Terry Labonte set to join his brother at Pettys

**colinspooky** · 14th May 2008, 14:46

Originally Posted by jslone

some teams need to seriously think about getting out or merging with the big boys

That was my point really - surely these should be the big boys - something went seriously wrong somewhere if you can go from winning so many times to nothing at all.

**Lee Roy** · 14th May 2008, 18:32

Originally Posted by colinspooky

That was my point really - surely these should be the big boys - something went seriously wrong somewhere if you can go from winning so many times to nothing at all.

Things were a lot different in NASCAR when the Petty's and the Woods were so successful. As you had organizations such as Rousch, JGR and Hendrick come on the scene, if you weren't able to step up your game, you wouldn't be able to keep up. Richard Childress is an example of a team that was able to keep up and thrive, but many teams such as Junior Johnson and Bud Moore saw the writing on the wall and decided it was time to get out.

For example, Hendricks has around 125 people in just their engine room. The Woods and Petty's probably didn't have anywhere near half that number of people between them in their hay-day.

**Sparky1329** · 15th May 2008, 05:26

Exactly, Leroy. Smokey Yunick was right. "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?"

**colinspooky** · 15th May 2008, 09:37

And I agree with all that. But. You have a team that is a major success.

Then, if I read this right, new teams come along with big money.

Where is the money coming from? If you were an investor, surely you would throw cash at the top team of the day rather than some start-up as Hendick was once.

And even if an investor did do that (just to show 'em), there would still be other investors throwing even bigger bags of dosh at the established winning teams. Just makes financial sense to reduce the risk.

So, I ask again, why are teams like Petty and Wood now doing so poorly? They must have done something somewhere along the line to peeve people off big time to put off those investors.

Perhaps they started losing which would put investors off, and the drought is still continuing, perhaps. If so, why did they start losing when they had such an initially dominant position.

**oldhippie** · 16th May 2008, 02:14

every season nascar stockcars get better due mostly to research and developement
r+d costs big money and under funded teams dont have the funds to improve
past glory is just that = in the PAST

the big money multiple team owners are pushing the small teams out of nascar
the days of a winning low budget team in nascar is long gone