAR circuit, as Martin was a little-known driver at the time. Bobby Allison may have suggested Martin to Roush. It’s safe to say that it was probably skill, but it certainly wasn’t by being famous. Sometimes, if you want to find the very best people, you should ignore the spotlight, and look for someone who is good and honest and talented. They aren’t always the most recognizable or have the wealth and sponsorship behind them, at lesat until their talent is noticed. Someone has to be seeking out that talent. The owners who form the teams have to have an eye out for the best players, for the diamonds in the rough, the rookies and the veterans driving to the race track after years of hard work, sometimes without a lot of money to show for it. They can’t always go for the people who are set in the game – those people already have teams and sponsors. They’ve already been discovered.

  Martin turned out to be a great driver and a major key to the Hendrick’s team’s success. It’s all about who you have on your team. Though Martin wasn’t well-known when he started out, he certainly made a name for himself because he was given that chance. In the years since, Roush has added other drivers such as Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle to the team, and they’ve been winning ever since.

  It should be noted that Martin has now joined forces with Michael Waltrip Racing, and although now on a different team, he will continue to be one of the top drivers, as he has been for many years.

  A team needs all its players to succeed – crew chiefs, crew members, drivers, and owners. In the same respect, NASCAR depends on everyone, from its fans to its sponsors to the supportive families of the drivers and crew members. Just as a car needs all its parts to keep running, NASCAR needs every member of its community to function as a well-oiled machine. Teamwork is everything in NASCAR.

  The emphasis on the value of a good team has always been a part of NASCAR, but in recent years that value has been magnified. Drivers are making a habit of thanking their crews when they win and giving credit where credit is due. They’re always talking about what goes on back at the shop during the week before race day. They know that they are the stars on Sunday, but they remember who works seven days a week to make them shine.

  Racing is a multi-person, collaborative process. Some drivers used to be more hands-on, but the sport has become much more complex and specialized. Now there has to be good communication between all these people, even if they’re doing very different things. Crews ask for direct feedback from the driver, and the driver has to be a good communicator in order to give it. Good communication is essential for good teamwork. The driver can’t just say that the car doesn’t feel right; he has to work with the crew chief and figure out what’s wrong and what they need to do about it. Sometimes the problem is obvious, but sometimes it isn’t. In times like that, communication and good teamwork are everything. The driver and the team have to be able to work well together if they want to get that car up to speed. Everyone has to know how to work with others in this sport, even if they’re driving solo.

  From the fans to the sponsors, from the families who support their drivers and crews to the crew chiefs and the guys working in the pit box, everyone has a job to do. Everyone is fulfilling their role to be part of the finely tuned machine that is NASCAR. Of course, sponsors provide a large portion of the financial backing for the sport. Without our fans, there would be no reason to race; and without the driver and teams, there would be no one on the track. Sure, there may only be one driver in the driver’s seat, but the driver didn’t pay for the car himself, and he certainly can’t change his car’s tires quickly enough to get back in the race without losing too many positions. There are no one-man victories in NASCAR. It’s the team that makes or breaks you on your way to Victory Lane.

  6

  MONEY

  What if I told you that you could be a NASCAR driver? If I told you to get a team together and a car, and then pay a fee and prepare to compete, would you do it?

  Many Americans can and have done just that. It’s the American dream – just average guys one day, and NASCAR drivers the next. All drivers at all levels in NASCAR fill out a form and submit it with a résumé of past racing experience. Those who are approved and make it past this process race without sponsorship and are known as independent drivers. You could be out there – the pedal beneath your foot, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson waiting at the starting line with you. Perhaps for just a second, the nose of your car could inch in front of theirs.

  If this seems like a fairy tale, it’s because it is. That doesn’t mean that any of it isn’t true. You can, with enough dedication and know-how, find yourself in a NASCAR race as an independent driver without sponsorship. Of course, you need the money to do it.

  Some dreams are expensive to fulfill. The idea that you can simply work hard and achieve anything in this country doesn’t quite embody the economic element of the struggle for success. After you add up the costs – getting the car ready, getting the team together, and paying the fees for the race – you quickly realize that some dreams come with a hefty price tag. If you want to get your wheels rolling, you’ll need the expensive equipment and the necessary team.

  Let’s say you manage to do all of that. After developing the skill to drive 180 miles per hour safely, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on getting a team and car together, and winning a handful of races ahead of time, you’ve sweated your way to a NASCAR race. It hasn’t been cheap and it hasn’t been easy, but you’ve made it without a sponsor.

