NASCAR returns to its roots this weekend with a doubleheader at Martinsville Speedway. While the well-known Sprint Cup stars will handle the Sunday duties, it is often the Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday that has the most action.
Over the years, Johnny Benson has been a fan favorite for his personality and driving ability. This season, he comes into Martinsville locked in a battle for the Craftsman Truck Series championship once again. Unfortunately, reality has come knocking right in the middle of his outstanding season.
Benson's primary sponsor, Toyota Certified Used Vehicles, is suddenly gone. On Saturday Benson will be starting the race in his Bill Davis Racing Toyota painted simply black and red. During SPEED's Friday rain delay coverage, there was a lot of tiptoeing around this topic.
The fact is that for the first time in a very long time, the Saturday race winner at Martinsville may have no sponsor to thank. There will be no hat to wear, no CEO to acknowledge and no "TV time" for Joyce Julius to count. If Benson makes it to victory lane his truck would certainly be a statement about how tough the economic climate is for racing.
How SPEED chooses to handle this overall topic will help to determine just how honest the TV network will be as this series struggles through the remainder of the season. Some fans have been upset at ESPN2 deliberately hiding the "start and park" cars in the Nationwide Series coverage.
This Craftsman Truck Series issue is huge. SPEED is the exclusive TV network of the NCTS. What happens to this series next year and just how many teams can even finish this season has been something not discussed in the mainstream media. The focus this time of the year is on the Sprint Cup Series and The Chase. Saturday, a part of it should be on a 45 year old from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Benson means a whole lot to a big chunk of NASCAR fans. His age and experience relates to the real NASCAR fan base much better than Kyle Busch or Joey Logano. From his Midwestern roots to his long-time TV appearances on Monday nights, Benson being dropped by his primary sponsor as he battles for the series championship is news.
On Saturday at 2:30PM, it will be Krista Voda leading The Set-Up on SPEED. This thirty minute pre-race show usually touches all the bases where series news is concerned. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Benson is definitely one of the bases.
Rick Allen, Phil Parsons and Michael Waltrip will be along to call the race at 3PM. This trio is very race-oriented, as SPEED does not have any daily or weekly NASCAR show that regularly features the trucks. Perhaps, Waltrip and Parsons might chime-in on what is going-on behind the scenes and just how tough things are for the NCTS teams.
In light of the Benson situation, it seems ironic that 40 trucks are on-hand to try and qualify for this event. From struggling drivers like Sam Hornish and Chad McCumbee to "one timers" like Hermie Sadler and Mike Skinner's son Dustin, the race should prove to be a wonderful mix of personalities and experience.
So, one key element to watch on Saturday will be whether SPEED tackles the Benson issue head-on or chooses to run and hide. It should also be interesting to see how Sunday night's NASCAR TV line-up on SPEED deals with the overall subject.
Sooner or later, even Dave Despain may break from Wind Tunnel's open-wheel devotion and try to figure out just what NASCAR may be putting on the track in 2009.
The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Just click on the COMMENTS button below and add your opinion. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and voice your views.
62 comments:
Thanks to Johnny's car owners, we'll at least get to see him race on Saturday - assuming it doesn't rain, of course! My heart goes out to all of them - I'm a Benson fan from waaaaaaay back!
When a very popular driver that is contending for the championship loses sponsorship, it is a very bad sign for the series. It is doubly bad because the sponsor is making money, unlike many of the other sponsors. I would not be shocked to see the series fold without a sponsorship deal this late in the year. With the lack of sponsorship for the series and Dodge leaving, maybe Toyota sees the handwriting on the wall.
I was unable to watch the rainout coverage today. This is a story that needs to be covered. Its not like Benson is a start and park car, he contends each week. Surely he can find a sponsor til the end of the season. Maybe the FCC will jump on with him.
As far as the ESPN comment. I personally don't want to see the start-and-park cars. They are just taking advantage of NASCAR. If you don't plan to race the whole race, then i would prefer you just not come.
