Dakar Rally set to start in South America
December 31, 2010
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)—Defending champions Carlos Sainz in the carscategory and Cyril Despres on a bike return to defend their titles when theDakar Rally starts on Saturday from the Argentine capital.
Officials say 430 vehicles across four categories—cars, bikes, quads andtrucks—are expected to begin the race which will cover 9,500 kilometers acrossnorthern Argentina and along the spine of Chile. The race ends on Jan. 16 backin Buenos Aires. It the third straight year the race has been held in the twoSouth American countries.
Saturday’s start is a ceremonial leg with the drivers following a370-kilometer route northwest to Victoria, where they will prepare for Sunday’sfirst full race day.
Organizers are touting an increase in participants. The 430 expected tostart is up from the 362 who were enrolled last year to begin the grueling trek.The largest increase is in the bike category, with 183 expected to start—upfrom 151 a year ago.
The vehicles on Saturday will start from the city center, and then exit thecapital passing Buenos Aires’ famed obelisk, its main landmark.
The route goes northwest with the racers crossing into Chile on Jan. 5.Participants then head north through the Atacama desert and on Jan. 7 areexpected to reach Arica in the far north of Chile, on the border with Peru. Therace then turns south and crosses back into Argentina on Jan. 12.
The rally was held through 2007 in Africa, but moved for security reasons toSouth America.
“I hope we can host a fourth Dakar in 2012,” tourism minister EnriqueMeyer said.
Menzer: Santa Menz’s mailbag shows the naughty, nice (NASCAR.com)
December 27, 2010
Nothing says Happy Holidays like a review of the many e-mails received from enthusiastic but often angry NASCAR fans throughout the course of the year that was.
So with no further ado, what follows is a very small sampling of the ones I tried to sort through as the 2010 season unraveled. Last names, when provided, have been removed to protect the innocent and many of the e-mails have been edited for the sake of brevity and so we can have some fun with this deal.
No matter where he finishes in the standings, Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains a popular topic, as evidenced by this recent e-mail …
Hi Joe.
I would like to make one comment about the changes at Hendrick. If Junior doesn’t produce some checkered flags this upcoming season he better start thinking about being a bar tender at Whisky River. … [Jimmie] Johnson won because the entire team wanted the championship. [Denny] Hamlin came in second because he was just that hungry. Junior just rides on his name, not his ability.
Jack from Derry, N.H.
First of all, I would like to thank Jack from Derry, N.H., because he e-mails me frequently. That means he cares. He e-mails when he’s upset with me, when he agrees with me, and when he simply feels the need.
But before shuttling Earnhardt from behind the wheel to behind the nightclub he owns in uptown Charlotte, N.C., let’s not forget that he provided one of the most stirring victories of 2010 when he won the Nationwide Series race in July at Daytona International Speedway in a car that was a replica of the one his daddy used to drive. It was good stuff. And let me ask you this, Jack: If Hamlin falls off this coming season, should he seek employment—or at least to satisfy his hunger—at Denny’s?
Related: Changes offer Junior best chance yet at comeback
Speaking of employment, readers wondered what had happened to vanishing team owner George Gillett, whose ill-fated venture into NASCAR quickly dissolved under a mountain of unpaid bills. I tried to explain it in a column and one of the responses I received was …
Joe,
You nailed it in a FAR more diplomatic way than I would have. I live in the mountains of Colorado about 30 minutes from Vail. George Gillett once ran what is now Vail Resorts. His reputation in the ’80s when in power was that he was far better at playing on paper than in reality. He was eventually booted here too.
Mark, from somewhere in the mountains near Vail, Colo.
Related: Petty back in charge, and that’s a good thing
Speaking of paper, one really thoughtful fan had this to say on the subject of five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson …
Joe,
If you and your cronies really think what is happening in NASCAR is healthy, then perhaps you all are as useless as that sheet of paper on a wall near you! Put the driver of the 48 in a race car like Cale [Yarborough], Bobby [Allison], David [Pearson] and Dale [Earnhardt], etc. raced. He [will] fold like a used deck of cards.
