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October 26, 2006
Come clean Tide! Hot topics of the day
By Mike Harper
A rumor is heating up about Tide Racing. No, the rumor isn’t about a new promotion or driver change. There’s no new paint scheme or even an announcement to move to another team. The rumor has the Tide sponsorship bowing out and leaving NASCAR at the end of this season.
If the rumor is true, the last Tide event will be a sad day in NASCAR. Tide has a very rich history in the sport and whether they’re leaving due to financial reasons, a new marketing plan or the lack of recent success in NASCAR, the loss of the Tide sponsorship is further proof that NASCAR is ever changing. Changing for the good and in some cases for the bad.
In March of this year I wrote a column about Tide and said, "It's time for a new chapter in Tide Racing's history book." But I never imagined Tide’s new chapter would be "Exiting NASCAR." At the time I thought they would be a great fit for Yates, Roush or Richard Childress.
Rumors aside, the signs lead me to believe Tide will not return to the No. 32 next season. Cal Wells, owner of PPI Motorsports said in a recent interview about the Tide sponsorship, "I'm not working as though they're coming back." Also when you visit the Tide Racing web site, it hasn’t been updated in some time. It shows only 10 starts on the season and the picture of the driver on the main page is Bobby Hamilton Jr., not current driver Travis Kvapil.
That tells me something is about to change.
COT – Let’s get real!
In my upcoming column in SpeedWorld Magazine, I "Spin-Out" the "Car of Tomorrow." I submitted my column many weeks ago, however in recent days Scott Riggs, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart just to name a few, have come out and ripped the COT. In my opinion, they have good reason.
I agree with NASCAR on Fox’s Larry McReynolds when he said in regards to the COT, "Maybe we just needed a little bandage or a couple of stitches. We don't need major surgery because when you do surgery on someone that doesn't really need it, it can cause more problems than they started with."
My question is – why would NASCAR, at a time when it has seen tremendous growth in popularity go and change something that isn’t broke? I betcha the IRL and others are licking their chops, hoping NASCAR will fail. Sadly when you mess with something that’s not broke, just like Larry Mac said, "it can cause more problems that they started with."
It fell under the radar screen!
=> Was it just me or did Rusty Wallace fire Jamie McMurray?
=> Thanks to Kevin Harvick, looks like Scott Wimmer is heading to RCR. What no memo Richard?
=> Did you hear the amazing news? Frank Kimmel won his eighth ARCA championship two weeks ago. Incredible accomplishment, but I can’t wait for the day when someone will dedicate some time to ARCA and knock him off the top spot. Maybe next season!
=> Just so you know, Mark Martin collectibles have decreased in value.
=> Jeremy Mayfield will be racing in the Craftsman Truck Series this weekend. The last time he raced in the trucks, he finished one spot better than Erin Crocker – and Ray was at the track.
=> Johnny Benson has a shot at the truck championship.
=> This may come as a shocker, but even the best of the best teams can have problems with sponsorship retention. Poor Richard Childress Racing! RCR has been at the top of their game this season, but yet sponsors are running away from RCR. Rumors have Cingular gone at the end of the season and GM Goodwrench will not be the primary sponsor on the No. 29 next season. The U.S. Coast Guard is leaving RCR’s Busch Series team after one of the most successful seasons in Busch Series history including a championship and AC Delco is leaving RCR’s No. 2 Busch Series car. I’m not sure what more an owner in NASCAR can do to provide the highest level of exposure as RCR has done for their sponsors this season. Maybe they know something that we don’t.
=> Television ratings were down again for NBC at Martinsville. Houston we have a problem!
=> Am I the only one who thinks Kenny Wallace jumping full-time back into Nextel Cup next season with the No. 78 team is a bad idea?
=> Well, needless to say all the leaves are brown and the snow will soon fall.
October 26, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
"It fell under the radar screen!"
You forget one as has everyone else apparently
With th approval for 2007 of the new Dodge Avenger and Chevy Impala SS for Cup competition it will stress the teams Fab shops even more re-skinning all those bodies.
They are already stretched building the CoT and some are complaining about that. As they were NASCAR slipped their technical bulletin under the door on the Avenger and Impala SS.