@ Ken, ditto.
If the Cup/NW teams are hurting for sponsors, where does that leave the trucks? They have been struggling way before the economy took a big dump. I will be sad to see the series go. I hope some company hooks up with JB for the last 3 or 4 races since he's contending for the title.
If SPEED is silent on this issue, NASCAR is even more so. Do they even care?
J. B. has meant a lot to the truck series, and I too have followed his career since he drove for Roush. I only watched the 30 minutes when the trucks were suppose to have their 1st. practice, but did not hear about why the sponsor is leaving. Speed needs to get the story.
Some of you probably seen the article several months ago when the car manufactuers got with NASCAR, and almost made demands how they wanted things done if they were to continue to sponsor, and offer financial, and technical support. This was before their stock went to near nothing. One of the things was to eliminate the CTS.
It's a shame he has to go unsponsored, especially since he's doing so well this year. That really speaks to the financial troubles of his sponsor, if they don't want to stay on even when the truck is a consistent top-5. If nothing else comes up for them, I hope Bill Davis keeps footing the bill since he's going for the championship.
It would be a terrible thing for nascar if one of the best drivers in any series had to sit out because lack of sponsorship.
Well, I love this series more than the others.
STINKS to see this fold while EVERYBODY stays silent on the subject including NASCAR.
If you are not a "young gun" then NASCAR wants nothing to do with you to promote you.
Sad.
The last two years, Benson's had a variety of sponsors ... Not all are toyota-related ...
This is more a failure of Bill Davis himself than Benson ... Benson's constantly delivered the goods ... Even last year, when he was overshadowed by his teammate Skinner & his championship hunt ...
This is also part of the reason WHY some people do not like it when toyota comes into a particular auto racing series ... They buy into teams with sponsorship $$$, R&D, engines, etc ... Then they bail on the teams ...
I'm not surprised to see this happen to Benson ... especially since this weekend marks the Cup debut of Scott Speed ... the new poster boy for TRD in Nascar ...
Oh yeah ... 7am pdt qualifying for the Trucks !?!?!? Why not show the 5am practice session too ?? SPEED can bump "Two Guys Garage" and "Chop Cut Rebuild" ... LOL
Johnnys one of the good guys out there!He should be back in a Winston cup.no Nextel.no Sprint cup car!!He seems to get along and have the respect of his fellow racers..He knows how to get around a race track!! Give him a good ride and he will pull a jeff burton for your team!!
JD
I have always wondered, wut all the money NASCAR gets/got for the broadcast rights from FOX, TNT and ESPN, is any of this passed down to the car/truck owners or do they solely rely on sponsers, merchandise and purse money?
I believe (and I could be wrong) that in the NFL, MLB and maybe the NBA, the team owners are involved in the TV packages and get a portion of the monies.
Bill H
The reason they can't show the 5 am/pdt (8 am on the east coast) practice is that the crew would have to be there 3 hours before hand. So a 5 am crew call for an 8 am practice, 10 am qualifying session and a 2:30 pm race. The same crew covers all of that. And of by the way the TV crew stays in Greensboro which is 1 hour away from the race track! They would have already worked 9 hours before the race started! How good of coverage would that be? We see how bad a Nationwide race can be on a Friday night after all day action on the track.
This is a real shame. I've liked JB from day one.
The truck operation is about the only bright spot at BDR. This doesn't bode well for them, or the truck series as well.
dawg
Things are tough,sponsors pulling out, manufactures leaving , now Toyota bails on Benson,if that is the case. It dosen't make sense to pull sponsorship when your in a championship battle, running with one of the original Toyota teams,remember Bill Davis and Dodge lawsuit over Davis /Toyota involvement. It sure would be nice to see SPEED report on this as it might have some bearing on where the series is heading. IMO the Truck Series is some of the best racing you will see, good hard old school racing at it's best. Let's hope Camping World or some other possible series sponsor doesn't get rattled and lose interest too.
my strong feelings in support of the truck series are well known so i won't rehash here. simple version: this series has earned way more respect than it receives.
my question comes b/c i didn't watch coverage yesterday, knowing it would all be filler: has toyota offered an explanation as to why they have pulled out? not that such an explanation would make it better but i'd be interested in the "official reason." to pull out on a team that is in contention, this close to the end of the season, is . . . "unusual," perhaps unparalleled?
i agree that speed needs to cover this story in depth today, not merely glance over it to move onto some personality-driven fluff piece. this is (as a friend phrases it) "a big honkin' deal"!
