Monterey is in California.
Heaven help you Californians, who have not yet left before getting screwed over by the environmental whackos
and liberals who are driving Cali into bankruptcy and creating another Cuba, Venezuela, or other collapsed
ONCE PROSPEROUS socialist/communist country.

Cali has been having cities dissolved for years due to overtaxation that caused people to flee, giving less taxes over all
which led to firing police, fire departments, and selling off city property, since the cost of running city govts could no longer be supported
when side by side with liberal overspending to buy votes.

Cali cities went bankrupt during the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Era. Former movie star
Schwarzenegger had married into the Massachusetts Leftist, Liberal Kennedy family, who undoubtedly
gave Arnie liberal politicall advice, and got him re-elected. At some point, Schwarzenegger saw that Cali would not recover
from the liberal agenda, Arnie bailed out and several liberal democrat governors followed him.....in taking California down the tubes economically.

In 2019, liberal environmental whacko policies have caused massive California forest fires,
and to avoid getting sued, the power companies have been shutting off electricity to consumers.

Monterey County owns the Leguna Seca property.
I wonder if the county will rent Laguna Seca out to Waste Management for "processing" radioactive or other waste materials.

I'm sure that taxpayers who pay on April 15, will be subsidizing liberal Cali policies this year and for many years to come.
It looks like no one has ever looked to see if the federal taxes collected in Cali are equal to the amount of the millions
poured into Cali as grants, loans and "financial aid"......which supports the free free free programs of socialism.
----------------------------

I recall years ago there was a WWII airstrip South of I-4 near the St Johns River Eats of Orlando.

Around 1965-1968.....
SCCA leased it for $1 per year from the county, held driving schools, maybe autocrosses, maybe races also.
SCCA rented the airstrip to local clubs for autocrossing for $100 per day.
MacDill Sports Car Club in Tampa FL was one of those clubs.
Operation Grand Slam was the name of the one day event.
----------------------
At one point, the county (I want to say it was Osceola County...but may be incorrect on that)...
The county leased the airstrip to a phosphate company, who supposedly used it to dry out phosphate.

I never went back there again.
I still know how to get there.
I wonder what the county is doing with the airstrip these days.
Last time I saw it, there was a cable across the entrance.
----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Custer to replace Suarez at SHR

Image by Rusty Jarrett/LAT


183 shares
share
tweet
email
By: Kelly Crandall | 9 hours ago


Stewart-Haas Racing made it official Friday morning that Cole Custer will compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series beginning next season.

Custer will replace Daniel Suarez in the No. 41 Ford Mustang. Suarez confirmed late Thursday that he would not be back in 2020 after one season with the organization.

For the last three seasons, Custer has been a full-time competitor in the Xfinity Series for SHR, earning nine victories in 103 starts. Seven of those wins have come this season, which is second-most for drivers in the series.

Custer has also qualified for the Championship 4 the past two years, finishing second in points last season.

More NASCAR!

Suarez surprised by SHR split

Custer earned SHR call-up – Stewart

Suarez confirms SHR split

“I was asked last year about this time what Cole needed to do to earn his place in the NASCAR Cup Series, and I said he needed to win,” said team co-owner Gene Haas. “Well, Cole has done that — a lot. He showed that he’s ready to compete at the next level, and we’re giving him that opportunity.”

Added co-owner Tony Stewart, “Cole has certainly earned his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He’s consistently running up front, leading laps and winning races. The level of competition increases dramatically in the NASCAR Cup Series, but it’s where Cole belongs after having proven himself in the Xfinity Series.”

Custer made three starts in the Cup Series last year with Rick Ware Racing. A 25th-place finish in Las Vegas was his highest result.

“This is the moment I’ve worked for ever since I first started racing,” said Custer. “I’ve learned a lot in these last three years in the Xfinity Series, and to be able to stay within Stewart-Haas Racing will make a steep learning curve a little less steep. I know the people, the culture, and what’s expected of me. I’m ready for this challenge.”


Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing, NASCAR

 

Bourdais out at Coyne

Image by Barry Cantrell/LAT
7.9k shares
share
tweet
emailBy: Marshall Pruett | 7 hours ago

Four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais will not drive for Dale Coyne Racing in 2020.

“Very happy that Sebastien decided to drive for us after his Formula 1 tour in 2011, and again the last three years, and appreciate all he’s done for our team, but the ever-changing landscape in IndyCar has changed our plans for 2020,” Coyne told RACER.

Bourdais was unavailable for comment.

It’s believed Frenchman, who joined the team in 2017 with his title-winning race engineer Craig Hampson, was informed the final year of his contract to pilot the No. 18 Honda fielded by Coyne, Jimmy Vasser, and James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan will not be honored.

A new need for funding is said to have led to Coyne’s decision to stand Bourdais down in favor of finding a paying driver to complete the entry’s operating budget.

It’s unclear whether Hampson, who joined the team specifically to be reunited with his Champ Car driver, will remain with the Illinois-based outfit.

Related

Bourdais, Barbosa headed to JDC-Miller

Coyne, Vasser-Sullivan confirm split with Bourdais

The timing of Coyne’s late decision could be crippling for Bourdais, whose options appear to be severely limited with a new season rapidly approaching in March.

Although seats are open at A.J. Foyt Racing and Carlin Racing, both of the Chevy-powered programs are searching for funded drivers. Other potential landing places for Bourdais, including the third Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda car the team endeavors to run, also need significant funding.

One interesting scenario which came to light over the summer was a proposed contract swap between Arrow McLaren SP and Coyne where Bourdais and James Hinchcliffe would have traded places in 2020.

While the deal did not go through, the well-funded AMSP team, which lacks a proven veteran to groom its young pairing of Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew, could find value in Bourdais after learning of Coyne’s shocking decision. The chances, though, of AMSP preparing a third car for Bourdais, after declining to do so for Hinchcliffe, appear to be slim.

And Hinchcliffe — whose efforts to raise the backing to continue his IndyCar career after being parked by AMSP is said to be making progress — could be a leading candidate to replace Bourdais at Coyne if his sponsorship hunt proves to be successful.

With Hinchcliffe serving as the off-season’s first casualty, and the recent news of Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot being dropped for budgetary reasons, Bourdais has joined the ranks of full-time drivers who are shocked to find themselves rideless and fighting to remain in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Dale Coyne Racing, James Hinchcliffe, Sebastian Bourdais, IndyCar

 

Larson shrugs off speculation on his future

Image by Nigel Kinrade/LAT
155 shares
share
tweet
emailBy: Kelly Crandall | 7 hours ago

While Kyle Larson thinks it’s “cool just to hear my name” in the rumor mill, he’s focused on his job with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Larson’s contract expires at the end of the 2020 season. With Jimmie Johnson announcing he’ll retire after one more season, Larson, along with other drivers who are also set to be free agents — Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney, to name a few — have become the subjects of early speculation.

Ganassi has been the only team Larson has driven for in the NASCAR Cup Series. He’s been a full-time driver since 2014.

“I want to do the best job I can while I’m with Chip and if I continue to be with Chip,” said Larson. “He took me from nobody — nobody ever heard of me or even when they started to hear about me wouldn’t give me a shot. So, I’m very loyal and thankful for that. Who knows? I would love to be with Chip for the rest of my career if I could.”

More NASCAR!

Busch back to making a splash in Nashville

NASCAR shifts to ‘Premier Partners’ sponsorship model

Logano looks forward to his first Next Gen test

Larson also said he enjoys what he’s doing with Ganassi right now in the No. 42 Chevrolet. A sixth-place finish in the ’19 standings was a career best for Larson, and he made the Round of 8 in the playoffs.