To date I haven't seen anyone in the media or the garages speak to the issue.
Posted by: Marc | Oct 26, 2006 4:23:05 AM
Marc the Impala is for the COT only. All other templates for GM will be of the Monte Carlo.
Posted by: Mark | Oct 26, 2006 7:33:21 AM
Speaking of the COT I have to disagree with you a bit Mike. There is something broken in today's cars. The Engineers and fabrication guys have made these cars so aero-dependant (With no resistance from NASCAR) that it is often difficult to be around another car without getting the dreaded "aero push". Now I think the racing has gotten a little better with the work Godd-Year has done but the COT is a good thing.
Look beyond the ugliness and what you see is a car that is an aerodynamic challenge. The puts the ability of the driver to his job back into his own hands and a little less on the Engineers. These things look a lot like the Luminas and T-Birds of the past, aerodynamic bricks. Lots of drafting and lots of passing....I hope.
Good Post Harp!!!
Posted by: Mark | Oct 26, 2006 7:37:31 AM
What I heard out of Martinsville re cot,is each car has to be sent to the R&D center for approval by Nascar.This happens every time one is built or repaired.I wonder what is going on with that?
Good post!
Posted by: Short Lady | Oct 26, 2006 8:16:12 AM
I disagree, IMO the cot car will make racing better in that the cars will be back in the drivers hands. As mentioned this week (I forget where I heard it, possably JG) that the cars have to be slower in the corners. I like the idea of having crew chiefs instead of engineers as is the case in F1,Champ and IRL. If we continue down the present road, all you will have is a champ car with fenders.
Posted by: 328 | Oct 26, 2006 8:36:20 AM
I'll wait on appraising the car of tomorrow until I see what they can do with it on the track.
LOL, everyone finishes at least 1 position ahead of Crocker on the track.
Posted by: Keith | Oct 26, 2006 8:49:13 AM
I don't much care about the COT. David Poole's quote from Jeff Burton says it all.
I am worried, though, about the sudden sponsor drain. Goodwrench is gone, Tide is rumored to be gone, Coast Guard is gone, Cingular is almost gone. That's a lot of quality sponsors, some of whom have been around for a long time. Might we be seeing (dare I say it?) the beginning of the slowdown in the NASCAR boom?
And what's this about Wimmer? A 4th RCR car? Certainly Burton and Harvick have done nothing to warrant being fired and Boyer has done very well for a rookie, even if he has been overshadowed by Hamlin.
Posted by: Doug | Oct 26, 2006 10:44:56 AM
The reson these sponsors are pulling out is because of the money it takes to sponsor a team. GM Goodwrench and AC Delco are owned by GM who is in financial trouble, the writing was on the wall for that one.
Posted by: Mark | Oct 26, 2006 11:51:58 AM
While the current cars are still AERO-TIGHT...the new COT design will be even worse!
Also the first time someone spins and heads into the grass at too high of an angle of attack that front plow will dig into the turf! That is NOT a good recipe for safety at all!
These cars should never appear in a paying race until after they have been tested in exhibition races!
Posted by: Dennis Michelsen | Oct 26, 2006 12:59:26 PM
Great post Harp! The Tide deal has been comin' for a long time...to me it's not new news...sad news but not new, When Cal lost McDonalds as a sponsor, it cut his work force, Single car teams are the proverbial "canary in the coal mine" and IMO an indicator on the health of the sport. Now that Big time sponsors suich as GM Goodwrech or the National Guard are leaving SUDDENLY everyone notices!
I think I have uncovered a marketing stratdgy by NASCAR that was used by a fairly large Corporation a while back...Can you say Coca-Cola?!...think abouut it!
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Oct 26, 2006 2:04:17 PM
#5 you make a great point. Instead of NA$CAR making millions from sponsors don't you think for the longevity of the sport would encourage these sponsors to support the teams instead?
Posted by: Mark | Oct 26, 2006 3:02:32 PM
T-I-D-E is leaving NASCAR? Say it ain't so!
I was kinda hoping Tide would go to Michael Waltrip Racing, but it seems MWR has everything covered.
