Well, Bobby Hamilton Jr. is not running in Mexico, which results in him not being a Nationwide Series regular, in my opinion. I have known this for a month and had been hoping Bobby would get another ride. But it hasn't happened.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 19, 2008) -- Team Rensi Motorsports announced today the signing of Boris Said to pilot the No. 25 No Fear Energy / Smithfield Foods Ford Fusion for the two NASCAR Nationwide Series international races -- in Mexico City (April 20) and Montreal (Aug. 2).
So it is time to change horses.
This week, the Germain Racing team heads south of the border to Mexico City, Mexico, for NASCAR’S first road course race of the 2008 season. Mike Wallace and the #7 GEICO Camry will hit the track at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for their first practice on Friday, April 19th, at 2:00 PM (ET). Final practice is also on Friday at 4:05 PM (ET), followed by qualifying on Saturday afternoon at 11:35 AM (ET). The Corona 200 is on Sunday, April 20th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:30 PM (ET), while the Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
Companies like Subway, Dish Network, Dunkin' Donuts and Wal-Mart have reportedly been interested in replacing Busch. However, there is the little matter of the $30 million price tag NASCAR is asking for the series, second only to Nextel Cup in popularity among U.S. race fans.
When you think about it, $30 million is really not all that much money. A primary team sponsorship in Cup these days is creeping ever closer to that level right now, and that's just for one car on a top-flight team. The sticking point seems to be what the company will get for its investment. There's the outlay for the rights to the sponsorship, and then there are related costs like marketing, personnel, signage and more.
To help understand why this is a difficult process, you must first apply the economics against the potential for return. NASCAR's asking price for the Busch Series sponsorship is a little less than half what Nextel pays for the Cup Series, which is an estimated $70 million a year for 10 years. The outlay for the Busch Series sponsorship will likely be around $300 million over a 10-year period. Chances are the terms won't be much less than 10 years -- continuity is a big deal these days to NASCAR.
According to its research, there are 75 million NASCAR fans in North America, and that number has been static for the past six years. That suggests that the sport is maturing, and while it gains new fans every year, the overall number hasn't gone up very much. A company looking to get into the NASCAR arena will look at that and measure potential value against the numbers and come up with the following equation: invest $300 million for the right to market to 75 million fans over 10 years, and add in the associated costs.
The Busch Series, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last season, has grown by leaps and bounds alongside the Cup Series during the past 15 years or so, and is a valuable sports property in its own right. In addition to running many combo events with the Cup Series, the Busch Series has stand-alone events across the country. It also has the only two races on foreign soil, in Mexico City and Montreal. The Busch Series also fills the role of test pilot when NASCAR officials consider expanding the schedule. Mexico City and Montreal are the first steps in that expansion, and a potential race in Asia is probably next on the list.
In his first start at Talladega Superspeedway, Rookie of the Year contender, Kyle Krisiloff scored his career best Busch Series finish. He started the Haas-Carter Motorsports #14 Clabber Girl Ford 23rd in the lineup and finished the Aaron's 312 in 5th place. This was his best finish in 13 Busch Series starts since his 16th in the March 2007 Mexico City race. Former NASCAR Cup team owner Travis Carter is back in racing as the team manager for rookie Krisiloff's Busch Series team after a three-year layoff. Krisiloff is 20th in the series standings.
Carter still has his sense of humor intact, describing his role as "general manager, chief flunky and all that." Still, Carter seems to be enjoying his return to NASCAR. Carter last appeared in the sport in 2003, running the National Guard program with driver Todd Bodine. He went Hooters Pro Cup racing with his son for a while and says that he wouldn't mind doing that for a living. "If I had the money and didn't need to work, that's what I'd do is just race and have fun."
Marcos Ambrose has a lot to play for as he enters the fourth race of the NASCAR Busch Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend. The Australian currently lies fifth in the NASCAR Busch Series standings and is the leading runner for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award with ex-Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Ambrose will race in familiar territory this weekend at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Not only did Ambrose perform well at the recently reconfigured speedway in the preseason test at the venue on February 5-6, the two-time Australian V8 Supercar champion also raced at the venue in last year’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, where he netted a strong seventh place finish and lead 12 laps.
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway was reconfigured last season shortly before the truck race, with the banking in the turns increased from 12 degrees to 20, making for a much faster race track. Ambrose took a liking to the fast nature of Las Vegas in last year’s Truck Series event, finishing seventh and leading laps in the last half of the race despite being sent to the back of the field for speeding in pit lane early in the race. Ambrose made a second visit to the venue in February when the drove the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion in preseason testing, finishing the test as seventh fastest and the leading non-Cup driver on the final day. Coming off the back of his best Busch Series finish yet in his NASCAR road course debut in Mexico City, the Australian is aiming to continue his consistent approach to the early part of the season this weekend, but is confident that the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion can run strongly around the fast 1.5-mile speedway.
Jon Wood No 47 Clorox Ford Fusion Telcel-Mexico 200 Race Recap
March 4, 2007
woodbrothersracing.com
When Jon Wood qualified his No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion 30th on Saturday for the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, he didn't seem worried. His confidence proved to be well-founded. Wood rallied to finish 10th on Sunday, giving Wood Brothers/JTG Racing two Top-10 finishers in a Busch Series race since June 18, 2005, when Wood and Stacy Compton both posted Top-10 finishes at the Kentucky Speedway. Wood's teammate, Marcos Ambrose, finished eighth.
The team brought a new car to the 2.518-mile road course in Mexico City, and Wood struggled early in practice and pole qualifying. But he promised better results in the main event.
Wood made a slow and steady run through traffic. He was 18th with 15 laps to go and improved eight spots down the stretch. In the process, he became a bigger fan of road-course racing. Not only did his crew make significant improvements to his No. 47 Clorox Ford before and during the race, Wood found a comfortable rhythm during the race that allowed him to miss all eight caution periods and improve his starting position by 20 spots.
Jon Wood Ready For The "Big Stage" At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Mar 6, 2007
It's been 25 years in the making, but Jon Wood will finally fulfill a portion of his family destiny when he gets behind the wheel of the famed No. 21 car on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Preparations have been of the utmost importance for this historic moment and for Jon Wood, it's all systems go for driving the No. 21 Air Force Ford.
During the January Las Vegas test, Wood was able to clock the 16th fastest lap time in qualifying trim, though he's guaranteed a starting slot in the 43-car field based on the team's 2006 points finish. That will take the pressure off Friday, but that's nothing compared to the pressure he intends to put on himself during the race on Sunday. Regular driver Ken Schrader will step aside, but still compete in a second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup entry, the red No. 47 Ore-Ida/Kingsford/Clorox Ford. The UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 will mark the first time that the Wood Brothers/JTG Organization will have two entries in the same event. The team also has plans to duplicate the double entry later next month at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Media attention is expected to be much higher than normal for the 25-year old Jon Wood. He's taking it all in stride and has a pretty good idea of what to expect heading into the weekend. The ESPN Network is filming a weeklong "All Access" feature story on Jon Wood and his family as the race nears. Part of the plan also has Wood leading a tour (which includes his entire immediate family) of the Nellis Air Force base, across the street from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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