Ron from MacClenny, Fla.
Cronies? I have cronies? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Now I feel really empowered and important.
I also feel the need to tell Ron and all other 48 bashers that they need to learn to appreciate the fact that Jimmie Johnson might just end up being the greatest, most prolific champion this sport has ever seen before he’s finished with his career. You need to start embracing that instead of constantly bashing him and insisting that he’s bad for business.
That’s just my opinion, of course. But a guy with cronies is entitled to make statements like that.
Related: Johnson crowned champ for fifth consecutive year
Speaking of forceful, confident statements that stir people up, another hot e-mail topic as the year wound down came as the result of a column written about crew chief Mike Ford’s comments following his driver Hamlin’s victory at Texas in November. Basically, Ford called out the 48 team—and in turn e-mailers bashed Ford with a cautionary tale.
No one nailed it more than one who wrote in under the subject line that said, “As Mike Ford would have it, the 48 team played right into his hands at Texas and left little doubt in his mind as to which is the best race team.”
I predict Mike Ford will eat those words in two weeks.
Thanks,
Randy from Glendora, Calif.
Two weeks later, this e-mail arrived in my inbox like clockwork …
LOL!!! Like I said Mike Ford ate those words. Karma is a bitch. Hahahahaha. The best team just walked away with five championships.
Thanks,
Randy from Glendora, Calif.
Related: Ford ready to pounce at first sign of weakness
There were those who wrote in to praise my good works, like the guy who wrote that he agreed with me that the Chase format as presently constituted wasn’t so horrible and was, at least in 2010, doing its job …
Good evening Joe,
That was a great article on the Chase. Too many people have short memories and are too willing to penalize the successful. Happens in real life too! Me? I’m a little farmer in South Dakota doing what I have done all my life. Take the lumps as well as the gravy. I wish that there was a race and a track that was close enough to go to. I would love to see a live race instead of on the tube or radio!!!
What I can’t understand and what has turned me [off] a little from watching or listening is not Jimmy [sic] winning the Chase four [and now five] times. I think he is a great driver, not in pileups, [with a] great crew chief and owner.
It is Kyle Bush. His arrogance, lack of respect, get the hell out of my way, don’t you know I’m Kyle Bush and am entitled to win these races mentality. In my opinion he has done things on the track that other drivers would at least be sent to the back for … and NASCAR has let it slide. I think it is because he is a lightning rod and NASCAR likes it.
Bob, the small farmer from South Dakota
Um, who is Kyle Bush?
Ohhhhh. He meant Kyle Busch! Yes, of course, Kyle Busch is a subject sure to generate a torrent of e-mails. But you know what? Bob is right. NASCAR does like it—and you know why? Because Kyle Busch is like that local sportscaster who wins both the most popular and most hated mantles in every viewer poll—thereby making his employer happy because they know folks are watching.
Kyle Busch is talented. Kyle Busch can sometimes do stupid, jerky things (but in reality is a much more consistent person than his older brother, and often much more charming). The thing about Kyle Busch more than anything else is that he moves the needle. He’s a banana split in the sport that sometimes in recent years has been a little too vanilla. Love him or hate him, you have to admit he is interesting.
Related: Tight championship battle shows Chase at its best
At least the small farmer from South Dakota loved my column and seemed to like me, which is a far cry from the guy who sent an e-mail under the simple subject line that read: “JERK.” I wasn’t sure it was for me, but I opened it anyway and read the following …
Hey [jerk]head:
I didn’t see your name in the results rundown [of the latest race], and if you’re just stating your opinion you should be better informed or go cover and write about donkey racing. … I can’t believe NASCAR even lets an ass like you into the tracks.
David from Norwich, United Kingdom
They have donkey racing in the United Kingdom? You really ought to look into getting some NASCAR races—and if you’re successful, I promise I’ll come to cover them (if you’ll only let me in).
Happy Holidays, everyone!
