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GURSS: These Economic Times
Written by: Jade Gurss   
09/23/2008
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

With so much volatility in the U.S. and worldwide economy in recent weeks, it seems everyone – especially American taxpayers - will feel the consequences for years or even generations. But what does this tumult mean for motorsports in general? I’m no financial expert, but motorsports has always been a cyclical business endeavor since the first motor race in 1894, experiencing an ebb-and-flow throughout depressions, world wars and the once-per-generation trend of withdrawal of factory support from automakers.

Let’s look at NASCAR, the current king o’ the hill. The Sprint Cup Series seems best suited to weather the downturn, even though there will be ever-dwindling crowds at tracks big and small. This will worsen as the economy pummels the heart of NASCAR’s fan base: hard working, lower- to middle-class workers. Expect the TV ratings to improve as these folks find it more and more difficult to afford seeing the races in person and choose to watch from home with the new HD TV they bought with the money they ordinarily would have spent on a trip to the track. “Honey, do we feed the kids this month, or do we buy those tickets and a four-night minimum stay at a crappy
hotel?”

If less sponsor dollars are available, the strongest and smartest teams will receive a larger share of what remains. A weakened economy makes the gap more pronounced. Oddly, this might not immediately mean lesser car-counts in the Cup Series because it fuels a faster rush toward mergers and consolidation. The smaller teams without sponsors seem ripe for being swallowed into the larger teams, making the reality of an entire field of 10 or 11 four-car teams a near-term likelihood. Like every other business sector, the strong will swallow the weak through mergers, acquisitions or simple attrition. Some say NASCAR will never allow a franchise system like nearly every other major sport in the world, but as the team owner pool becomes more concentrated in the hands of fewer but more powerful owners, can it be far off?

My concern? Mostly the Nationwide Series. Yes, the Truck Series has seen smaller truck counts lately (only 31 started last week at Las Vegas) and shrinking support from manufacturers, but it is a series that has seemingly found equilibrium between costs and return on investment. However, the number two series seems to be in a precarious spot.


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