When Larson does start seriously considering his future, something that will be kept in mind will be his extra-curricular activities. Larson still goes off and runs dirt races, which other team owners aren’t always keen on their drivers doing. Although, Ganassi does have a rule that Larson cannot be in a sprint or midget car the day before he competes in a Cup Series race.

Larson said wherever he ends up in ’21 and beyond, it should be known that racing as much as he can away from NASCAR will be a “priority.” However, he believes that owners understand that’s what he loves to do.

“I think Chip definitely continuing to let me run (dirt races), and then also letting me run more than I have the last few years, has been awesome,” said Larson. “Obviously, I’m a free agent, I guess, at the end of the year, so I guess I’m excited for that just to hear what people have to say. But if I do end up with Chip, I’ll be perfectly happy with that. He gave me my first shot, I’ve got a great relationship with him and the team, but more than anything I just look forward to racing race cars.

“I haven’t really thought too much about it. I’ve been reading everything and it’s cool to see your name in the mix for stuff like that. But we’ll also have to focus on the on-track performance here next year.”

Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Larson, NASCAR

 

Kubica likely to snub Haas for Racing Point deal

Image by Andy Hone/LAT
178 shares
share
tweet
emailBy: Chris Medland | 4 hours ago

Robert Kubica is close to signing a deal to be reserve driver at Racing Point in 2020, turning down a similar role at Haas as a result.

Haas had been keen to recruit the Pole following his departure from Williams in order to bolster its simulator setup and increase the experience level within the team. Team principal Guenther Steiner had previously stated he was waiting on a decision from Kubica, who wants to combine any role in Formula 1 — that his sponsor Orlen is pushing for — with a race seat in DTM.

However, Racing Point has also been working hard to convince Kubica to take on a reserve and simulator role in support of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, and RACER understands the 34-year-old is on the verge of turning down Haas in favor of a move to the former Force India team.

More Formula 1!

Ferrari fuel was checked 10 times in 2019 - Binotto

FIA to restrict F1 teams covering cars in pre-season

Latifi ‘knackered’ but satisfied after busy first day workload

Senior sources at Racing Point insist no deal is yet signed but that they are hopeful Kubica will join the team, having now finished work with Williams — for who he scored the team’s only point this season — following Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Should Kubica opt for Racing Point, it would be a blow to Haas after the team was willing to give him Friday practice outings to help correlation between the simulator and the track, following a season where it struggled to get the most out of its tires and finished ninth in the constructors’ championship despite regular Q3 appearances.

Both teams have named unchanged race driver line-ups for the 2020 season, with Perez and Stroll staying with Racing Point and Haas retaining Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.



Racing Point, Robert Kubica, Formula 1

 

PRUETT: Contracts vs realities

Image by Michael Levitt/LAT
2.2k shares
share
tweet
emailBy: Marshall Pruett | December 5, 2019 9:19 AM

It’s a fabulous time to be a motor racing lawyer.

How many frantic calls were made, in the weeks and months following IndyCar’s September season finale, between drivers and their attorneys? I imagine the questions in October, after James Hinchcliffe was demoted from his race seat at Arrow McLaren SP, went something like, “I know I have a contract with Team X, but does it explicitly state that Team X must put me in a car to drive at every race?”

Just prior to Thanksgiving, another flurry of calls surely were made as the same drivers, and more who had a new reason to be concerned, were shaken as they learned of Sebastien Bourdais’ ouster from Dale Coyne Racing.

Imagine how many hours were invoiced, billed at $500 apiece, by those lawyers as their driver clients rang and posed variations on the same question: “I know Bourdais had a contract to drive in 2020, but even that wasn’t enough to keep him in the car…so can my team do that to me?”

And imagine the helpless feeling when those drivers — even the champions and Indy 500 winners in the field — were told the ugly truth: Despite the services of amazing legal minds who craft iron-clad contracts, when a team owner wants to make a change in the cockpit, well, contracts be damned, it’s going to happen.