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
NASCAR to NASA: HANS tested for astronauts (NASCAR.com)
December 23, 2010
NASCAR HANS device (Getty Images)
What do HANS device inventor Dr. Robert Hubbard, NASA and NASCAR have in common? All three are collaborating in an effort to improve crash restraints for astronauts.
NASCAR HANS device (Getty Images)
The first series of crash sled tests was recently undertaken at Wright Patterson Air Force Base using a dummy fitted with a prototype restraint for use during NASA launches and landings. Dustin Gohmert of the Crew and Thermal Systems Division of NASA directed the tests.
NASCAR HANS device (Getty Images)
The new head restraint resulted from a collaboration first undertaken in 2008 at Texas Motor Speedway, where officials from NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Hubbard met with NASCAR officials to discuss the use of the sanctioning body’s data base for assessing crash injury dynamics. NASCAR subsequently provided data taken from recorders in race vehicles, which facilitates the development of injury criteria for astronauts by using computer modeling in conjunction with the real world experience from NASCAR competition.
The prototype HANS-type head restraint for astronauts is comprised of a round collar and yoke made from carbon fiber. The helmet and neck ring of the space suit fit to the round collar and yoke, a single unit to be held in place by an astronaut’s shoulder belts.
The testing was the first of more to follow. “The issue is to understand crew safety well enough to optimize crash injury reduction with the many, many other considerations such as weight and the unique environment of space and other threats to crew safety like emergency egress,” said Hubbard, who has been a consultant to NASA since 2007.
The new prototype was built by Jerry “Rabbitt” Lambert of Downing/Atlanta Composites. Lambert has worked as a fabricator for the race team of Jim Downing since 1986. He has participated in four International Motor Sports Association championships by Downing’s team and the LMP2 class victory at the Le Mans 24-hour scored by Downing’s Kudzu-Mazda. Lambert has been instrumental in the development of the HANS device, first introduced to the market in 1990 by HANS Performance Products.
Vettel, Red Bull ensure place in F1 history
December 23, 2010
MADRID (AP)—Sebastian Vettel ensured Red Bull’s place in Formula One historyas the sport’s youngest ever champion in a season that featured one of the mostcompetitive grids in history and Michael Schumacher’s disappointing return.
The 23-year-old Vettel won the last two races of the season to overtaketwo-time champion Fernando Alonso for the title in Abu Dhabi.
Seven-time champion Schumacher, meanwhile, returned with Mercedes after athree-year retirement at age 41 and finished 184 points behind Vettel in ninth.
Red Bull delivered a jolt to F1 as Vettel teammate Mark Webber finishedthird overall to ensure the constructors’ championship for the energy-drinkbacked team.
After only six seasons in F1 and after nearly breaking through with thetitle the previous season, Red Bull expects more of the same in 2011.
“We expect a new car again but we don’t take anything for granted,” saidWebber, who finished the last four races with a fractured shoulder to end 14points behind.
The Australian has cleared the air with Vettel after a season when the twodrivers clashed on the track, a year in which four champions raced in one of themost competitive seasons in history.
With Vettel, there will now be five champions on the grid for the start ofthe 2011 season.
Red Bull said it will not alter its ban on team orders, although FIA hasdecided to allow them as long as they don’t bring the sport into disrepute.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said Alonso and teammate Felipe Massawill start on equal footing.
“In a year when we did not have the best car, we managed to get to the lastrace still in with a great chance of winning the title after staging a reallystrong recovery,” said Alonso, who went into the finale at Abu Dhabi with aneight-point lead but ended up four point behind Vettel in second.
“In a race like that last one, anything could happen.”
Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Jenson Button managed to secure the championshipfor McLaren, but all teams expect the British team to be one of the titlefavorites despite the ban on F-ducts and adjustable rear wings, two technicaladvantages McLaren held over the field.
Button, who finished fifth behind Hamilton after winning his first title in2009, expects the team to again push the boundaries of the new regulations,including the return of overtaking system KERS.
