Additional money and exposure are good for NASCAR. However, small teams are feeling the pressure to grow. NASCAR could suddenly find itself looking a lot like Formula One.
NASCAR Mergers Bring About Some Gains...
On the plus side the Roush and Evernham deals are good for NASCAR because they bring in outside investment and encourage outside interest in the sport. Maybe NASCAR will land a few new baseball and hockey fans because of these high-profile owners interest in NASCAR.
The Robert Yates merger is also a positive for NASCAR. This brings one of the most successful teams in motorsports to NASCAR. Newman/Haas/Lanigan currently leads the Champ Car point standings with driver Sebastian Bourdais. This is great for the sport and obviously great for Robert Yates as he gets access to additional resources and technology.
...And Some Losses
The DEI / Ginn merger highlights the negative side of the merger trend. Both DEI and Ginn Racing were three car teams before the merger. After the merger only four teams remain. In this case, NASCAR math makes three plus three equal four.
Unfortunately a lot of talented people lost their jobs as a result of this merger. Two fewer teams will be showing up at the track to compete. The overall sport got a bit smaller because of this business decision.
Is NASCAR Becoming Formula One?
In F1 racing eleven teams control the entire field. It is not hard to imagine NASCAR contracting to that same size.
NASCAR rules currently allow one team to field up to four cars. Eleven team owners, each at the four car limit, would fill a 43 car field with one team going home each week.
Given the success of the large multi-car teams and how the small teams have been struggling it is not hard to imagine eleven four car teams squeezing all of the small team owners out of existence.
The End Of Small Teams?
NASCAR and its fans have always had a soft spot for the underdog. I am all for progress but NASCAR needs to be careful to give the smaller teams a fair chance to compete in NASCAR's premier series.