The power, as drivers have been reminded with each alarming press release, rests with the men and women who sign their paychecks. There’s no need for the owner of Team X to search for ways to wriggle out of a contract with a driver who’s fallen out of favor, or whose salary has become burdensome. In every instance, the owner’s vast bank account is the winning argument. It’s in the differing financial resources where drivers are destined to lose the employment dispute.

True, some drivers have done an amazing job of saving their salaries, made wise investments and stockpiled millions of dollars for retirement. And in almost every case, they’d be bled dry by legal fees if they elect to sue for lost compensation. When one side has 1000 bullets and the other is starting with 10, the white flag of surrender gets raised before the war begins. For those who choose to fight, prepare to sell the nice house, enroll the kids in public school and say goodbye to that comfortable lifestyle.

In a prolonged court battle with those worth anywhere from tens of millions to billions, a driver’s ammunition runs dry at a startling rate. Still, some have refused to lay down and in the best-case scenarios, once lawyers have been paid and court fees were deducted, they broke even. The only true outlier is found with Ryan Hunter-Reay and the former Rocketsports Champ Car team, where more than a decade was spent in court and, despite receiving a sizable award by the judge, RHR lost a year and a half on the sidelines and bounced around between three teams until finding stability at Andretti Autosport.
After his Rocketsports deal went off the rails, Hunter-Reay fought back and won…but not before a painful career interlude. Image by LAT

Some 12 years after being replaced by a paying driver at Rocketsports, justice was delivered in Hunter-Reay’s favor. Ask him about the brutal span from late 2005 to mid-2007 when he was experiencing the depths of unemployment, and you might get the impression the money that appeared from Rocketsports in 2017 will never erase the emotional toll that came when his contract was ignored.

And that brings us back to the two men whose stories have scared the bejesus out of their fellow drivers. Other than polite words on social media wrapped in the rallying cry of “Challenge Accepted,” Hinchcliffe has gone quiet since his seat evaporated at AMSP.

Hinchcliffe’s situation has a rare twist to consider; with a valid contract, the team has offered to pay his salary which, for those who don’t understand the heart of an athlete, wasn’t received as a happy alternative to driving. Getting paid to watch others race isn’t a positive to a professional driver.

At least on the legal side, Hinchcliffe has imagined the nightmarish scenario and costs involved with fighting the decision in court and reached the conclusion that it would be wiser and easier to search for sponsorship and find a new home in the paddock. As his hunt continues, the kind Canadian has maintained something close to a vow of silence. It’s how the game is played.

Bourdais has followed the same script, using social media to make a single statement that said nothing negative about his former team while declaring his intent to continue in IndyCar.
Bourdais: Silence from the sidelines. Image by LAT

Drivers have two realistic avenues to pursue when a Hinchcliffe- or Bourdais-like situation presents itself, and only one will work in their favor. There’s the nuclear option with trying to get one’s job back through blackmail, which involves chronicling all of the misdeeds, lies, and bad behavior they’ve endured, and threatening to expose the team owner through the media. Bringing shame and embarrassment to a team owner, and the team’s sponsors, by going public might sound like a sharp tactic to consider, but it’s a career killer.

Whatever sympathy might be curried among fans would pale in comparison to the reaction from the rest of the team owners, who’d have to wonder if they’d be on the receiving end of the same public humiliation if things went sour with the driver in question. Forget whether a driver has the right to reveal all the ways they’ve been wronged by a team owner; do it once, and you become a threat.

The second option, which has been taken many times, involves being muzzled for money. Air your grievances to the world, and you won’t receive a penny of what you’re owed. Keep your mouth shut, stay off of social media, and you might be able to negotiate a 50-percent buyout.

Facing the need to pay mortgages, private schools, support parents or siblings and cover all the other monthly drains on a savings account, most drivers bend the knee and take whatever settlement they can get. The uncomfortable dance is the best outcome most drivers can hope for when they find themselves with a contract in hand and someone else’s name on the car they were meant to race.