One subject has not been addressed by people chiming in. It's friggin amazing that Johnny Benson has no sponsor yet Sam Hornish, Chad Mccumbee and other non-truck do. That's all you need to know about the sorry state of na$car. Out with the old die hard fans and in with the new "bandwagon fans" Unbelievable!!!!
midasmicahone
Like our country's dependence on foreign oil, the whole NASCAR funding model is broken.
The sport needs to grow up, act like a major league sport, and start franchising teams. The days of a few guys working on a car at home in order to bring it to the track to race are long gone.
This boom and bust cycles will distroy teams, and the lives of those working on them.
Sponsorship plays a far to large of a roll in this sport. I'd like to see an investigative report into the whole NASCAR team's funding model, as it compares to othere leagues with franchise their teams.
Something has to change.
SPEED is trying to get in the truck qualifying and did not mention Benson's situation in the opening segments.
Perhaps, they will talk about it when Benson takes to the track.
JD
Its a shame about Benson, but you can't rag on Toyota, their sales are down as well. Not as bad as GM/Chevy, but they have more fuel efficient car models.
Some people jumped all over JD for his article on the economy but those chickens are going to be coming home and roosting for Nascar, fans, teams and sponsors.
The question of broadcasting profit sharing is a big one. Formula One shares a certain amount of that money with the teams, I've never heard of that happening in Nascar, but maybe it does. If not, I would think the teams would have that conversation with France about sharing the wealth to keep his "product" looking good.
I'm really sorry to see sponsorship problems for JB again. I love him and Ron Hornaday in CTS. Hopefully this will be addressed today. I'm so very tired of the out w/the old & in w/the new flavor of the month. Who cares if the flavor is any good, or if anyone even knows, its just cuz they're new ( actually young is the correct word)
I think the racing is better in CTS since the "new" cot "car" came into use.And this series gets the least pub & respect, much like us fans.
I think a big part of the funding issue is that the car owners are independent contractors and not fanchised. I know that the COT was supposed to breing costs down, but the last word I saw was that it definitely had not done what it was intended to do. I hate to see this for JB and really do like him, but I think that all of the car manufacturers are having trouble and that even includes Toyota. I think it is the sponsor bailing on him and not the manufacturer.
once again, no one online seems to be carrying the qualifying times. even speed seems to have forgotten they're even carrying it right now and nascar.com is focused on the cup series even.
if i were a corporate sponsor, i'd be seriously pissed at nascar and media partners right about now and might even pull my sponsorship b/c i'm NOT getting the coverage i was no doubt promised.
sad.
(by the way: my apologies. i re-read my post from yesterday about nascar fan council survey. the number of trucks being proposed was 30 -- THIRTY! -- not the 36 that several pointed out is the current field. i plead stupidity after pulling carpet from the stairs all day. guess that clarifies my surprise with the question, huh? sorry . . .)
Not a word about it, but I think i saw Toyota Used Certified on Bensons tailgate
I don't think Benson brought the sponsorship to BDR, this situation has to do with BDR and Toyota>
This series has the best racing hands down of NASCAR's top three series. The problem is, not enough people know it. They need to work on that.
I don't know if the lack of talk about Benson's situation is a head in the sand move, or whether it's felt that no one will care.
Perhaps (I hope) the are planning a bigger discussion to take place during the race when more people will be watching. Rays comment didn't seem to go anywhere since JB wasn't on the track at the time (at least I hope that was the reason). The one thought I did have is that BDR had to know it was a possibility both their trucks are sponsored by a form of Toyota for the most part and the economy being what it is, I just hope BDR is around next year since he's already without cup sponsorship this was all he had left.