“They have so much experience in that area that I think we’ll have anadvantage,” Button said. “We’ll have an advantage on Red Bull and Ferrari Ithink, which is great. We’ll take every advantage we possibly can.”
Red Bull has no experience with KERS, while Ferrari does. Mercedes is hopingits engine compatibility with the energy recovery system gives it a chance tochallenge after Schumacher’s return fizzled.
Schumacher and the Silver Arrow’s optimistic return quickly faded. TeammateNico Rosberg nearly doubled Schumacher’s point total, but still finishedseventh.
Renault, meanwhile, showed it was making strides to move past the“crashgate” scandal of 2008. With Robert Kubica at the helm and a firstRussian driver in Vitaly Petrov, the French team finished fifth. It will start2011 as Team Renault Lotus after reaching an agreement to use the iconic teamname.
The move means Malaysia Air boss Tony Fernandes may have to find a new namefor his cars after he returned the Lotus name to F1 in 2010. Lotus proved to bethe best of the three new teams, ahead of Virgin Racing and HRT.
Several regulation changes will greet teams in 2011 as drivers face toughersanctions for dangerous or unsporting driving, with stewards able to excludethem from a race or suspend them for the next. F1 will also introduce a curfewto cut down on man hours. Mexican driver Sergio Lopez and Pastor Maldonado ofVenezuela bring a Latin American flair to the grid in 2011.
And a street mugging in central London will not keep 80-year-old F1 bossBernie Ecclestone away as the sport survived the season with all major sponsorsintact, a successful first South Korean GP and a season free of luridoff-circuit scandals.
Caraviello: Changes offer Junior best chance yet at comeback (NASCAR.com)
December 22, 2010
The big exterior numbers have been changed outside the shop buildings, the drivers have gotten to know their new crew members, the new revamped team configurations have even been put through a dry run during the recent tire test at Daytona International Speedway. The opening of the 2011 Sprint Cup season is still a long way off—60 days remain until the Daytona 500—and by then, the results of the personnel changes made by Hendrick Motorsports after this recent campaign should feel comfortable and familiar.
They were more than driver and crew chief realignments; they were an attempt to re-balance an organization that, despite winning a fifth consecutive championship behind Jimmie Johnson, took a step backward in terms of overall strength. After being a title contender the year before, Mark Martin failed to make the Chase. After enjoying a fast start, Jeff Gordon faded at the end. After a riveting charge to second place in the final laps of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again settled deep in the points.
Rick Hendrick has said repeatedly that the changes weren’t made specifically to boost Earnhardt’s fortunes, and it’s easy to believe him—if anything, Gordon got the best end of the deal in being paired with former Martin crew chief Alan Gustafson. But by switching whole teams and not just crew chiefs, by realigning shop partnerships, Hendrick has provided Earnhardt with perhaps his best chance to snap out of this two-year slump.
It’s been difficult to watch, this plummet into mediocrity, especially for anybody who saw Earnhardt during his best years earlier this decade and knows of what he was once capable as a driver. But the past two seasons, with all the expectations and nothing to show for it, have certainly been trying for the man inside the No. 88 car. There were always the true believers out there who thought that the issue wasn’t necessarily Earnhardt, but a somewhat awkward assimilation into Hendrick, a square peg being pounded into a round hole. Did he have the right people around him, the right kind of cars underneath him? Give him Chad Knaus and that No. 48 team, they’d argue, and you’d see what he could do.
That’s about as viable as unicorns and leprechauns. But now, he’s getting the next best thing—Steve Letarte and what until a month ago had been the No. 24 team, a unit that’s made the Chase every year since 2006, and won nine races along the way. Remember, this isn’t a crew chief swap as much as it is a driver swap. Letarte isn’t joining the No. 88 team; Earnhardt is joining the No. 24, re-branded with a different number and sponsor. And better yet, he’ll work in the same facility with Johnson’s team, the two programs sharing shop crewmen and cars, functioning on weekdays as a single entity just as the old 24/48 group did for so many years. Every day Earnhardt will walk into a building with championship banners hanging from the ceiling, and work with men with championship rings on their fingers.