 

Part 2

PRUETT: Contracts vs realities

By: Marshall Pruett | December 5, 2019 9:19 AM

The silence from Hinchcliffe and Bourdais reveals another uncomfortable reality with racing contracts. In a form of the sport that lacks a union for its athletes, there’s no leverage to apply when you’re benched in favor of a new prospect, or get cut to keep the budget from turning black to red.

As Formula 1 teams elevated the poaching of drivers and senior technical staff into an art during the early 1990s, the FIA created the Contracts Recognition Board, which proved useful when unruly behavior disrupted the paddock. Rather than pour untold millions into legal scrums between Team A and Team B, the CRB was employed to resolve the bad behavior and rule in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Whenever a stick-and-ball athlete is thrown into a contractual dispute, it’s not uncommon to hear the names of the National Football League Players Association, or the National Basketball League Players Association mentioned as the watchdog organizations who lead vigorous fights on their behalf. In IndyCar, IMSA and NASCAR, and every other series that comes to mind, there’s no union to call when things go sideways with an owner.

Without a powerful union to provide protection, drivers are left to choose between risking financial peril or accepting a token buyout that comes with a big piece of tape across their mouths.
Hinchcliffe’s warnings of 2018 sound even more prescient – and poignant – now. Image by LAT

It could be nothing more than a coincidence, but Hinchcliffe and Bourdais, the two who’ve pushed the hardest throughout the 2010s for the proper treatment of drivers and improvements in driver safety, are now on the outside looking in.

In an opinion piece filed to RACER in September of 2018, Hinchcliffe presented a compelling argument for the creation of the protective body that could have served him, Bourdais, and others in the future.

“The goal is not for us to be stomping our feet and screaming, ‘this is not right’ and talking about boycotting races,” he wrote.

“We don’t want to be officiating or writing the rules — letting drivers do that would be the worst thing you could go and do! The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association in Formula 1 is more geared toward allowing drivers to have a say in conversations about the sport itself, and it is certainly very effective for some things. But it doesn’t protect drivers in the sense that I would like to see, and the way that other players unions do. I do think it’s important that we have a voice, and that we make sure that the drivers are being looked after the way that athletes are in other pro sports.”

Drivers suffered from a lack of imagination before the contractual strife cropped up in October and November. For those who entertained the naive notion of, “There’s no way it could happen to me,” ask one of IndyCar’s most popular drivers and the series’ last remaining link to Canada whether it’s possible. Or ask the four-time champion who was sought by Chip Ganassi to pair with Scott Dixon in 2018, and again in 2019, and was pursued a few months ago by McLaren to replace Hinchcliffe, only to have his team owner shoot down all three opportunities for the Frenchman to close his IndyCar career in style.

“I’ve talked about this with some of the other drivers in IndyCar, and the feedback I’ve gotten has been mostly positive,” Hinchcliffe continued. “The issue is that drivers are terrified of angering team owners. They don’t want to lose their job. And that makes sense; nobody wants to lose their jobs. I’m no different.”

It’s no surprise to learn that in the 13 months between Hinchcliffe’s impassioned argument and his benching by AMSP, the concept of drivers banding together for their collective betterment went absolutely nowhere.

What’s happened to Hinchcliffe and Bourdais is done, and there’s no turning back. The support for both drivers from fans and rivals has been heartwarming, but goodwill isn’t a currency that holds value. Will they find full-time IndyCar drives in the future? It’s impossible to say at this point, but meetings continue to take place that offer glimpses of encouragement.

And will this happen again at the end of the upcoming season? That’s the lingering area of concern.
Who will be the next left behind? Image by Michael Levitt/LAT

A worrying precedent has been set with Hinchcliffe and Bourdais. If you’re a driver whose appearances in victory lane have been far too infrequent, or your finishing position in the championship has been underwhelming, don’t look to that multi-year contract as your savior next September when Team X announces it has hired someone younger or wealthier as your replacement.

