Survival in NASCAR is "all about attracting sponsors" and following Front Row Motorsports' one-two finish behind David Ragan and David Gilliland at last week's Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, the team now has "something tangible to market," according to Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Ragan said, "It's tough to sell sponsorships for teams that finish 15 to 25 on average. This shows we're not telling stories, lying to (sponsors). We're people who work six days a week, sleeping at the shop, to build those cars." Bonnell notes Front Row's "financial limitations mean taking a somewhat surgical approach" to the NASCAR schedule, focusing on super-speedways and road courses (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/10). MORRIS NEWS SERVICES' Don Coble noted Ragan earned $373,108 at Talladega last week and Gilliland earned $235,153, giving Front Row Owner Bob Jenkins the "biggest pay day in his career." Jenkins said, "It's not why we race. In the racing graveyard, my epitaph won't be I won the most races or championships, but I want to be known as a team that did the most with the least" (MORRIS NEWS SERVICES, 5/9).
CLOSING UP SHOP? ESPN's Brad Daugherty noted stories about Phoenix Racing Owner James Finch considering shutting down operations due to a lack of sponsorship come out "about every season," but he thinks Finch is "very, very serious this time." Daugherty said, "The inability to garner the sponsorship that he needs to be successful and spending his own money, which is unbelievable the amount of money he has spent out of his pocket to be a part of this sport. It's just gotten to where it's overwhelming and he's a little bit tired. It'll be sad if he goes away. We know that whenever the Phoenix Racing team shows up, they're there for one thing and that's to win the race" ("NASCAR Now," ESPN2, 5/8).