I'm going to have to go home and pull out all my Darrell Waltrip/Tide stuff. Maybe even Earnhardt/Mr. Goodwrench. It might be worth something now. But I'll keep buying Tide, even if they do leave the sport.
I'm going to give the COT a chance. Granted, I don't like the fact that they all look alike, but they haven't looked "stock" in YEARS.
And yes, I am keeping an eye on Johnny Benson in the Truck series. If he wins the championship, maybe Chris Long will allow him to visit Kenny and Michael on Inside Nextel Cup.
Interesting topics, Mike. Might just have to check out SpeedWorld Mag.
Posted by: Shirley | Oct 26, 2006 3:12:19 PM
How in the world can Kenny Wallace get overlooked for a decent Cup ride. He is a very popular and entertaining individual. Why we have owners who feel that they need to take unproven talent and rush them along is beyond me. The Busch series seems to not be a place where up and coming drivers can hone their skills. Now all a guy has to do is win one race and he is in a Cup ride. Sorry, but i'm not convinced David Gilliand is going to be the savior of Yates Racing.
Posted by: jeff | Oct 26, 2006 5:25:13 PM
Jeff, no offense, but popular and entertaining doesn't translate to success on the track. I have nothing against Wallace, but he's never set the world on fire.
Re Tide leaving, that's a big surprise, but I guess it shouldn't be given the success of the #32 in recent years. It's too bad, because I always thought that the #32 was one of the coolest paint jobs on the track.
I'm really surprised at Goodwrench leaving though. It seems to me that the relationship was great or both Goodwrench and RCR. With Shell on the car though, Harvick is finally going to have an identity of his own.
As far as the Car of Tomorrow, I say that we all insist that NASCAR implement it. That way NASCAR will pull it and stick with the current car.
Posted by: Kurt Smith | Oct 26, 2006 7:52:50 PM
Kurt,
A little reverse psychology there? I'm with David Poole on this one...Stop griping and drive the damn thing. His analogy was that the top performers in any sports endeavor have used every grade of equipment and succeeded. NASCAR drivers at Cup level have raced in everything from the "Grocery Getter" to todays "Aero-buggies." Drive the damn car.
Tide leaving...Well, they never really "Cleaned UP."
Goodwrench was a surprise. They had higher earnings than expected but Shell has even more resources at hand.
I'm still lobbying for that one Team jacket that comes with velcro patches. Who can afford the luxury of a $300 Team jacket if they change teams and sponsors every year? It's bad enough the wife has to work 2 jobs as it is!
Posted by: Keith | Oct 27, 2006 10:49:20 AM
Tide had their moment in the sun when DW drove for them. They saw vistory lane a few times, once in Daytona if I recall correctly.
Posted by: Mark | Oct 27, 2006 12:01:15 PM
Oh yes, Mark. You are correct.
Darrell Waltrip won the Daytona 500 on his 17th try; on the 17th day of Feb.; on his daughter's 17 month birthday; in the 17 Tide Ride; in 1989 (8 + 9 = 17). And he even did the Icky Shuffle while saying: I just won the Daytona 500. I just won the Daytona 500. I did win the Daytona 500?
At that time, there was no better win for me at Daytona, until 1998.
Don't forget Bristol, Riverside, Charlotte and many other tracks where that 17 Tide Machine pulled into Vistory Lane.
That's why I was hoping Tide would sponsor either DW's truck, or one of Michael's Cup rides. There's always an associate sponsor available!
Posted by: Shirley | Oct 27, 2006 12:37:01 PM
My "Coca Cola " or "New COke" theory on the COT, NASCAR pushes it for a few years...finds out it doesn't work well, then will re-introduce us to "Nascar Classic"...or maybe it's just wishful thinking, NASCAR created this monster in the late 80's and now it's 800lbs gorilla in the room!
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Oct 27, 2006 2:33:46 PM
Kurt, I would take Kenny Wallace any day over JJ Yeley or Reed Sorenson or David Gilliand just to name a few. I've even heard other drivers mention that Kenny is like a 6th man in basketball. If you need a substitute driver, Kenny is the man. That has been proven to be true. Put Kenny in a good situation and let's see what he can do.
Posted by: jeff | Oct 27, 2006 5:20:52 PM
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