Last week was a tough one for NASCAR teams, be they part of the organizational structure itself or part of a single racing organization. NASCAR embarked on a significant rearrangement of its executives in preparation for what promises to be the most important television rights negotiation in its long and hallowed history. Meanwhile, in less stratospheric realms within Sprint Cup, Martin Truex Jr. essentially forced the firings of four members of his pit crew after a major screw-up in the Richmond, Va., race, which sent his fortunes plummeting.
The big gainer in the NASCAR reshuffle at the top seems to be the organization’s chief marketing officer, Steve Phelps. He joined NASCAR after a run in the executive ranks in the National Football League, the 800-pound gorilla of TV sports. As his title suggests, he oversees the sanctioning body’s marketing and promotional efforts, and he also has oversight over its communications division.
Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group, was relieved of responsibilities for NASCAR’s licensing operation, reportedly so he could put his full concentration on the critical broadcast rights negotiations that are looming. The negotiations are especially important in light of the fact that NASCAR has lost a considerable portion of its TV audience since the previous contracts were finalized. With the economy still iffy, it will take exceptional skill to land deals that are as lucrative as the previous pacts have been for NASCAR.
On a more elemental level, two tire carriers and two tire changers who were formerly part of Truex’s crew are now looking for other employment. Truex became so disgusted with their performance on his final stop during the recent race in Richmond that he basically demanded that they be ash-canned over the team radio while the race was still going on. A couple of days following the race, Michael Waltrip Racing followed up on his suggestion by sacking the quartet, who had previously been accused of other miscues. Two of the newly anointed members of the crew were formerly on the MWR “taxi squad,” while the other two were members of the racing organization’s Nationwide Series team.