It’s not going to happen automatically. But Earnhardt now will work in an environment where success at a very high level isn’t just hoped, it’s expected. He won’t have to look down the hill at the shop where the five-time champions are housed, he’ll be in it. Earnhardt speaks often about wanting to become more professional. Well, Johnson and Knaus are as professional as they come, in the efficiency in which they conduct their business to how they communicate with one another over the radio on race day. And now, Earnhardt is joined to them at the hip.
“Being in that building with the 48 elevates them up a lot, motivates them a lot, too,” said Gordon, who will now be paired with Martin in a 24/5 shop. “Certainly the pressure is on, no doubt about that. But I think that in order to make our whole organization better, that kind of effort’s got to be put out for those guys …. It’s not just that move that’s going to make the magic happen. It’s a combination of a big move happening, and the message it sends to our organization, and how it opens up the ability to get quality personnel added to the quality we have. That’s what makes us stronger. If that shop gets stronger over there, and if Junior can step up, then it makes all of us better.”
No question, Earnhardt bears some responsibility in this quest to become relevant again, and surely he knows it. But inserting him into Gordon’s old No. 24 team, working side-by-side with the No. 48, offers a best-case scenario for potential improvement. Of course, there’s another side to this, too—what effect will the move have on Johnson’s team? Many recall the tinkering Hendrick did with Martin’s program prior to last year, moving an engineer over to the No. 88 and giving Gustafson more oversight of combined 5/88 efforts, all in an effort to bring Earnhardt up to speed with his shop-mate. Once the season began, Martin cratered. It wasn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect, but it leaves fans of the No. 48 team asking a pertinent question: is Earnhardt capable of dragging down Johnson?
“I don’t think that there’s anything the 48 team would look at as something that would drag them down,” Earnhardt said. “I think they’re a little more confident than that. If anything, Jimmie should be able to maintain his success. We feel as a company that we all need to get better as a whole. That’s another story. Obviously, we all across the board want to run much better than we did this year. And Jimmie would rather the championship battle not be as tight as it was going into the last race.”
Johnson won the title by 39 points this season, and trailed Denny Hamlin entering the final two races, a stark change from previous championship campaigns where he’s enjoyed triple-digit leads late in the year and been in complete control going to Homestead. Still: “From a selfish standpoint, over the last five years it’s hard to say that the environment we had needed anything adjusted,” Johnson said. “That’s just from me. It’s more than just me. So we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Besides, Johnson said, it’s not like his No. 48 team has been isolated from the whole Earnhardt saga just because they’ve been in a different facility. “They’ve been exposed to that and are familiar with that now. I don’t think it’s going to change much, being in the same building,” he said. “The better my teammates run, the better I run, the better we all run. If we can have all four cars winning races and making the Chase and fighting for the championship, it’s only making us better. So I’m excited. I’m hopeful.”
So is Earnhardt, who was eager to begin working with Letarte and the new members of his revamped No. 88 team, and was the first driver on the track during the opening day of Goodyear tire testing last week at Daytona. Yes, the car number is the same, the team owner is the same, the sometimes suffocating expectations are the same. But for NASCAR’s most popular driver, everything else is different. And this fresh start, in a new environment surrounded by new people, may represent his best hope yet of a comeback.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.
Renault retains Vitaly Petrov for next 2 seasons (PA SportsTicker)
December 22, 2010
PARIS (AP) —Lotus Renault says Vitaly Petrov will team with Robert Kubica next year in the Formula One world championship.
The Russian driver extended his contract through the 2012 season, the team said Wednesday.
Petrov joined Renault this season, becoming the first Russian to compete in Formula One. He finished 13th in the drivers’ standings.
Lotus and Renault agreed to a seven-season deal last month to create Lotus Renault GP. Group Lotus will own and run the team while Renault will supply the engines and technical support.