Most owners are never mentioned in these disputes, which deserves praise and respect. Coincidentally, those also tend to be the team owners who achieve the highest degree of success. But elsewhere, and until drivers form a coalition, or IndyCar steps in with a CRB of its own to restore the lost value of contracts, the same old story will continue be written.

“There needs to be some sort of mechanism that protects the people that are out there risking their lives to put on a show for the fans, and support the sponsors, and all the rest of it,” Hinchcliffe warned. “Drivers feel very disposable at the moment. And it’s heartbreaking.”

 

Penske IMSA drivers advised to seek other options for 2021

Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images
4.6k shares
share
tweet
emailBy Marshall Pruett | 8 hours ago

With the upcoming end to the three-year relationship between Acura and Team Penske in IMSA’s Daytona Prototype international class, Team Penske president Tim Cindric says ATP’s high-profile drivers have been advised to search for new opportunities in 2021 and beyond.

Reigning DPi champions Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya, along with teammates Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor in the sister Acura ARX-05, are among the most popular drivers in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and with Team Penske’s post-Acura future somewhat uncertain in IMSA, the foursome is not anticipated to remain intact after the season concludes at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in November.

“It’s a real difficult thing for us because all those guys mean a lot to us,” Cindric told RACER. “We think the world of all of them, and we’ve been very upfront with them throughout this process with Acura. And we’ve told them all that, ‘Hey, going forward, you really need to look for what is in your best interests.’”

Although Acura is expected to continue in DPi next year, likely with more than one team, Penske’s immediate return with a new manufacturer is considered unlikely as the auto industry deals with the financial effects of COVID-19.

“With the uncertainty that’s out there right now, it’s very difficult to plan very far ahead, because those that you work with, whether they be the OEMs, the sponsors, or what have you, even the series in some cases, don’t have the answers either,” Cindric added. “So, it’s very difficult to put programs or plans in place that ordinarily we’d maybe be working on.”

More IMSA!

IMSA appoints Kurdock as new technical director

McMurry in for the long haul with Meyer Shank, Acura

IMSA confirms 31-car field for Road America [UPDATED]

Among the four full-timers, Castroneves is the only driver to race for Penske outside of IMSA; he completes The Captain’s four-car Indianapolis 500 program in August. Beyond the three-time Indy 500 winner receiving future calls to race at the Speedway with the owner he’s driven for since 2000, Cameron, Montoya, and Taylor are more likely to land with new teams when the next WeatherTech Championship begins in January.

“So, we’ve said to each of them, ‘Look, don’t wait for us, but we’ll certainly keep you abreast of what potential we have or whatever else,’ because we’d love to continue working with those guys or work with them again at some point,” Cindric added. “So, I can’t say that it’s a no, but I can’t say it’s a yes.”

Acura Team Penske, Dane Cameron, Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ricky Taylor, Tim Cindric, IMSA, WeatherTech Sportscar Championship

 

Perfect storm in the wrong direction led to LFR sale

Rusty Jarrett / Motorsport Images
772 shares
share
tweet
emailBy Kelly Crandall | 8 hours ago

A perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances led to the sale of Leavine Family Racing, owner Bob Leavine explained on Tuesday morning. He has sold the building, charter, and inventory. However, the cars will go back to Joe Gibbs Racing, the team’s alliance partner.

In his initial statement, Leavine referenced the pandemic that forced the sport to shut down for over two months, noting its impact on his organization, and reiterating it was one of the reasons he is leaving NASCAR.

More NASCAR!

Bowyer crew chief suspended after New Hampshire

CRANDALL: The kick that Keselowski needed

New crew chief at Michigan for Kenseth's CGR Chevrolet

“Our biggest sponsor over the years has been WRL, our construction firm. That has been impacted (by the pandemic) and will continue to be impacted for the next several years,” said Leavine. “That was a big factor, and the business model of NASCAR, sponsorship.

