Gordon’s number finally comes up at Texas

It’s a funny thing how numbers work. This past Sunday, had Jeff Gordon not won his first-ever race at Texas Motor Speedway on is 18th attempt, he would have extended his overall losing streak to 48 races.
That’s an odd coincidence, especially since Kyle Busch, who drives the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, has been dominant just about everywhere he has driven this year. And even more so because Jimmie Johnson, who is seeking his fourth straight Sprint Cup Championship, drives the Gordon co-owned No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.
Now, there were some after the race that said Johnson was gaining on Gordon and that he could have passed him. In fact, some people suggested that Johnson let Gordon win. Nope, no way, no how, it wasn’t going to happen. In fact, had Johnson tried to make a pass on Gordon for the lead in the final laps, team owner Rick Hendrick would have been picking up the pieces of two very damaged racecars while either Greg Biffle or Tony Stewart celebrated in Victory Lane.
For those still living under a rock, need you be reminded of Martinsville Speedway last year, when Gordon and Johnson traded shots with one another fighting for the lead? Johnson prevailed then.
Neither Gordon nor his pit crew was having any of it on Sunday. I hadn’t shot photos from pit road all day long but I went to Gordon’s pit just before he came in on his final stop. His crew was on its game. And when crewmembers ripped off a lightening-fast stop to get Gordon out in front of the field, it was like they had won the lottery.
Since Daytona, the word has been that Gordon “has a fire in his eyes” and he is looking like a champion. Sure he wants another championship but on Sunday, all he wanted was a win at Texas. And he would have put both Hendrick cars into the wall to keep Johnson from taking that away from him.
Since we are on the topic of numbers, here are some interesting numbers that were released by International Speedway Corp., the sister company to NASCAR. Apparently, the severely depressed economy is hurting ISC’s bottom line. It’s not like they can’t afford to take a loss but this is a significant amount of cash. According to recent public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, ISC has lost 31 percent of its revenue compared to last year.
“While pleased with the level of excitement and competition on the track as well as the fans’ avid support of NASCAR, we are not immune to the broader macroeconomic challenges facing all businesses,” said ISC President Lesa France Kennedy. “We are addressing these challenges on a number of fronts. Most notably, we are making it more affordable for our fans to attend our events by reducing ticket prices, providing value-added opportunities to enhance the guest experience, and working with community partners to further reduce the overall cost of attending a race. Also, given the close scrutiny that is being placed on marketing budgets, we have escalated our efforts to provide our corporate partners with innovative marketing solutions that deliver a clearly measurable return on investment.”
The numbers show that ISC revenue dropped $28 million over to $166.1 million for the first quarter of 2009. But some of that loss would be expected regardless of the economic conditions considering ISC is basing its figures on revenue gained from the historic running of the 50th Daytona 500 in 2008.
Well, ISC is hurting. That is because the average consumer is hurting and some fans just can’t afford to go to the track, regardless of how much ticket prices are slashed. There is a lot of talk that these next few years could be defining ones in the sport and could not only result in major changes but quite possibly its demise. I would hope that is not the case but with NASCAR so closely tied to the auto industry, I am sure there are a several nervous executives at NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach.
In other news around the garage, it is now public knowledge that the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 8 Chevrolet is officially parked. Apparently, what was once the most popular car number in the sport (when it was driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr.) doesn’t have the sponsorship to continue the 2009 Sprint Cup season with Felix Sabates driving. I have to ask this question — is anyone surprised?
Since Dale Jr. left DEI, it has gone through two merger/acquisitions and seen its biggest sponsors seek greener pastures or darker asphalt, whichever you prefer.
And while some are shutting down, other teams are working diligently to find sponsorship. That is the case with A.J. Allmendinger’s No 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge. Rather than sit out the rest of the season, “The Dinger” as he is known, will get a reprieve thanks to sponsorship from Hunt Brothers Pizza.
Before I wrap up this week, I would like to send out a special thank you to Market Basket and Time Warner Communications for their sponsorship and support of our Texas Motor Speedway VIP NASCAR Getaway Weekend. The contest was a huge success and I look forward to the Texas triple-header in November.