Red 30 trucks WOW. That is such a shame and it really sounds like the beginning of the end for this series.
geez said (in part):
"I don't know if the lack of talk about Benson's situation is a head in the sand move, or whether it's felt that no one will care."
i understand what you're saying but i would suggest that if we're watching qualifying, we care by definition. this most certainly would have been the time to begin discussing it. i certainly hope voda picks up on it during set-up on speed later this afternoon. i'm willing to assume that program will talk about this in depth and is right now working to get additional information.
(nudge, nudge, wink, wink to the speed team.)
nrf: i'm sorta ambivalent about the thought of 30 trucks. wonder if we'll have fewer start and park trucks as a result -- i certainly hope so. also, i hope that a smaller field means that more racing will happen thru out the field because there will be more room to race.
it seems like a realistic response to a crappy situation. i still put a large chunk of the blame on nascar itself b/c they have just not promoted this series at all. the fact that there's any interest in it is a testament to us fans who give a damn about good racing and have found it in this series. had nascar been promoting this series all along (as they have the cup and, to a lesser extent, n'wide series) then the truck series might have been better able to endure the disaster of the economy.
simply put: visibility = $$ to sponsors and the truck series hasn't been given the visibility it has earned.
I know a lot of people missed it because the early show was moved, but Marty Smith's big story on NASCAR Now was on the economy and the impact on the sport.
Once again, he totally avoided the Truck Series as did the SPEED commentators.
JD
I missed Johnny's qualifying so don't know whether the guys mentioned it but this is just the start of several problems for a lot of teams. I think Nascar needs to give the truck series a shot in the arm I'm sure they can afford it. Lack of news about them is that they are only seen on Speed TV and a lot of folks don't have that channel on their cable systems.
Red I didn't realize that Start and Park was as big of a problem in the trucks as it is in NW. That series does need to shrink. I guess that without racetrax for trucks it's not as obvious. I feel for the teams that are trying to make a living at racing perhaps smaller fields will result is bigger paydays per truck/car and help those left to survive during this financial mess which is affecting everyone. I would hate to see this economic downturn take away what I use to forget my day to day life issues.
BDR has a way of pissing off his manufacturers....wonder if this has something to do with that aspect.
Here is the major problem with the series...look at the money..
6 4 51 Kyle Busch Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota 200 150 $11,235 Running
7 14 11 David Starr K&N Filters Toyota 200 151 5 $14,610 Running
8 25 16 Brian Scott # Albertsons Chevrolet 200 142 $13,760 Running
9 9 2 Jack Sprague Camping World Chevrolet 200 138 $12,660 Running
10 24 7 T.J. Bell Home 4 the Holidays/Heathcliff's Chev. 200 134 $13,210 Running
11 13 8 Chad McCumbee Malcolmson Construction Chevrolet 200 130 $11,510 Running
12 3 88 Matt Crafton Menards/Sylvania Chevrolet 200 132 5 $11,210 Running
13 23 9 David Reutimann Construct Corps Toyota 200 124 $8,935 Running
14 21 13 Shelby Howard FarmPaint.com Chevrolet 200 121 $11,135 Running
15 6 5 Mike Skinner Toyota Tundra Toyota 200 118 $12,235 Running
16 10 18 Dennis Setzer AutoServ Dealerships Dodge 200 115 $10,960 Running
17 15 59 Ted Musgrave Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota 200 112 $10,885 Running
18 11 60 Terry Cook Wyler.com Toyota 200 114 5 $10,835 Running