“Obviously, when the pandemic hit, we shut down. We looked at our marketing people and said, ‘We’re going to be lucky to sell $50,000 worth (of sponsorship) for the rest of the year, because even big companies are going bankrupt. They can’t invest in something that has no more return than what they are going to get during a pandemic.’ So, the business model itself hurt.

“It was a perfect storm, and with that (pandemic) coming, NASCAR shutting down, and the business model, and our biggest sponsor – ourselves – all those things combined. Matt [DiLiberto], my partner, the largest real estate firm in New York — they’re hit tremendously hard. It was a perfect storm in the wrong direction.”

Leavine did not reveal who purchased the team and would not go into financial details. The buyer will announce the news.

Christopher Bell is driving the team’s No. 95 Toyota in his rookie Cup Series season. LFR hired Bell and received further technical support this year from both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, which was on the level of the former alliance between Gibbs and Furniture Row Racing. Leavine has been a single-car operation since joining the NASCAR Cup Series in 2010, and has only been full-time since 2016.

Leavine purchased a charter in 2017, which guarantees a team a starting spot in each race. NASCAR went to the charter system in 2016 with officials issuing 36 charters to teams who showed long-term commitment to the sport by attempting to qualify each weekend. Charter teams receive a fixed portion of the race purse.

One hope of the charter system was to create value for race teams. However, Leavine said if his team had been one of those who received a free charter (when NASCAR issued them), “it probably would have been more impactful. Being one of the ones how had to buy our charter, we definitely did not get out of the charter what we put into (it). So, from our standpoint, it’s very difficult to say that it was a great investment. It just allowed us to run full-time for the five years after we bought it. That’s the best thing I can say for the charter system.”

According to Leavine, the organization is not only putting in the same amount of money they anticipated but more anticipating additional sponsorship. That was before the pandemic, however. Leavine doesn’t believe they will sell anything going forward, but is committed to running as they have been through the end of the year.

“We had a whole lot of things banking on the Next Gen coming in,” said Leavine of NASCAR’s new car, which has now been pushed to 2022. “Our deal with JGR required us to do certain things, and we were looking forward to being a standalone team with one or two cars. So, the pandemic and the sponsorship and how it affected WRL, our major sponsor; and then having to come back and buy cars for next year (when) we had planned on not needing cars for next year… It was a snowball effect on multiple things, and we saw no way out.

“We could not afford the affiliation, what we did this year, for next year, and that’s what we banked on – ‘OK, we’ll do this one year, run well, get our charter value up’ – and we had a plan; and it all came tumbling down with the pandemic. The pandemic and then you take a bad business model — it doesn’t work for us.”

Despite his feelings, Leavine is not advising against buying into a NASCAR charter. Those who have ties to large companies with business-to-business opportunities can make it work, which didn’t fit with what he was able to bring to the sport.

Leavine admitted that before the sport returned from its shutdown, he had lobbied NASCAR for things to change with other owners. He would not go into detail, but said he was disappointed in the outcome of the meetings, and knew it was probably going to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

From there, Leavine started to look at out how to protect his team and keep people employed.

Ultimately selling the operation was “probably one of the most difficult things I’ve encountered and had to do because of our ten years. I really gave it all I had for the 10 years, and the last five when we went full-time. I committed, and I thought we could make a difference and be a good team – a responsible and respected team in NASCAR. To walk away and not have completed that… I’ve never had to do that before and give up on anything. But I could not let it destroy our 41-year-old business in Texas during these times. You have to protect something, and that’s a profitable organization; and I can’t rape, pillage and plunder.

“It’s like having two kids and deciding which one lives and which one doesn’t. It’s gut-wrenching because everybody in here is family, and to have to stand in front this morning and tell them what we were doing and how we wanted to go out with our heads held high – that sounds really good and reads really good, but it’s really difficult to do.”

