By Randy Sartin

To remain in business, Richard Petty Motorsports followed a traditional blueprint when selecting its next driver.

The practice is not new, and in fact has been part of motor sports since the very beginning. A team has the equipment to race though lacks the needed sponsorship to do so, while a driver who may not possess the most talent has the necessary funding to secure a ride he may not otherwise be qualified for.
Deride it all you want, but it is and will continue to be an essential element of a sport that demands an exorbitant amount of money just to compete. Racing is an expensive venture, and unlike the NFL or NBA where an owner's investment is protected and there are guarantees from year to year regarding the amount of revenue coming in, NASCAR ownership doesn't offer those same safeguards.
As such, owning a race team is dependent on procuring sponsorship, because without it insolvency is inevitable unless a benevolent owner is willing to continually lose money. And one of the secrets to being rich is an avoidance of spending one's fortune unless they absolutely must.
Nevertheless, when news came Wednesday that Richard Petty Motorsports would sign Brian Scott to drive its No. 9 car in 2016, the expected derision ensued -- and not just because of the pervasive negativity on social media.
Scott, after all, has yet to reach Victory Lane in 208 career Xfinity Series starts, nor is he considered one of NASCAR's rising prospects. The chance he's been afforded to join a midsize Sprint Cup Series is because well, the 27-year-old happens to have a sponsor willing to foot the bill.
Is it unfair? Yes, indubitably. Idealistically, talent and talent alone would be the primary factor in dictating which driver signs with a particular team. However, even as team owners have formed a coalition and are working to reduce operating costs, NASCAR's business model has never worked that way and, likely, never will.
To its credit, RPM tried the opposite approach in 2015 when it signed Sam Hornish, Jr. even though full sponsorship wasn't in place. The thinking then was Hornish's name value as a former Indianapolis 500 winner and ability would entice a prospective company to come aboard for the duration of the season.
Except no deal ever materialized, and instead team principle Andrew Murstein had to sustain the No. 9 car himself with his other business holding, Medallion Bank, serving as primary sponsor in 13 races. And the idea of fielding the car again without proper funding factored heavily in the decision not to retain Hornish for another season. (RPM's second team for driver Aric Almirola is solidified.)
"We've got to look at sponsorship as much as anything else," Richard Petty told reporters Nov. 14. "It's a combination deal. We can't just go with a driver and then not have the money, and we can't go with just the money and not have a driver."
Enter Scott, who brings with him Shore Lodge, owned by his family, which sponsored him in 20 of 33 Xfinity races this past season, as well as Albertson's, which was founded by Scott's grandfather.
Although the pact may go against the idea of meritocracy, the benefits are undeniable. RPM gets the indispensable capital required to remain a two-car operation, while Scott can advance his career even if his credentials indicate he may not be worthy of such a promotion.
A definitive win-win for all parties involved; just as the practice of a driver using money to land a seat has always been.