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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 GasOnRobby on
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No IROC! The COT is an attempt at IROC. Get back to minimal rules and bring your best game to the track. Put it back in the drivers and teams hands. Innovation is a good thing.
No top 35. The fastest 43 cars start. My dream would be heat races.
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Permalink Reply by R. ALDRIDGE on
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Why do you think heat races would be unaffordable?
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Success! RG has done it his way. It is not his fault NASCAR has ruined the series. He started before the COT / IROC-lite series.
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The only thing that really matters is what RG thinks. I have owned a few small businesses and I never made it to the top. It was satisfying and fulfilling to know that we continued to success when we didn't have the money and name recognition of the big dogs. I feel we were successful given the situation and circumstances.
In my uneducated opinion, the COT has hurt RG's performance more then anything. The car was supposed to save money but instead the big teams spent big bucks figuring it out. The small teams could not compete. Ever since the beginning the drivers and teams complained about the car. I remember Kyle Busch saying he hated the car even though he won the first COT race.
I think a good example is the road courses. Before the COT RG has one of the best cars. We know he has the talent. After the COT he has been struggling. RG took the Nationwide car to the Glenn and kicked ass. Is it the car or is it RGM?
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Permalink Reply by Dave-O on
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Robby could've won championships if he had stuck it out with RCR. As a team owner, he was never able to attract the talent and $$ to build into a contending team (it only took POS 3 years).
If Robby had no other racing options, RGM is a success as it kept him on the track for these last few years. However, it wasted his driving talents in equipment that was horribly inconsistent on the competiveness front.
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Permalink Reply by vak7 on
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Greed created this whole problem, not just for Robby but for anyone who steps outside the box of being a mega team. NASCAR rode the golden calf too long and the bubble burst. And this isn't a Robby problem, it's a NASCAR problem. They turned their back on the crowd that made them successful to reach out to places nobody wanted them. The economy sucks for most everyone and their egotistic rules keep those who can afford sponsorship off of the hoods.
Robby is probably the smartest guy in the sport, I see this announcement as a calculated PR move. He'll be fine no matter how this all plays out. That makes us the most fortunate fans in the sport. We can keep watching our guy even if his Cup team folds, which I seriously doubt. What about those folks who follow one-series drivers? What about up and coming drivers? How will they ever break into the big league ranks? This Planet will keep spinning after the others face their Armeggedon.
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Bill, I try to follow Baja but there doesn't seem to be enough of them. I prefer racing 52 weeks a year. It doesn't have to be the same series just a bunch of guys bringing the best game to the track to compete against other team's best game. NASCAR has taken innovation out of the sport.
At this point like the current administration, I don't want them to figure it out and fix it. Hurts to say it but it has been building for a while. They have shown where their heart really is; control, money, and greed.
What is the Baja schedule and how can us easterners find our more?
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+Nascar does not need to go to saturated markets...they need to spread it out......Texas twice....why? California twice......why.............Phoenix twice....why? the first race at places like this the stands are packed....the second race.............the stands are half full for Nationwide races and the cup races there are alot of empty seats..................Beam leaving isnt because of rgm PERFORMANCE..IT HAS TO DO WITH THE HIDDEDEN AGENDA OF THE GOVERNMENT. Jack Daniels and Beam leaving in the same week.........way to suspicious............Crown Royal will be gone before you know it also.....And Nascar needs to stop taking everyone sponsers/...........go look on the side of any nascar trailer and you will see a list of 100 sponsers that were on a quarter panel of a team at some point at some point and time.....most of those teams are no longer as a result..Nascar has their hand in everyone pocket waiting to take thier wallets and the lively hood of all that put on the show for thier financial gain..............Nascar is the mafia if you really think about it............as far as performance Robby has done so much for Beam off the race track.....many many many personal appearances.... show cars...........public speaking for against drinking and driving..........Beam has been heavily involved until the very end....If anyone has seen the street legal show cars that Rob has generated for Beam they would understand how far RGM has gone out to promote the product.
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You make 1 good point- Sponsors leaving teams to be a NASCAR sponsor has hurt the sport.
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its all a good point............
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Permalink Reply by Turtle7 on
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Will we be back next year? If Robby is a casualty of sponsership, who will we follow?
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