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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.
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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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Blues on
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It'a a bad situation for Robby, but the overall situation that Nascar is in is even worse. It will take a few more years, but they will return to being a regional southeastern sport. It's their own doing.
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Permalink Reply by IndyTim on
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why not take his team and sponsors over to the IRL........hell they run more Road Courses than ovals now and he could do that program for 1/2 what he does the cup side for and that amount would put him in the top tier...
Let's face it......the Racing in cup sucks and sponsors know it....Unless NASCAR gives in and goes into a Revenue sharing agreement with teams....the sport is in trouble. This kind of has the same feeling and flavor of what was Happening in CART right before Tony George created the IRL (not wanting to debate Tony's decision)......You have top teams scrambling to find money........
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Permalink Reply by alan4s on
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I really don't see NASCAR implementing any kind of revenue sharing any time soon. The France family is in some trouble already with ISC profits being down 80+% this year. They certainly won't shave anything off of thier NASCAR profits. Short sighted, but that's the way all Brian's decisions have been. (BTW, did you see the Jaski item about Brian France trying to keep his divorce proceedings secret? He's hiding something embaressing....)
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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on
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or illegal drugs? maybe just financial matters? Brian's the recipient of payola King,IMO
Mike
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I just feel the races have a fairly predictable outcome, and that's not good for any sport.
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Permalink Reply by Rob Harris on
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nobody watches the IRL.
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Permalink Reply by 7gason7 on
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Especially Direct TV customers + Robby is about 10 years past the age for the IRL
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Permalink Reply by Bruno on
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This Sucks.
But it was going to happen one day. The Small independent teams can´t survive in this sport today.
And it's NASCAR's fault, that's what happens when a sporting government is rulled by executives, who can only see numbers, instead of racers.
When you have the grandstands at Talladega alfway empty, is means that something is really really wrong, and sponsors wont risk signing with teams in a sport that is getting less and less attending spectators.
At least Robby still has the Dakar and the US off-road races next year. If he doesn't find sponsors for a full Cup schedule, maybe he can race some more "stadium" races like Crandon.
Lets hope for the best, there's still four months to go until March, a lot can happen in that time.
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Permalink Reply by Rob Hoban on
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Purely a product of the economy. It sucks, but it is a reality. Big teams are taking on multiple sponsors and drying the well so to speak.
So Robby will race the big races or the ones the team feels it can be competetive. Is that the worst thing in the world? It beats sruggling to find a sponsor at Martinsville and praying that he finishes the race or goes no more that a few laps down. Is that a fun Sunday for anyone here? He's taking a page out of the Wood Brother's book. Race the races you can be competetive and stay at home for the others or start and park to make a few bucks.
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Permalink Reply by Keddy Jacobs on
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Restrictor plate races, road courses ... for starters.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Meyer on
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Hopefully, Robby can only say 8 races covered because other sponsors haven't signed their contacts yet. If I was Rob, and I was going to be spending the tail end of December to the middle of January racing in the Dakar Rally in South America, I'd like to have my CUP business more situated when I left. It'd be a shame to see RGM scramble in early Febuary for sponsorship. That said, Robby has some tricks up his sleeve yet I'm willing to bet! He'll certainly be racing somewhere 40+ weekends next year.
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This is all NASCAR's fault. Simple as that. The racing sucks. The fact that there are only super teams sucks. The whole sport sucks. I wish some other small market old school owners would start their own rival stock car circuit kinda like Tony George did do with IRL.
There are way too many similar tracks. A number of the unique tracks got phased out for money and big corporations. Screw NASCAR. I hope they go belly up.
Stock car racing would land on its feet itself and the winners would be the racers and the fans in the end.
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