Burton: Single-car teams are bad for buisness

Some quotes from the Kingsport Times News from and interview with Jeff Burton.

"The whole single car argument is romantic, but the reality of the situation is that our sport is much better off with 10 or 11 4 car team owners."

"It (multicar teams) provides security for the sponsors and it enables you to really economize and do things less expensively. The sponsors are more protected by being part of a four car or three car organization than they are by being part a single-car organization."

"What used to be a half million-doller buisness is now a $100 million buisness. We can't ask sponsors to spend the money that they're spending and not even know they are in the race."

"It is way better off for the sport if we had 43 teams that knew they were going to be in the race than to have 50 teams trying to make the race- we don't need 50 teams, we need 43."

I thought this might interesting considering RGM is a single car entity. What's everyone's take? Is Jeff Burton full of it or does he have a point?

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Permalink Reply by LongTime on March 14, 2009 at 1:09pm
I don't think Jeff Burton is referencing to RGM at all. Because he said "not even know they are in the race". I think he is referring to teams like TRG or the Wood Brothers that aren't locked into the top 35. If Robby were to fall out of the top 35, this situation would apply to him, but hopefully it never will.

I definitely think he went too far though when he said that "our sport is much better off with 10 or 11 4 car team owners". He isn't even giving a team like RGM a shot to be successful, or good for our sport. Personally, I believe there needs to be single car teams to show that you don't have to spend $100 million to have a top 10 or top 15.
Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on March 14, 2009 at 1:19pm
It's easy for him to say that when a bunch of single car teams have beat the piss out of him this year.
Permalink Reply by Michael T. on March 14, 2009 at 2:09pm
Having only 10 or 11 teams is becoming too much like Formula One. Maybe they can start mandating that every car on each team have the same sponsor and paint scheme too. It's easy for Burton to make statements like this while he's with a stable four car team. I wonder if he'll be singing the same tune if by some chance RCR starts falling apart again. Burton is typically a pretty level-headed, logical guy that has a good eye on the sport, but this just comes off as sounding like, "I have mine, screw everybody else."
Permalink Reply by James Tallant on March 14, 2009 at 3:32pm
I wonder how Burton will sound when Harvick, Bowyer and Mears outperform him this year? He really shot himself in the foot when he said 10 or 11 4 car teams is best! Moto Gp is cool, so is Formula One..but you know that one competitors equipment is clearly better than the others on the team. I really respect Burton as a driver, he has class...I just dissagree..
Permalink Reply by john mcglasson on March 14, 2009 at 4:05pm
what an asshole, too bad he's a sub-par driver or this might mean something, from him? Nothing.
Permalink Reply by GrayAntiMatter on March 14, 2009 at 4:09pm
Jeff Burton is saying what is best for Jeff Burton and his boss Richard Childress.

Thats it.

And of course he is referring to RGM, the fact that the #7 is in the top 35 doesn't remove him from the discussion/criticism since it is ultimately about attracting sponsorship. How many threads do we have around here asking WHO IS THE SPONSORS?!?! SHOULD WE SPONSOR THE CAR!!!! We have the same discussion around here, except with the point of view that the large teams like RCR, Roush and HMS are unfairly leveraging their sheer mass to allow sponsorship to gravitate towards them and away from opportunities with other teams.

The more Jeff Burton talks, the more I'm convinced that he is a putz and HE is bad for NASCAR. The pathetic bland boring mediocre vanillazation of the sport. A driver who excuses himself everytime he hits someone else with the "its racing' line and cries like a baby whenever anyone comes near him.
Permalink Reply by JoCo on March 14, 2009 at 4:56pm
I respect Jeff Burton immensely and I think he does have some good points. However, I fundamentally disagree--what applies to one sponsor does not necessarily apply to another. Jim Beam, for example, sponsors Robby as much for his off-track persona as for his results on-track. The same would not go for someone like, well, Jeff Burton for example.
Permalink Reply by TorqueWrench on March 14, 2009 at 5:03pm
Jeff Burton is a retard!
Permalink Reply by Mouseking7 on March 14, 2009 at 5:10pm
Jeff Burton is washed up and has been for awhile now! Good thing he races for RCR or HE would be racing in every week!!!!! What a blowhard!!!!
Permalink Reply by Nena Patrick on March 14, 2009 at 6:54pm
F$^& Jeff Burton. He is always kissing NASCAR'S A$$. That is just what NASCAR wants is 10 teams with 4 cars each. Maybe if Jeff focused on racing as much as running his yap he would win a championship.
Permalink Reply by GrayAntiMatter on March 14, 2009 at 9:21pm
Yup. Complete and total NASCAR puppet tool.

Imagine the reaction around here, if the exact same words were spoken by Michael Waltrip.
Permalink Reply by Shop Goddess on March 14, 2009 at 7:42pm
Jeff Burton has made statements like this before, in fact I believe he has been in favor of 'franchising' in Nascar. He tends to speak like he is on the business end of things, rather than just a driver, which I have never understood, since I believe he is just a driver.(?) I have rarely (if ever) agreed with any of his opinions concerning the business of racing, including this. Is he the educated expert on this subject(?), because he sure talks about it alot. It appears that he wishes to take away some of the basis for true competition in this sport.

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