NASCAR Gives Bush Owners A Cold Shoulder - Nemechek Wins GNC 200

The Busch Series has been having severe financial problems over the last few years (Getting Short Changed?) Costs are going up and sponsorship is going down leaving teams after championship seasons with a financial loss. In the first half of the 2001 season, Busch events had a hard time filling the field at the lowest point this year only 37 cars showed up to qualify for the standard 43 car field. The problems are mounting for the series.

What has NASCAR done to help the teams? As far as I can tell, nothing. As Rick Houston stated in his commentary of Winston Cup Scene magazine, NASCAR has refused to even sit down and listen to the Bush Series team owners about their concerns. On the other hand, in a November 5th Article, posted by Ryan Smithson, at NASCAR.com states that the Bush Series in on the up swing. Of course, the writers at Turner Interactive write only positive words about NASCAR or they’ll probably lose their jobs. I learned long ago not to put too much stock in the information at NASCAR.com.

What many race fans don’t realize is that NASCAR is not like the other major sports, there isn’t an owners commission or a drivers association. NASCAR is a privately owned and operated sport and unlike other sports it is not a democracy, it’s a dictatorship. In the past, NASCAR has had an open door policy, where any owner or driver could come in to the trailer and say his piece. Now it seems that there are too many waiting to get into the trailer that NASCAR has discontinued the practice.

So what does this all boil down to? NASCAR doesn’t seem to care what the owners and drivers have to say. Without any input from the race teams the governing body is making changes and adjustments to the way the cars are set up, in some cases increasing the costs of putting the cars together. Just recently NASCAR mandated on a Wednesday that head and neck devices would be required for the race that weekend. These devices cost an average of 1500 dollars each. Many of the smaller upstart teams not only had a hard time getting them but also affording them. Fortunately, Jeff Green volunteered to purchase the devices for any team that couldn’t afford it. Had it not been for Green’s generosity several teams wouldn’t have been able to register for the event.

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