Renault finished fifth in the 2010 constructors’ championship with Kubica and Petrov.
Johnson claims fourth Gatorback championship (NASCAR.com)
December 21, 2010
Johnson
After maneuvering his way to the top spot in the 2010 Sprint Cup Series, Jimmie Johnson was awarded his fourth consecutive Goodyear Gatorback Belts Fastest Lap Award.
Johnson
Created in 2003, the Gatorback Belts Fastest Lap Award recognizes the Cup driver who wins the most Fastest Lap Awards each week throughout the season with a solid crystal trophy and $100,000 check. Weekly fastest lap awards are earned by drivers posting the fastest lap time while leading the race.
Johnson
Johnson earned this year’s Fastest Lap championship through a tiebreaker with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin because of his higher position in the overall point standings.
“Jimmie’s a fierce competitor, who displays diverse, yet consistent driving talent,” said Tory Perren, aftermarket marketing manager for Veyance Technologies, the exclusive manufacturer of Goodyear Engineered Products. “His efforts on and off the track with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation make it an honor to recognize him with this award again this year.”
Veyance, who supplies Gatorback Poly-V belts and other Goodyear-branded automotive aftermarket parts to all Cup teams, shares similar success on and off the raceway with its Track-to-Street technology. The same belts used under the hoods of NASCAR vehicles are also used by automotive technicians who service race fans and their passenger vehicles.
Veyance’s Track-to-Street technology is based on taking information from NASCAR crews and incorporating it into its research and development process.
“On the race track, engines are always going faster, and loads are always going higher,” said Mike Gregg, a Veyance engineer for more than 40 years who works closely with NASCAR teams. “If a belt can be broken, a race car driver usually finds a way to do it.”
Gregg speaks from experience. In 2002, he and Veyance worked directly with NASCAR engineers to introduce Poly-V belts that could minimize belt failure on engines with increased horsepower. It just so happens that Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 car was one of the first to test this new technology on the NASCAR circuit.
“He was the new boy on the block back then,” Gregg said. “But he didn’t take long to show what the Gatorback Poly-V design could do. They’ve been very reliable.”
Since Goodyear Gatorback aftermarket belts became an exclusive NASCAR performance part in 1997, racing has helped Veyance maintain its leading position in belt innovation. The information gathered by Gregg from Hendrick Motorsports and other teams each week is given to Veyance’s research and development engineers in order to translate its on-track success to performance for everyday motorists.
Virgin Racing signs D’Ambrosio for 2011 F1 season (PA SportsTicker)
December 21, 2010
LONDON (AP) —Formula One team Virgin Racing says Jerome D’Ambrosio has been signed to drive alongside Timo Glock for the 2011 season.
D’Ambrosio, who will replace Brazil’s Lucas Di Grassi for the British team’s second season, impressed in practice in four grand prix at the end of this season.
He will be the first Belgian driver in F1 since 1994, when Philippe Adams started two grand prix with Lotus.
D’Ambrosio says “there was a lot of competition for this seat but … I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home.”
D’Ambrosio spent the last four seasons competing in the GP2 Series after spells in GP2 Asia, International Formula Master, the F3000 Euroseries and Formula Renault.
Sunoco gives away 5,000 gallons of gasoline (NASCAR.com)
December 20, 2010
Sunoco announced Tuesday that Mary Young is the winner of its Free Fuel 5000 promotion. As this year’s winner, Young won 5,000 gallons of Sunoco gasoline, enough fuel to keep her driving for eight years.
As the official fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco’s Free Fuel 5000 promotion offered Sunoco customers a decal identical to the ones on every race car in NASCAR’s top three series. By getting spotted with a decal on their car, customers were eligible to instantly win a $10 gift card and the grand prize of 5,000 gallons of Sunoco fuel.
