2019 Robby Gordon Headquarters
RB leaving NASCAR at the end of the season?
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2011-06-20-1728343145_x.htm
By Jenna Fryer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The owner of energy drink Red Bull plans to leave NASCAR at the end of this season, The Associated Press has learned.
Multiple people familiar with the decision say a team official traveled to Michigan Speedway and told industry leaders Sunday of the impending move. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made to team employees.
Red Bull is both the owner and sponsor of the two-car NASCAR team. The team has struggled since its 2007 entry into NASCAR and consistently has been plagued by rumors and speculation that the Austrian ownership group will leave the auto racing series.
No reason for Red Bull's leaving has been given, but the energy drink markets to the 18-to-34 age group — the demographic NASCAR has consistently lost in its current ratings slide.
The team had a horrendous debut season in 2007, when Brian Vickers failed to qualify for 13 of 36 races. He finished 38th in the final Sprint Cup standings.
AJ Allmendinger missed 19 races that year and was 43rd in the final points.
Jay Frye, a respected team manager in NASCAR, was brought on the next season as general manager, and the team slowly improved. But Allmendinger was let go late in 2008 for Scott Speed, who had been let go from Red Bull's Formula One team.
Like Allmendinger, Speed was not ready for NASCAR's top level, and the lack of experience in Red Bull's second driver hindered Vickers' development. Speed was let go at the end of last year and is currently suing Red Bull.
Vickers won a race in 2009 and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, only to be sidelined most of last year with blood clots. He's back this season, and the team has Kasey Kahne on loan from Hendrick Motorsports, but still isn't among the top NASCAR organizations.
Kahne has five top-10 finishes and is 19th in points; Vickers has five top-10 finishes and is 24th in points.
Kahne moves to Hendrick Motorsports at the end of this year, and Vickers is in the final year of his contract. It's not clear what will happen to development driver Cole Whitt, who is ranked second in the Trucks Series standings, or to the Red Bull employees.
It's possible Frye could line up investors to buy the race team from Red Bull. He's twice before run race teams that way with varying success.
Red Bull, meanwhile, also owns a pair of two-car Formula One teams. Current points leader Sebastian Vettel is the reigning world champion and has won five of seven Grand Prix races this season.
(Jenna is pretty good about what she writes about. She does not typically write off the wall crazy stuff like Mike Mulhern would. So there might be something to this?)
By Jenna Fryer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The owner of energy drink Red Bull plans to leave NASCAR at the end of this season, The Associated Press has learned.
Multiple people familiar with the decision say a team official traveled to Michigan Speedway and told industry leaders Sunday of the impending move. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made to team employees.
Red Bull is both the owner and sponsor of the two-car NASCAR team. The team has struggled since its 2007 entry into NASCAR and consistently has been plagued by rumors and speculation that the Austrian ownership group will leave the auto racing series.
No reason for Red Bull's leaving has been given, but the energy drink markets to the 18-to-34 age group — the demographic NASCAR has consistently lost in its current ratings slide.
The team had a horrendous debut season in 2007, when Brian Vickers failed to qualify for 13 of 36 races. He finished 38th in the final Sprint Cup standings.
AJ Allmendinger missed 19 races that year and was 43rd in the final points.
Jay Frye, a respected team manager in NASCAR, was brought on the next season as general manager, and the team slowly improved. But Allmendinger was let go late in 2008 for Scott Speed, who had been let go from Red Bull's Formula One team.
Like Allmendinger, Speed was not ready for NASCAR's top level, and the lack of experience in Red Bull's second driver hindered Vickers' development. Speed was let go at the end of last year and is currently suing Red Bull.
Vickers won a race in 2009 and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, only to be sidelined most of last year with blood clots. He's back this season, and the team has Kasey Kahne on loan from Hendrick Motorsports, but still isn't among the top NASCAR organizations.
Kahne has five top-10 finishes and is 19th in points; Vickers has five top-10 finishes and is 24th in points.
Kahne moves to Hendrick Motorsports at the end of this year, and Vickers is in the final year of his contract. It's not clear what will happen to development driver Cole Whitt, who is ranked second in the Trucks Series standings, or to the Red Bull employees.
It's possible Frye could line up investors to buy the race team from Red Bull. He's twice before run race teams that way with varying success.
Red Bull, meanwhile, also owns a pair of two-car Formula One teams. Current points leader Sebastian Vettel is the reigning world champion and has won five of seven Grand Prix races this season.
(Jenna is pretty good about what she writes about. She does not typically write off the wall crazy stuff like Mike Mulhern would. So there might be something to this?)
Views: 51
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Rob Hoban on
-
NASCAR has to make a change. Michigan was a boring race. Pocono was...Pocono. Popularity is on the decline especially amongst 18-34 year olds and that was one of the driving factors for RB to make this decision. If their target is not following, why spend millions on something that will not provide the return it demands.
One less energy drink on the track. That's good for Speed Energy.
By the way, what was the exclusive energy drink at TexasMS?
