Random Thoughts

Michael then went on to say that he didn't buy his way into the race, instead his team entered into a partnership with the #74 team that was a win-win for both parties. He also said that the #74 team will now be able to do more moving forward because the team was looking for money to continue their dream of being a full-time team. That's something that I think a lot of fans have overlooked. While they've been slamming Michael for buying his way into the race, they don't see how this actually benefits the #74 team. A few weeks ago that team was hit with a large fine from Nascar for a rules violation and that's a big hit to a small team that has few resources, including financial ones. I have no doubt that this team made more money by entering into this deal with Michael than they would have if they had run the race themselves. That will help make it a little easier to afford to take the car to other races in the future. In fact, Derrike Cope said on his website,

"This was purely a business decision on Ray McGlynn's part to further our team for future races that will hopefully allow us to race more and be more competitive."

Then Michael brought up what's at the heart of why he entered into the arrangement with the #74 team - taking care of his sponsor, NAPA. He said that doing this wasn't about him racing, or as he said in another article, extending his consecutive Cup races streak, it's all about NAPA being in the race. Which is very true. NAPA probably spends $15 million or more on their sponsorship of the #55 car, and it's unacceptable for them to miss races. Michael, and those who work for him at MWR, had a responsibility to ensure that they did whatever they needed to do to make sure that NAPA was a presence in one of the biggest races that they run each season.
Michael's fellow owners understand this completely. Rick Hendrick said,

"We've got 5,000 Lowe's employees here. This is where these sponsors bring their people to have an event. If we didn't make the race it would be a really awkward deal not to have a car in there. I feel [Waltrip's] pain, because I know that would be a disaster for your sponsor.''

Exactly. Missing a race is a disaster not only for Michael and his team, but also for the sponsor. But many people don't understand the business side of the sport or think that it's not very important. But it is. Michael has to keep his sponsor happy. Michael doesn't run Michael Waltrip Racing entirely out of his own pocket. Nor does Bill Davis Racing, Toyota, or Nascar pay all the bills. Those bills, and there are a lot of them, are paid by NAPA and the rest of Michael's sponsors, who pay to get the maximum amount of exposure possible, something they can't get if Michael's not racing.

J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, added,

"It's a hard, hard situation. Give credit to Michael. He's committed to his sponsor and he sucked it up and paid to make it happen.''

Instead of ripping Michael to shreads, it would be nice if a few more people acknowledged how hard Michael and those at MWR are working to make the best of a bad situation. Fact is 2006 has been awful for Michael so far, in some ways an embarassment considering how well-funded the team is, and I highly doubt that he or NAPA is very happy with the way things have gone. Michael could have given up, packed up and gone home when he didn't qualify for the race, but instead he and Ty Norris figured out what they needed to do to make things right. I admire that - this is a very tough sport, not only on the track but on the business end as well. Making things work and having a successful team isn't as easy as some seem to think it is - the #55 team is an example of how hard things can be - so it was no small matter for Michael and the others around him who were involved to make this deal happen.

Back to what Michael said on INC, he finished by saying that he shouldn't be judged, and nor should anyone else be judged, without knowing all the facts. I couldn't agree with Michael more on that point! Yes, we all draw conclusions and speculate on things without knowing all the facts. And it's really hard for fans, because we are on the outside looking in, so it's often impossible for us to be aware of everything that is going on behind the scenes, especially since teams, drivers and sponsors don't always want all the facts to be known. But I think there's a difference between having some opinions on an incident or a situation, based on what's publically known to that point, and bashing a driver as a person, which is what has been happening to Michael. That's why I try to be careful about what I say in this space. I have strong opinions, but I try to stay away from bashing and personal insults. I really don't know all that there is to know about any given situation and I think there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed - too bad not all fans see things my way. It's really appalling some of what's being said about Michael by some fans, not just that they disagree with him getting into a race this way, but all sorts of personal insults. Fact is, 99% of those fans, including myself as big of a fan of his as I am, really have no clue about Michael as a person, about his business, about his obligations to his sponsors, about how he conducts himself, or, as he pointed out, about all the facts in this particular situation.

Some fans took exception with Michael saying that had he not entered into the agreement with the #74 team that Derricke would have parked the car after ten laps, but he wanted to race longer. He said that is the business model that they are choosing to follow and that there's nothing wrong with that, only he wanted to do something different. It's very true that the #74 team has been a start and park team for the two races prior to this weekend, due to "mechanical" issues, which mysteriously cropped up on lap 11 in both races. I think that they do this to protect the car - they don't have the money to get easily get a replacement car or parts if it gets wrecked or there's a major mechanical malfunction, not to mention they may not have a spare engine so if that one goes their whole season could be over. But some fans felt that was Michael taking a shot at Cope - saying that he's a better driver than Cope is, um, no, trying listening to what the man is saying, and not hearing only what you want to hear.

After Michael had gotten all of that off his chest, Ken Schrader also defended his actions. Kenny wisely pointed out that the #74 team earned that spot in the starting lineup and what they elected to do with it is their business. I fully agree - the #74 team entered into the agreement with Michael of their own free will. They could have said no, as it's rumored Johnny Sauter's team did. And there's the thing that bothers me about all of this - Nascar's rules allow this deal to happen and both parties entered into this agreement willingly. Overall, I'd rather that teams race their way into each race and I'm quite sure that Michael and NAPA would prefer to have gotten into the Coca-Cola 600 that way too. But both of these two teams found a way to help each other, something that those in the garage area have always been known for - helping each other.

I think that a lot of the fans who are so outraged by what Michael did, would do very much the same thing that Michael did, just as Cal Wells did last season. There is a real lack of understanding about the pressures that sponsors put on the teams and what kind of business decisions sometimes have to be made because of it. I'm just glad that Michael is sticking up for himself and trying to explain those things to people, even though unfortunately a lot of fans once they make up their mind about something, they find it impossible to see things any other way.