Danica to NASCAR

[Don]

" He had an offer for the old Bush Series and just before he moved they called and canceled it because they had gotten a Cup driver to drive the car."

While it might not be considered to be " fair " , it's fact. The Team requires sponsor funding, no money, no racing. To attract the sponsor that pays the bills, would you pick the proven Cup driver, who also makes personal appearances for the sponsor, or an unknown. It's not personal, it's a business decision. There is a rating service that measures the amount of TV exposure of the cars, which identifies the major sponsors, and then equated to the value in advertising. The Cup driver is going to get more TV time, by either running up front or in interviews with the sponsors logo on their race suits. Mandatory, each driver must be able to mention their sponsors , every other sentence, especially when winning

" That is simple. NASCAR generates more money for the drivers if they make it." " The top NASCAR drivers are indeed very well compensated."

Which equates to the fan base that purchases the sponsors products. Has Michael Waltrip retained NAPA sponsorship for his race finishes, believe he finished somewhere around 33rd in 2009, or for promoting the product in commercials etc and being able to mention NAPA in any
conversation/interview

" NASCAR themselves have brought on the negatives. Try watching Speed TV "

NASCAR does not sponsor the Speed TV programs, sponsors are paying for the TV time. In these economic times, sponsors must be of the opinion their getting value for the expenditure.

" Basically the top pros, in any other sport, do not compete with the younger, less experienced competitors that are trying to work their way up."

A major difference, any type of professional racing requires sponsor funding. In football, basketball, baseball, no sponsor funding required for the individual to make it to the major leagues, then comes the product endorsements, i.e. golf. Danica brought her sponsorship to the Dale Jr car. Would Paul Menard have a ride without the family sponsorship?

" NASCAR can be fun to watch again but they need to make some serious changes........."

Eliminating the wing and installing a spoiler , according to the drivers, should make a difference along with returning to passing below the yellow line at Daytona etc and allowing bump drafting in the corners. A major change would be to eliminate the restrictor plate while limiting the top speed for the safety of the fans if a car gets airborne, possibility of going into the stadium, sport might not survive the Congressional hearings.

Changing subjects, does anyone know the factual reason for having 43 cars starting a race as opposed to 42 or 44 or some other number ? The 43 being Richard Petty's number, don't think it's the reason.