19 5 30 Todd Bodine Lumber Liquidators Toyota 200 111 5 $10,785 Running
20 16 10 Brendan Gaughan International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford 199 103 $11,635 Running
21 20 15 Jason White GunBroker.com Toyota 199 100 $10,485 Running
22 22 21 Keven Wood Air Force Ford 198 97 $9,210 Running
23 32 17 Timothy Peters Premier Racing Dodge 197 PE $8,185 Running
24 12 22 Michael Annett Pilot Travel Centers Toyota 197 91 $9,160 Running
25 26 40 Paul Poulter Key Motorsports Chevrolet 195 88 $8,135 Running
26 29 91 J.C. Stout Sewer Specialties Company Chevrolet 194 85 $8,110 Running
27 31 12 Mario Gosselin Calorusso & Sons/Denmark Construction Chev. 193 PE $8,085 Running
28 17 6 Colin Braun # Con-way Freight Ford 185 79 $8,060 Accident
29 18 81 Donny Lia # NationRides.com Chevrolet 150 76 $8,035 Accident
30 27 8 Bobby Dotter GunBroker.com Dodge 51 73 $7,990 Radiator
31 28 7 Butch Miller ASI Limited Chevrolet 18 70 $7,980 Axle
32 30 0 Mike Olsen SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet 4 PE $7,970 Ignition
33 33 57 Norm Benning Norm Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 1 PE $7,960 Rear End
anon 11:42: for comparision's sake: do you have easily available the $$ for the top finisher in cup and in n'wide as well as the $$ for the bottom finisher in cup and n'wide? seeing the numbers for just those 4 teams and comparing them to the truck teams would be illuminating, i believe.
I'm afraid this may be a case of Toyota, which still has lots of money, sending a message to NA$CAR to stop being so greedy and find a cost-effective series sponsor for the trucks or we (Toyota) will spend a lot less money next year in this series. Truck sales are off even more than car sales.
Daga 10-08 This is a good paying race for all divisions..still a bid difference in pay. Most Truck races pay OK for top 10, but from there on down it is really bad.
1 34 20 Tony Stewart Subway/Home Depot Toyota 190 195 ** 10 $270,136 Running
2 5 15 Paul Menard Menards/Johns Manville Chevrolet 190 175 * 5 177,400 Running
3 16 6 David Ragan AAA Travel Ford 190 170 * 5 149,200 Running
4 17 31 Jeff Burton AT&T Mobility Chevrolet 190 165 * 5 162,983 Running
5 35 07 Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's Chevrolet 190 155 125,525 Running
6 32 43 Bobby Labonte Cheerios Racing/Betty Crocker Dodge 190 150 139,211 Running
7 11 66 Scott Riggs Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet 190 151 * 5 117,083 Running
8 42 7 Robby Gordon Mapei/Menards Dodge 190 142 123,808 Running
9 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet 190 143 * 5 137,661 Running
10 40 19 Elliott Sadler McDonald's Dodge 190 139 * 5 116,370 Running
last 5
39 36 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 98 51 * 5 106,116 Accident
40 41 38 David Gilliland Ford Drive One Ford 68 43 70,985 Accident
41 10 1 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 68 45 * 5 101,868 Accident
42 18 09 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet 68 37 70,705 Engine
43 24 12 Ryan Newman Alltel/Samsung HDTV Dodge 48 34 112,653 Engine
NATIONWIDE
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Winnings Status Times Laps
1 19 18 Denny Hamlin Z-Line Designs Toyota 200 195 10 $84,845 Running 2 99
2 17 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 200 170 $62,375 Running
3 9 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford 200 165 $51,650 Running
4 4 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Winterguard Ford 200 160 $40,325 Running
5 6 17 Matt Kenseth Arby's Ford 200 160 5 $33,400 Running 1 1
6 28 88 Brad Keselowski U.S. NAVY Chevy 200 150 $36,018 Running
7 8 9 Kasey Kahne Ragu Dodge 200 146 $29,100 Running
8 23 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 200 142 $36,268 Running
9 13 20 Joey Logano GameStop Toyota 200 138 $32,828 Running