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Martinez on
-
With Red Bull being a pretty global commodity it would look at a distance as a blow to NAZICAR and it's footprint in the marketing world. Up close for myself anyway it's a lot worse than just a racing team folding or changing hands it's a barometer reading on how bad the world economy is. Red Bull to be honest was a fad that I never had a full understanding of, friends and family both became part of it in one form or another, however I guess i'm a traditionalist of sorts and don't quite go with the fashionable flow. Speed Energy drink being what it is, is a rather unique influx that I have taken in stride and to be honest I held my breath at first hoping it would work because if it did not it would have for sure spelled the true beginning of the end. NAZICAR will never let go of it's strangle hold it has on blocking out brands, let's hope the day never comes when drinks such as Robs' are officialatized. That's a made up word for sure but so is the thrill of this brand of racing. Not the road courses though.
GAS ON !!!!!!!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by NIKAL on
-
UPDATE:
Red Bull may not leave NASCAR entirely but instead will scale back their sponsorship in order to focus their efforts on the inaugural 2011 Formula One US Grand Prix in Austin Texas.
The energy drink maker has enjoyed tremendous success in F1 with driver Sebastian Vettel winning the World Drivers’ Championship in 2010 and currently leading the standings. Their efforts in NASCAR’s top tier Sprint Cup Series, where they have been since 2007, has met with far less positive results with only one driver, Brian Vickers, scoring a single points paying win in 2009.
The sponsorship will end for Red Bull in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series at the end of the 2011 season but could remain with development driver Cole Whitt who competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and a few NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Officially the team isn’t indicating what Red Bull’s future in NASCAR will be.
The team currently fields a Toyota for Whitt. A team official speaking off the record while the final details are being worked out said that sponsorship could remain with Whitt which will allow Red Bull to maintain a NASCAR connection. The official also didn’t rule out the possibility of sponsoring another driver in the Sprint Cup Series, something that would cost much less than the sponsorship of an entire team. Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz is reportedly disappointed in the results of the NASCAR team but wants to continue to have some form of marketing as part of America’s largest spectator sport.
-
Permalink Reply by Ken on
-
They were in F1 for quite a few years before they started even scoring any points, let alone winning races.Their NASCAR deal is only 4 years old. F1 has cost them hundreds of millions of dollars over that same time frame to finaly start winning on a regular basis. I think the worldwide stage works better for them.
-
Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on
-
They should have just thrown Robby 12 million a year for the last 5 years... Dumb asses! Then he wouldn't have kicked their ass with Monster too... LOL Bwahahaaha!
-
Permalink Reply by IndyTim on
-
They would have saved about 150 million and probably still got the same amount of exposure...so I second that......Bunch of Dumb Asses.......
-
Permalink Reply by Matty A. Teasley on
-
I am curious as to what kind of indirect involvement this could have with RGM. Could there be a partial buyout, does Rob get along with Frye, there have got to be some good folks who would need a garage to work in if they don't find a buyer. All in all, I wonder if this provides an opportunity to go to two cars, and where does B.V. go?
-
-
I don't think RGM will have anything to do with any of this......at all............
Robby is all in on Speed.....so unless Red Bull is planning on taking over the business Ops of Speed via a buyout.....there is nothing to it...
-
-
I'm thinking staff @ Red Bull NASCAR, engineers, etc. There is a helluva lotta personnel that ends up toting resumes after a folded team. Also, what happens to Brian? He's up this year, chances are he goes somewhere else. Maybe no buyout but there could be Ragan, Logano, and Vickers on the market this year. Bottom line, sooner or later RGM needs 2 cars, can't compete week in and week out without 2 teams or a technical alliance. Based on the 2's & 22's lap times versus the 7's the last few weeks, I don't think the 7 is getting tech from them, just buying motors.
-
-
Another UPDATE from ESPN
Jay Frye, vice president and general manager for Red Bull Racing Team, said Tuesday he is optimistic that he can line up investors to keep the organization intact for the 2012 season.
Red Bull, which sponsors the two RBRT Sprint Cup cars and owns the team, announced Monday that it was leaving NASCAR after the 2011 season.
"We have talked to some people who have great enthusiasm about what we're doing," Frye said on a conference call. "We believe we can put something together rather quickly in 30 to 45 days. But the process has just started.
"We had a lot of inquires yesterday. The goal is to keep the Red Bull team continuing on the path it's on."
Frye said he couldn't get specific about ongoing negotiations. He said he learned a few weeks ago that Red Bull might pull out of the sport.
"It comes down to a business decision," Frye said. "That's how this all played out. It's just a change in strategy. The good news is we have time to react."
Red Bull entered Sprint Cup in 2007 with Toyota. RBRT has had limited success in five seasons, winning only one race in 2009 with Brian Vickers, when he made the Chase playoff.
"This team competes at a high level every week," Frye said. "It has a lot of great people, a lot of great assets. So a lot of people are looking to invest in what we've done."
Red Bull also has a Formula One team that won the championship last season with driver Sebastian Vettel, who is on pace to win the title again in 2011.
Frye said it's possible Red Bull could stay involved in the team in some capacity in the future.
Terry Blount is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
Latest Activity
Save The Planet!
© 2024 Created by TOG.
Powered by