  The race starts. You blast off … well, not really. Your car isn’t nearly as well built as Johnson’s, Stewart’s, or any other sponsored pro drivers’ vehicles. You try your best just to stay with the pack for the first few laps, but eventually you fall behind. You get off the track. The race hasn’t ended; in fact, it has barely begun. However, you’re not upset – you’re not even surprised.

  Independent drivers who don’t have the resources to put together a good crew, to pay the salaries of their workers, or to assemble a racing vehicle enter the race knowing that the odds are stacked against them. Yet some of them find a way to break through, which is another important aspect of NASCAR’s appeal.

  NASCAR drivers are driven by more than money. Take Tony Stewart for instance. When he’s not on the race track pushing for the lead while being sponsored by wealthy corporations, he’s at home racing with someone in his neighborhood. Other drivers spend their money on stunt airplanes or speedboats. They’re always racing or getting into other high-speed, exciting sports.

  These guys don’t throw their money around – that type of behavior isn’t something that’s valued in the NASCAR community. You won’t find t
hese drivers rich one moment and then broke the next after they’ve recklessly spent everything they’ve earned. They take care of their families and their friends. Then they feed their passion by getting into extreme sports, fueling their love for speed and competition. Even if they have guaranteed contracts, a lot of these drivers would race for free (well, if someone could race for free). The money they earn goes right back into the sport. Sportsmanship and healthy competition seem to fade elsewhere in the sports world, but not in NASCAR. For these drivers, it really is about the sport, not the money.

  That’s something that is really admirable about NASCAR drivers, and it’s part of what makes them role models for all of America. It’s important that we remember where we come from and what it is we love. In a society moving a million miles a minute, it can be hard to remember what really matters. Sometimes it’s even easy to forget why we’re working for that paycheck. So many Americans work long and tedious hours to make ends meet, and at the end of the day, they don’t have time to spend with their families. For many, the family dinner is becoming a thing of the past. Between homework, little league practice, dance lessons, overtime, and late nights at the office, the American family is excelling at nearly everything except finding that quality time to spend together.

  Family and community have always gone hand in hand in NASCAR. The sport originated within a tight-knit community of people with strong values, and the family who started it all still holds to those values. That’s one of the reasons they’re still the reigning family of NASCAR.

  The Frances, a model American family, keep NASCAR together. Bill France Sr., who started the company in 1948, passed the “keys” of the sport on to his son twenty years before he died in 1992. NASCAR, one of America’s most watched, most loved, and most popular sports, is still run the same way it was when it first began over half a century ago. Not only that, but it is almost entirely family run. You’ve got Bill France Jr., who took over in 1972 and handed the presidency over to Mike Helton in 2000 (the first non-France to hold the position). In 2003, Bill Jr. handed over the responsibilities of CEO and chairman of the board to his son Brian.

  Believe it or not, NASCAR is a family business, just like your neighborhood mom-and-pop store. These are the people who make the final decisions and lay out guidelines for the sport. Their strong values have really affected NASCAR. There is a sense of community, a clear set of core values, and a closeness to country and national pride. They have never forgotten about the fans, and I personally think that’s what has made them so successful. Even as more and more money has come into NASCAR, the France family has remained true to its roots and true to the sport.

  As so many small farms across America get bought out by large corporations and so many family businesses struggle to compete with big business, it’s refreshing to find a family who has remained faithful to their business and succeeded in good times and bad. The France family has survived a fluctuating economy, withstood all the challenges of growing a business, and flourished. That’s the American dream, and that’s what the American family is all about.

  The Frances aren’t the only ones who have found that financial accomplishment is only achieved with hard work and dedication. Many of the owners and drivers in the sport are examples of that as well. They value hard work that is ethical and guided by American values. Like many other NASCAR owners, Roger Penske is someone who values the American tradition of hard work put into action to achieve the American dream. He may have already been financially successful in the trucking industry, but since he’s been in NASCAR he has recruited drivers from a variety of different backgrounds.

  Perhaps one of the greatest examples of American entrepreneurship in NASCAR is Richard Childress of Richard Childress Racing. He’s currently one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina, the state that has become synonymous with NASCAR. He has his hands in several ventures, but years ago his hands were on the steering wheel of an old race car. His life path has been an interesting one. He started out as a driver – a replacement driver at that. He later started driving as an independent. Perhaps the race was different back then and you could go out there with enough courage and personal financial investment and make a name for yourself. Or maybe his climb to the top had more to do with hard work, dedication, and more than a little bit of luck.