10 10 47 Kelly Bires Ford 200 134 $35,793 Running
39 35 31 Kenny Hendrick Interush Chevy 34 46 $19,565 Brakes
40 30 49 Kertus Davis In Memory of Kenneth Campbell Chevy 20 43 $19,455 Handling
41 21 66 Steve Wallace Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches Chevy 15 40 $25,788 Engine
42 24 91 Justin Hobgood MSRP Motorsports Chevy 11 37 $19,190 Transmission
43 29 73 Kevin Lepage DCI/Wrap It Up Vehicle Wraps Dodge 5 34 $19,064 Transmission
Trucks
1 5 30 Todd Bodine Lumber Liquidators Toyota 94 190 5 $78,700 Running
2 7 33 Ron Hornaday, Jr. Camping World Chevrolet 94 170 $51,475 Running
3 13 51 Kyle Busch Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota 94 170 5 $36,170 Running
4 3 6 Colin Braun # Con-way Freight Ford 94 165 5 $28,010 Running
5 10 9 Mike Wallace GEICO/Germain Toyota Toyota 94 155 $17,710 Running
6 25 81 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevrolet 94 150 $16,110 Running
7 23 16 Brian Scott # Albertsons Toyota 94 151 5 $17,810 Running
8 24 7 T.J. Bell, Jr. Home 4 the Holidays/Heathcliff's Chevrolet 94 142 $17,310 Running
9 9 5 Mike Skinner Toyota Tundra Toyota 94 138 $17,210 Running
10 21 8 Chad McCumbee Malcolmson Construction Chevrolet 94 134 $19,160 Running
29 27 08 Jason White GunBroker.com Dodge 50 76 $12,860 Clutch
30 22 07 Sean Murphy ASI Limited Chevrolet 48 73 $12,760 Rear End
31 33 89 Richard Johns Lafferty Performance Chevrolet 7 70 $12,635 Engine
32 29 0 Norm Benning ASI Limited Chevrolet 5 67 $12,535 Ovrhting.
33 32 53 Justin Hobgood Georgia Beef Board Chevrolet 1 64 $12,435 Engine
Based on the original article, it seems that Mr. Daly is under the assumption that TCUV has pulled the plug on Johnny B. Both TCUV and Exide have contracts that cover "x" number of races per season. Martinsville was not of them. Please don't panic too much folks...one bare hood may show a sign of the times, but watch his hood down the road. My sources say...TCUV is still behind JB and they have not gone away!
Oh, you can't just come in here and dump that on us and run.
Either come back and put some facts behind that post or I am going to delete it.
JD
There is a new post up directing your attention to the 2PM Tradin Paint show on SPEED.
Don't miss this one.
JD
Mr. Daly, if you are referring to my post...it is based on a response from Bill Davis Racing regarding an inquiry based on your article. (I am a JB fan...by the way).
I have enjoyed your commentaries to date and make an effort to read them, because I so often agree with your perceptions.
JD,
If this was an open date on sponorship with Toyota and Exide for BDR, you really need to get the story right. Not fair to BDR or SPEED, maybe SPEED knows the facts and there is no story here to cover.
Why are they having the race at Martinsville? In fact, why are they finishing the chase? From what I've been hearing this morning on trackside, Jimmie Johnson has already won the race and the chase. I know that nas$car wants to shove their pretty boys down our throats, but it would be nice if the commentators would be a.little less bias. If you don't follow a Hendrick driver, you have little chance of hearing your drivers name. It's all Johnson, Gordan, or Earnhardt. Gimme a break. Once the driver I follow retires, I'm out of this sport. And I've been following him since the nineties. And don't call this sour grapes. I know I'm not alone on this issue.
midasmicahone
Anon @ 8:11am - I was being facetious when I suggested SPEED cover the 8am edt practice too ...
Anon @ 9:30am - Sam Hornish Jr is sponsored by his Cup team owner's business ... Sam won the Indy 500 for Roger Penske and that race is the Holy Grail to Roger, so of course he's going to sponsor Sam in a Truck race (Just like he's done for Kurt / Newman / Allgaier in the Busch / Nationwide series) ... Chad McCumbee has run the entire season this year in the Truck ...
