ESPN: Robby Gordon faces 8-race season

Uh-oh. From ESPN.com

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Robby Gordon, who has run a full Sprint Cup schedule as a driver/owner since 2006, says he has enough sponsorship for only eight races in 2010.

"I'm looking at a lot of weekends off,'' a frustrated Gordon told ESPN.com on Friday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Gordon said he has two four-race commitments from sponsors for next season. One of his major sponsors, Jim Beam, announced earlier in the year that it would not return to the sport.

"Nobody is spending money,'' Gordon said. "Everybody is cutting the fat out of everything. To be in racing you have to be a pretty big company.''

Gordon said many of the larger teams are making deals for well less than the market value because they can afford to, but that runs teams like his out of business.

"It's sponsorship suicide,'' said Gordon, who is 34th in points.

Gordon said NASCAR needs to create a unified marketing plan so every team is on a level playing field. He said there are so many different plans now that sponsors are confused.

He expects to see more start-and-park teams next season than ever, adding he doesn't plan to be one.

"I don't know what we're going to do,'' Gordon said. "We're going to continue to work hard to sell races through March of next year. After that I'm looking at a lot of weekends off.''

David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.

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Permalink Reply by Willis on November 13, 2009 at 9:19pm

I too believe like early posted we have enough members to at least make a contribution for a race, if it is not to difficult to get it together. #88 can do it we can do it :)

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Permalink Reply by NIKAL on November 13, 2009 at 9:35pm

Lets not forget Robby only has to finish the Baja 1000 to clinch the Score Championship. The the Dakar team is very competitive and this year he could very well win it. These two things could bring global attention to Robby and RGM. Maybe this will bring ouside attention from a whole other market that is looking for that Global racer. I could be wrong, but name some current racers that could be as world wide known as Robby if he could win Dakar?

I remember reading an article where Dale Jr went with Marcos Ambrose over to Australia and he said it was a total different place. He said Marcos was the famous one and very few knew Dale Jr. Dale said he enjoyed the freedom of not being famous.

What this tells me is even though Dale jr is the most popular driver in the USA, outside this NASCAR bubble he is unknown. The world is huge and I would bet globally Robby Gordon is more famous then 90% of the racers currently racing in the USA.

Lance Armstrong was not a household name until he won the Tour De France.

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Permalink Reply by TOG on November 13, 2009 at 9:41pm

great points, Nikal. Alot of positive races on the horizon that can parlay into great things for the cup side. It's not like RG announced he is closing shop AFTER Homestead.

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Permalink Reply by Dave-O on November 14, 2009 at 12:22am

Speaking of homestead- When RG wins there this will all go away.

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Permalink Reply by RG4ME on November 13, 2009 at 9:45pm

It would be great to see a panel on Robby's car congratulating him for his global success with the names of each and every member of Planet Robby. I would pay for that priviledge.

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Permalink Reply by NIKAL on November 13, 2009 at 10:03pm

I was just looking something up and realized that one of RGM's current sponsors is a globaly known company. Mapei! I just read where they started in Italy and have workd their way around the world. Mapei is a privately held entity generating annual revenues of more than one billion U.S. dollars.

See these are the people we need to see more of. Heck before their support of Robby I had never heard of them, and now when I consider doing tile or grout work I will look to see if I can get Mapei products.

And for those who did not know; The name MAPEI stands for “Materiali Ausiliari Per l’Edilizia e l’Industria,” which is Italian for “Auxiliary Materials for Construction and Industry.”

And you can buy Mapei products at Menards and if you dont live where their is a Menards then you can also get it at Lowes.

Now you know!

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Permalink Reply by Robert Silber on November 13, 2009 at 9:54pm

Here's a thought group----There have been rumors about John Menard wanting to take Paul to RCR and leave Roush-Yates. I wonder if there would be some possible way to get John to help Robby based on his leverage as a full season primary sponsor? I'm brainstorming here but what if Menard were to take his sponsorship and Paul to RCR to go into the 07 and as part of the deal have RCR support RGM---(engines, engineering, etc.) at a reduced cost to Robby which would help Robby immensely. I also agree with an earlier post that Robby needs to go into survival mode and pursue other sponsors even if at a somewhat reduced price. I realize that his back is against the wall with the size and cost of the building that he is currently in. A lot would depend on what Robby would be willing to do to stay cup racing. Personally---I would rather see Robby drive in a series that highlights his road racing skills---(Indy, ALMS, etc.). I have also wanted to see him race full time in the NW or Truck series as he would be a top 3 in either one and would be much more competitive as a single car owner-driver. Another thought---drive full time for a top NW team and continue to operate his Cup team. TOG----are there any rumors regarding possible deals or sponsors that we may not have heard about yet.

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Permalink Reply by Brett Crawford on November 13, 2009 at 11:41pm

Remember, Roush is having problems finding sponsorship for their 4 cars, let alone the 5th one they have to get rid of for next year. Smaller sponsors used to be reserved for smaller teams, but that isn't the case anymore.

As far as piecing together sponsorship, if TRG can do what they've done this year I see no reason for RGM to at least do the same. It's going to be tough, but is could be done, particularly if JM is in the background funding some of it.

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Permalink Reply by Scott B on November 14, 2009 at 1:42pm

Wow...these are some downright AMAZING ideas...

Stop thinking so hard on weekends!! lol

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Permalink Reply by Jayme on November 14, 2009 at 3:26pm

Gotta give you credit for really putting some thought into those ideas! I think some are really good :) I'll volunteer to help organize!

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Permalink Reply by GrayAntiMatter on November 14, 2009 at 12:23am

Maybe he could sign on and drive for Dale Jr's Nationwide team......

I'd like to see some sort of "merger" between RGM and EGR for next season, driving Chevy's with RG and JPM as teammates on a team that is actually on the upswing. Let Chip and Teresa focus on whoring themselves to sponsors.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on November 14, 2009 at 12:42am

Simply put, on track performance will solve these issues. I have a feeling John and Robby decide on a package for the year after RGM figures out how many open dates they have. Its my guess those 8 races he has sponsorship is not counting Menards sponsored races. (I could be wrong though, my contacts in the garage here zero about what does or doesnt go on at RGM anymore)

Personally, I hope RGM (nascar side) merges with a larger team or closes the doors so Robby can end up in competitive equipment for the remaining years of his career. This single car owner/driver experiment might have been doable with the old style cars and a larger window to be creative, but with the COT its impossible. How about Robby takes the sponsors he has for 8 or so races, plus some of Johns money, and runs the 4th RCR car? Since Paul is hell bent on staying at Yates and wasting his fathers money (I think he is a decent driver, but its obvious Yates has second rate Roush stuff much like the #16, #26, and #97 had in the 1997-1999 time period), at least RCR equipment would give some return to John and his company.