Kool make's it official: They're done with racing.

[Jay]

http://www.speedtv.com/auto/?lvl=3a&cat=20&id=3488

Not much of a surprise I guess...

[Jordi]

no, not really...

[Tiresmoke]

This kinda hurts the Barry Kool Green Team rumors.

[Liz]

But it also blows a big hole in Mikey's "I must do what my sponsors want me to do" riff too -- what sponsors?

[macdaddy]

Somebody at Klein tools must have said, "Don't much matter to me what you do," and Mikey took that as his excuse and scapegoat.

[429CJ]

Ok, maybe cars will be in full Jim Beam colours then(?)

[macdaddy]

Unless if Jim Beam wants to sponsor Unser Jr!

[Barbarosa]

Well, there is something you need to keep in mind about the IRL (this is something TG learned from how the Florida Mafia runs NASCAR). You see, you can come into IRL with your own sponsors... at least initially. But, once you are in, the sponsors sign their agreement with IRL, not you. And TG then decides where you money is needed and that's the car you sponsor. This is how they keep drivers they don't want out. Because, once they got that contract, your butt is out!

Now obviously, with the power teams like Penske, AGR, and Ganassi the deal is a bit different, since TG doesn't want to tick them off and send them back to CART. But, for new or non-marquee drivers, it's a fact of life. Ran into a couple of "Former Future" IRL drivers up north who went to Indy and Daytona with their Sponsors all set, only to have their sponsors move to other drivers and TG wave bye-bye to them as they were sent packing.

It's a dirty trick neither TG nor the France family advertise to new teams, but it (this is their reasoning) makes sure that existing drivers in need of sponsorship with the potential to big get the money they need to finance their rides against the power house teams TG can't screw out of their money. It levels the playing field, so to speak. And it is very effective in keeping out those who don't want, such as drivers who are not going to benefit IRL.

Barbarosa

[FastCar5]

This is a dirty business indeed! Why would a sponser allow such treatment of potential drivers? Wouldn't this kind of thing, if it got out, potentially hurt their names and product sales? Nobody wants to associated with the big bullies and their schemes.

[macdaddy]

Tiresmoke observed that "This kinda hurts the Barry Kool Green Team rumors."

But at the same time, it may lend credence to the "Barry Molson Green Team rumours."

[Barbarosa]

Ah, but it works if you want to build up sponsorship money. For NASCAR, all they have to do is say, "well, for this level of sponsorship, you get this kind of space on a car... in the Busch series. Now if you want BIG exposure in our Winston Cup series, it will cost you this much more. And if you want a top driver, it will cost you this much on top of it."

That's just how they do business. No bullying in it. They just make sure that the sponsors know that they are signing to sponsor NASCAR, and not an individual team. Actually, it makes good business sense unless you are a young driver looking to make the jump from say, Atlantics, to Stocks or IRL. They of course your screwed and better hope that you are the best thing since sliced bread.

And it also keeps the same kind of ameteurs that buy old Formula 5000's who have NO business behind the wheel of a kart, let alone a race car, from buying their way into a professional series and getting someone killed. There was one guy who tried to get into CART that way. He tried to buy a Champ Car license after something like ten Skip Barber races (the school races mind you, not Barber Pro), CART politely said no, then he went and bought a CART team, tested his team's car at a CART track, and told CART he'd like his Champ Car license now, to which CART said, "Look you own a team, and if you want to waste testing time driving that car instead of your licensed driver, ok. But, we're not giving you a Champ Car license." Money ran out pretty quick after that, I'm told, and the team went away.

A couple of others, tried the same thing with IRL and NASCAR, only to have their sponsorship evaporate into the pool, which is how they keep unqualified and unmarketable drivers out of the mix and their blue chip drivers out of the wall when one of these morons puts them into the wall.

So, can't really blame them, and it makes sure that there is enough sponsorship money to go around and keep a lot of cars with drivers who can handle the cars on the track... that are marketable and that they can make money off of.

Barbarosa

[Tiresmoke]

Indeed it does keep the Molson rumor alive. Labatt Blue recently signed onto the F1 Canadian GP because of the thrill and excitement auto racing lends to its brand. I believe Labatt has a relationship with Team Players, which is Interbrew, which is largely involved in motorsports with Beck's and Tecate. Room for more?

Is it true with American tobacco legislation that a new sponsorship cannot be developed? Once you're in, you'd better stay in or you're out forever? What about no budget increases?

[Jay]

lol....maybe Labatt also observed that although Molsons is the only beer sold at teh Canadian GP, most of the cans thrown out are Labatt Blue!

Anyway, wait and see what happens with Molson. I have my doubts though. They already throw piles of money into the three Canadian races, and have been cutting back their sponsorship of NHL hockey teams... But, OTOH, they have an interest in seeing Cart blossom, so a team might make sense.... hard to say...

[macdaddy]

Molson has been the only beer available at the Detroit Grand Prix in recent years as well. And believe me, you're hearing that from a pretty good source!

[Barbarosa]

Yeah, that's apparently part of the deal they cut with the government. If they already sponsor, that's one thing. But no new sponsorship.

Barbarosa

[f1manoz]

KOOL pulling the pin comes as no surprise. They were certainly not going to follow Andretti into the IRL, and with only a year to go before tobacco sponsorship is illegal, it was the sensible choice.

Green will easily be able to find sponsors for his team. I'd agree that Jim Beam could be a new sponsor as their logo has become prominent on the cars of late.

[macdaddy]

When Silly Season was still young, I was of the impression that it was KOOL that wanted the Indy500. And that that had alot to do with Barry's decision to sell the team. Obviously that wasn't the case.

[Barbarosa]

It looks more like Honda offered to back Mikey with bags and bags of cash to buy TKG, Barry looked at the cash, then thought of all the people he could keep, and sponsors who would work with him if he sold the team to Mikey, waved bye bye as he went off to CART, then turned around and used Honda's money to build a new Team Green.

Actually, that's pretty shrewd. Would also make a nice end of season bombshell to drop on the Fredo and Friends. Nice payback for all the torpedoes they've tried to put into CART.

Bet someone threatens to sue over a new "Team Green" in racing though.

Barbarosa

[429CJ]

....But of course Seagrams is so much better....