Benson ran at least one race last year with no sponsorship ... It's more like BDR hopes sponsors will jump on for one offs ... Or they just can't count to 25 (races) ...
One third of today's starting field for the CTS race is Toyota ... Compared to 5 Dodges (up from an average of 2 per race) ... That makes it very hard for the other teams to compete ...
My only complaint is the fact that there ARE start & parkers in today's Truck race ... and the brand new team with Tayler Malsam did not qualify ... You'll see the 0 & 74 parked by lap 50 ...
JB hasn't lost his Toyota sponsorship: he still has Exides, Valvoline,"Toyota Certified Used Vehicles"(TCUV), etc.etc.,he just doesn't have a race sponsor for this weekend.
TCUV has picked up other "open" race days, and BDR has sold others closer to race weekends. They just didn't get this weekend sold to anyone, and therefore has an unsponsored truck.
We're talking about major and associate type sponsors here. He still has the associates and product sponsors, just not the major-paint-scheme-weekend-paying sponsor.
Yes it hurts, bad. Hopefully they can get some help if they still have open races on their schedule.But race teams have to be careful acknowledging not having a sponsor for a weekend because it tends to spook a future sponsor into thinking they may not be there or can't do a good job or other unfounded panic-type hysteria.
So, if you own a business and have a hundred thousand or so to sponsor a truck team for a weekend call them, if not... well,...hush.
Oh, this is going to be a good one.
Why don't you have the BDR person who you got this info from email me at editor@thedalyplanet.tv?
Why didn't the SPEED announcers talk about this openly and honestly on the coverage?
Why did all the coverage refer to this as Benson losing his primary sponsor?
Maybe Krista will be able to clear this one up on the pre-race show.
SPEED sure avoided it during the rain delay coverage and the qualifying.
JD
coffee,
How can you say he has associate sponsors when the truck was clean?
Maybe it was a show of good faith to have them as a small associate sponsor with the intention of coming back full again later in the season? If it's a blank truck, they've got nothing else to lose, then putting up free decals with the hope of that company paying for the next race after seeing the tv exposure.
It's also possible that I have no idea what I'm talking about. If it really is blank and they have no intention of decals unless a sponsor is paid for the race, then I'll put up a hundred bucks to have my name on there. I don't see anyone else jumping at the opportunity.
Who actually was sponsoring Benson (as in, what is "Toyota Certified Used Cars").
The Dodge sponsorship of what is now GEM came from a fund of the consortium of Dodge dealers, not from corporate. It seems possible that auto sales could be so sluggish the Toyota dealers could need to make cutbacks to stay afloat.
I was talking to a GM dealership owner not long ago who said he was just pulling the Cadillacs off the lot and bringing in more Chevys.
If, as I am guessing, the dealers are the actual sponsor, maybe ESPN could ask Dale Jarrett - he got dealerships out of that deal to drive for Michael if I recall.
This isn't the first time the Davis' had to reach into their own pocket. What was it 2K3 they ran pretty much the last half of the season of Busch on their dime.
It's truly a shame that someone who is in contention for a championship and within sight of winning it could win it being sponsorless.
@anon 12:54--poor Tayler :(
@red--thanks for the clarification on the survey. It would be a shame to see them go down...but there have been many weeks where they didn't have a full 36 Pick 'em Up field much less any to send home.
http://www.billdavisracing.com/contact
If we want the facts and not assumptions, this would be the place to go.
Johnny's #23 has always had various sponsors rotate on the 23, there just wasn't one this weekend. So to answer your question: He lost his primary sponsor for the weekend, becasue he didn't have one.
Daly:
Did you see the tailgate of JB's truck? It said toyota.com/certified.
Also, JB thanked his associate sponsors, ("Exide batteries, Valvoline and Toyota Certified Used Vehicles") in victory lane after acknowledging he had no major sponsor this weekend.