At a local Sunoco fueling station in July on State Route 7 North in Gallipolis, Ohio, Young was spotted with a Sunoco decal on her van, earning her a Sunoco gift card and ultimately the grand prize. Young was awarded the grand prize during a ceremony at the Sunoco fueling station where she was spotted. “I can’t believe that I won 5,000 gallons of gas! I’ve been coming here for years to support a local business, but I never thought something like this would happen to me and my family because of it! Thank you, Sunoco,” Young said
“Sunoco congratulates Mrs. Young and thanks her for her many years of loyalty. We would also like to thank all the customers who participated in the Free Fuel 5000. Every year we continue to see the excitement grow, not only from our customers, but also from our retailers,” says Drew Kabakoff, Sunoco brand banager. “This sweepstakes engages customers, supports our retail partners, and promotes our relationship with NASCAR at the street level. The promotion will be back in 2011 so make sure you get your decal!”
Longtime Roush executive Smith retiring (NASCAR.com)
December 20, 2010
After spending more than 20 years guiding Roush Fenway Racing’s evolution from a small, 70-person shop to a 500-person operation, longtime Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith is retiring. This is his last week with the team.
Roush Fenway Racing announced Monday that Smith, 64, will be replaced as president by Steve Newmark, who joined the team in April as senior vice president of business operations. Newmark spent 12 years as an attorney with Charlotte-based law firm Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson. He was part of the legal team that worked with the NCAA, CBS and Turner Sports to complete their 14-year, $10.8 billion media deal earlier this year.
“The task this organization has before it has never been more difficult,” Smith said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we’ve got the right guy. He complements the people we have here and will do a great job.”
Jack Roush founded Roush Racing in 1988 and hired Smith to run it in 1990. Smith was an attorney in Michigan and had done contract work for Roush for more than a decade.
Roush managed the competition side of the team while Smith oversaw business operations. In that role, he secured additional sponsors that allowed the team to add a second Cup car in 1992, Nationwide series cars in 1992 and ’94, and a Truck team in 1995. He managed the team’s relocation and consolidation from shops in Liberty and Mooresville in North Carolina to its current location near the Concord, N.C., airport.
Through the years, Roush Racing distinguished itself from other teams and earned a reputation for running its team as a business. It was a pioneer in developing a multi-team operation that shared resources and information across multiple cars in order to improve performance.
“Geoff is one of the most well-rounded presidents of a race team,” said Zak Brown, CEO of Just Marketing International, which has represented UPS, Crown Royal, Subway and others in sponsorships with Roush Fenway. “He does sponsorships, contract negotiations with drivers and helps run the team on everything except the technical standpoint. I kept going back to them [with sponsorships] because Roush had a culture of over-delivering.”
Mark Martin, who drove for Roush Racing for 19 years, said, “Geoff is really, really classy at putting deals together that work. He and I did an awful lot together through the years. Most of the time, we never even involved Jack. I have a lot of respect for Geoff, and I wish him well.”
When Roush sold a stake in the team to Fenway Sports Group in 2007, Smith signed a three-year contract to manage the team. He added an extra year because of the recession and put plans in motion earlier this year to step aside.
Newmark will oversee the business operations of the team and be the primary liaison between the team and its ownership board. He spent the past eight months learning the business and dealing with an array of issues ranging from a licensing issue with a sponsor around a video game to the team’s relationship as a service provider for Richard Petty Motorsports, which recently changed ownership. He believes the organization is structurally sound and doesn’t plan to institute any major changes after taking over as president.
“We are fortunate to have one of the largest sales and marketing teams in the industry, and the caliber of individuals in that group is actually one of the reasons that this opportunity was so appealing to me,” Newmark said.
“That said, as with any leadership transition, there will be certain cultural changes, and we do have a number of new initiatives that we intend to pursue, which are primarily designed at enhancing the value of our programs to our partners.”
The 2011 season will be an important one for Roush Fenway Racing. The team is seeking full sponsorships for Nationwide Series cars driven by Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and a partial sponsorship for the car driven by Carl Edwards. It also will be working on renewals with its biggest Sprint Cup partners—3M, Aflac, Crown Royal and UPS.