  At any rate, Childress was a top driver in the late 1970s. Eventually, he left racing as a driver, but never left the sport as a whole. Using his resources, he started his own racing team. Like many drivers of today, he didn’t blow his money – he pumped it right back into the sport he loved. He is now a successful team owner and businessman, owning not only a race team, but engaging in several other profitable business ventures. Childress embodies American entrepreneurship. He’s someone who is willing to innovate, take risks, and invest in the things that excite him.

  If Childress can race independently and become a NASCAR tycoon, does that mean anyone can do it if they have the American spirit of entrepreneurship, and the patience and dedication to fill their piggy banks in preparation for racing day?

  Maybe so, but more likely not. The economics of racing have changed since Childress was tearing around the tracks, and even more since racing first started. It began as a small sport, something that was open to people who simply loved cars and racing. It didn’t always require as much money as it does today. But as the sport has grown, so has the cost of participating. In 2009, according to NASCAR.com, teams were spending between $18 and $19 million, $5 million of which went to staff alone. And those aren’t even the highest figures – winning teams usually spend more. Entry fees are about $4,000 per event in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, so for a season of racing the entry fees are over $140,000. Trucking is a bit cheaper; the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is only about $27,000 per season.

  Then there are license fees. When you get down to it, the economics of the sport do not make it an easy opportunity for passionate amateurs without substantial financial backing. It’s one expensive American dream. So how does a normal, everyday American get behind the wheel and onto the race track? Well, even if you have the cash, you can’t just back your race car onto pit road. NASCAR has a résumé committee headed up by former driver Brett Bodine; if you want to race, you’ve got to have your credentials in order and be approved to race.

  After adding all the numbers together, it’s easy to conclude that economically challenged people, whether they’re from the city or the country, whether they’re a minority or not, are going to have trouble getting into the sport. It’s going to be a financial struggle for most anyone wanting to get into racing without the resources.

  Darrell Waltrip is one NASCAR driver who would use go-karts and lawnmowers to get moving. He raced to win because he needed the money from the winning purse. Today, especially because so many drivers are starting out so young, someone needs to make that investment. It won’t likely be a sponsor; it will be your parents or someone who has faith in you before you even have faith in yourself. NASCAR careers start on dirt paths in backyards and grow to local race tracks until, after jumping through many flaming hoops, winning countless races, and spending big dollars, an amateur is given a shot at racing on a major circuit. It takes a lot of support from family and friends to ever make it to that point.

  Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and their families are living proof that without that initial support, drivers don’t stand a chance at getting onto the track – much less into Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon’s dad built him a dirt track. Stewart’s family went so far as to mortgage their house, just so that he could follow his dream. That is an unparalleled level of family devotion to a child’s dream and future.

  David Reutimann didn’t start out young – though he had a long-standing professional interest in cars, his racing career started when he was an adult. Just five years before winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time at the age of thirty-nine, Reutimann was working on cars. There’s a chance that even at a late age
a driver can be successful and more than a one-hit wonder. However, winning a championship is a bigger challenge. Still, if you want to get out there and race with the big boys, it is possible if your bank account can take the hit. Getting into driving race cars is a major investment of time, energy, and money.

  The path for a young person to rise to NASCAR stardom isn’t clear-cut. There are different levels of competition, and the sport is not just for the kids. You really can start at any age. Some people get their children into go-kart racing and midget racing, which is set up for various age groups. They can have their children driving at the ages of five or six. By the time they’re eighteen, they have a sponsor and trophies to show for their years of training. It’s somewhat like baseball with the little league, high school, and college teams, though some baseball players don’t take that route, just as many NASCAR drivers get into the sport at later ages. No matter your age, one fact remains the same: you need the financial support to get going. You can’t do it alone.

  The drivers and owners aren’t the only ones who feel the financial pinch – fans and sponsors feel it, too. NASCAR has always been a more affordable option for sports fans, and they’ve been able to attract people from all walks of life and all wallet sizes for that very reason. However, the current state of the economy has called for some cutbacks, and for many families and individuals, going out to see a race is a luxury. Even when money is tight, fans find a way to enjoy the sport, and that’s what makes NASCAR so strong – even in lean times.