And last, contact someone at billdavisracing.com for any information you desire before you print an article about them.
Thanks,
Coffee
coffee,
Not so sure what you know about racing, but I was told that logo was not removed because it was not the location for the primary sponsor.
As you said, Benson thanked the two companies who rotated through the primary sponsorships earlier in the season, he did not reference either one of them as an associate or the XM logo on his quarterpanel.
Finally, this is the Internet so I do not print anything. My emails started coming in even before the BRD team left for Martinsville.
Want to know where they came from? Then send me an email just like I asked the last time you posted.
I have been here for two years with over 250 thousand visitors a month and publishing at least one new column every day on a wide variety of NASCAR TV topics.
For all we know you could be a twelve year old girl from China. If you want to bring some official info, man-up and email me.
JD
"Benson went low in Turn 3 and put his unsponsored Bill Davis Racing Toyota under Hornaday and into the lead on Lap 155." (truckseries.com)
"Sponsor Needed… The weekend’s 200-lap event will be the first time this season the No. 23 Toyota Tundra team will not have corporate sponsorship. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship-contending team will bring a blank red-and-black Toyota Tundra to the Virginia short track." (BillDavisRacing.com)
"Can you believe that the #2 guy in the Craftsman Truck Series, Johnny Benson (only 39 behind Ron Hornaday) will be driving an UNSPONSORED truck at Martinsville? Amazing." (Stock Car Gazzette)
Um...how many more do you need to see?
I think the point is that you said Toyota pulled it's sponsorship from the team....yes it was an unsponsored truck, but Toyota did not pull it's used vehicle sponsorship, it did not sign on for this race in their package.
Hmmmmm....from what I read on those three posted articles they just said for this race. That's correct but from what I read from your article above "Benson's primary sponsor, Toyota Certified Used Vehicles, is suddenly gone. " Am I reading something wrong here?
I'll go back to where I get my correct information regarding Johnny Benson. At least it is reliable.
billdavisracing.com does not work for you? Give it up, you have no clue.
I forwarded your blog address to bdr and asked them to contact you.
Coffee
I've been posting here for only maybe a month ,however I've been reading TDP I beleive since pretty much day one. one of the things I always have liked about TDP is there is no BS ,it seemed from the start to me this was racing talk straight, no gimmicks no hype just a fact with alot of opionion and fact following,.I guess what I'm getting at is it sounds like some people don't like what they have read and seem to want to blame the messenger in a way.I know JD is not the so called messenger but he is saying what is happening,and we can see what is going on around us with the economy,period.The fact is TCUV was not on the hood along with basically no associate sponsors. Just alittle unusal IMO.
I forwarded your blog address to bdr and asked them to contact you.
I believe most, if not all, of the teams and TV partners in NASCAR are aware of this blog already.
Not sure what game you're playing, but it isn't convincing.
3bud,
After a while it gets easy to tell who has a clue and who is just typing to type.
The challenge of this blog is not to take it personally because the vast majority of these issues will never be raised or discussed by the traveling NASCAR press corp.
If you have a room of people and no one speaks-up, there can be no discussion. I start discussions and never take anyone getting upset at me personally.
In the end, its just racing.
JD
Johnny's sister Barb, posted on his site here: http://jbfc.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2086098404/m/4881090303, that according to BDR, TCUV did not end their sponsorship of Johnny. I hope that Speed or another media outlet does cover this story to clarify what the situation is because either way this isn't good for that team that either a) that whoever told JD that Johnny lost this sponsorship was correct and the team is losing sponsors in the midst of a battle for the championship or b) JD's source is spreading false and potentially damaging rumors.
Even if the real deal is that TCUV was never scheduled to sponsor this race it still doesn't bode well for this series that even a truck contending for the championship can't get a sponsor even just as a fill-in for one race where the money would be much less than sponsoring a truck for a full season. IMO, that would still be worthy of coverage by Speed.
Again that's why I like this blog a fact with alot of opionion and a fact following, good job JD keep it up.
did you get my email?
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