Bob Leavine, Leavine Family Racing, Cup Series, NASCAR

 

In the US, democrat politicians closed businesses and ordered people not to work.
Sign 'em up for welfare! They are desperate!.....and democrats did it to them.
------------------
Pay them more of taxpayer's money on "un-employment" than they make by working!
Democrats say pay every person in the US $1,200, including illegals and muslims hiding out in the US,
raise the US debt level, raise prices, and screw the citizens! Democrats and Fake News blame Pres Trump,
and need desperately to defeat him. A constant lie goes a long way.
---------------------------
Shut down the economy, hurt the US economically and stupid people will vote for an dementia patient democrat candidate
Joe Biden, with no business experience whatsoever, instead of Republican pres Trump who built the biggest US economy ever
.............so say the democrats.

Democrats released criminals (who usually vote democrat) from prison, and jailed people who only wanted to work
and earn money to feed their family.
-----------------------
Either you follow the democrat leftist "rules" or they will stop you from earning ANYTHING!
A permit or a license is permission........ to earn money. Permission can always be taken from you.
Democrats use the US laws against the citizens.
---------------------
The BS and fear created by lieing Fake News media, spread out to other parts of the world.
Worldwide, the US Fake News has reached millions of people and now auto racing is suffering
from the leftist democrat grab for more power.
---------------------------------

Jones 'blindsided' by split from Gibbs...US ordered not to work...no money from advertising...no money for sponsorship....no money...no money...can't race.....

John Harrelson/Motorsport Images
997 shares
share
tweet
emailBy Kelly Crandall | 22 hours ago

Erik Jones found out Thursday morning his deal with Joe Gibbs Racing would not be extended for 2021, and it was something that “blindsided” him a bit.

In a contract year with Gibbs, the 24-year-old thought he was going to remain in the No. 20 Toyota based on how talks were going. Instead, Jones will leave the team after three seasons.

“I didn’t really expect it coming from our talks, I thought we were moving in a good direction,” Jones said during the NBC Sports pre-race show at Michigan. “At the end of the day, I’ve had a great, really, eight years almost with Joe Gibbs Racing between Xfinity and Cup, and I’m thankful for that time. It’s good to see the support that’s been out there the last few days on social media and everybody that’s coming out in support; it’s been awesome.

“We’ve got a great few opportunities out there, which has been good to see. Over the next few weeks, hopefully, we can have some good talks, so excited about that. Excited about the next 15 races, too.”

Jones has two NASCAR Cup Series wins with Gibbs and made the playoffs in 2018 and ’19. He is the first driver below the playoff cutline going into the second race of a Michigan doubleheader, 16 points behind William Byron.

More NASCAR!

NASCAR Darlington cleared for fan return

Gibbs confirms Bell to take over the No.20 in 2021

Choose rule a welcomed return among several drivers

Since impressing Kyle Busch in a late model race in 2012, Jones has been tied to the Toyota family. He competed for Busch in the Truck Series and won the 2015 championship before moving into a Gibbs seat in the Xfinity Series and then in the Cup Series.

“It’s a lot different spot,” said Jones. “After we won that first truck race in Phoenix (in 2013), I was kind of on a plan, and it really worked out really well all the way up to the 20 car. It’s a lot different situation. I’ve got great people behind me working with me.

“It’s been a hectic few days in trying to start working on things for next year, but it’s also an opportunity to take a foundation that we built the last few years and start to build from that. It’s unfortunate in one way, but it’s exciting in another too.”

It has yet to be announced who will replace Jones at Joe Gibbs Racing, but the expectation is that it will be Christopher Bell. Two days before Gibbs and Jones announced they would part ways, Bob Leavine, who currently fields a car for Bell, announced he had sold his team and was leaving NASCAR at the end of the season.

Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Cup Series, NASCAR