Siegel Says DEI Moving Forward Despite Loss Of Menard, Sponsor
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Siegel Sees Spirit Of Cooperation In
NASCAR Garage Amid Struggling Economy |
DEI President of Global Operations Max Siegel said the company is "moving forward" after losing driver Paul Menard and his sponsorship deal with his father's Menard's hardware chain to Yates Racing, but admitted "perception-wise we have been taking hits.” Siegel said DEI is “committed to running four cars for the balance of the year (and) that’s our intent for next year," but it is "a blow to lose a sponsor." Siegel: "We’re not the first team to lose one and certainly won’t be the last. ... The economy is bad, but what I’m finding is there are a number of teams that are situated the same as we are. In the sport, there is a spirit of cooperation in the garage and everyone’s trying to figure out how to help each other sustain healthy race programs” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 10/5). In Charlotte, David Poole noted DEI has "four cars in the top 35 in the car owner standings but only three drivers and -- more importantly -- one sponsor signed for 2009." DEI officials "feel people don't think it has as much going for it as it does," but the problem is the "person who ought to be selling the DEI story refuses to talk publicly." DEI CEO Teresa Earnhardt "needs to come out of hiding more now than ever before" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/5). But DEI driver Martin Truex Jr. said of Earnhardt, "If she wasn't interested, why would she still have the team? She gives us all the tools to do our jobs, and that is all you can ask for out of any owner." Siegel: "There is so much more to this company than Teresa. What can she do at the track that will make the cars go faster?" (AP, 10/5).
IN THE COURTS: Former Champ Car driver Paul Tracy "has filed a lawsuit against" former Forsythe Racing Owner Gerald Forsythe, claiming "breach of contract." The lawsuit, filed two weeks ago in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims that Tracy is "owed more than $2.3[M] as per his contract at the time Forsythe Racing ceased operation." The complaint alleges that Tracy's contract "called for a $1[M] buyout to be paid in the event the team ceased operation in Champ Car," and terms of Tracy's contract also "show that he was to have been paid $2.25[M] for the 2008 Champ Car season, plus any bonuses." Tracy said that he has been "paid for February, March and April and nothing since" (TSN.ca, 10/3).
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Castroneves' IRL Career Up In The Air
Pending Result Of Tax Evasion Case |
CAUTION LAP: In Miami, Linda Robertson wrote a conviction in IRL driver Helio Castroneves' tax evasion case "could put the brakes on Castroneves' career" and his "image has been tarnished." Friday's arraignment in Miami, at which Castroneves pleaded not guilty, was a "brutal and stunning comedown for Castroneves, a celebrity at racetracks worldwide and in Hollywood." Robertson: "What sponsors will want to align with him now that he's in trouble with the government? How can IRL [CEO] Tony George get any promotional momentum out of Castroneves?" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/5). In Detroit, Mike Brudenell writes, "The glitter and glitz of 'Dancing With The Stars' must have seemed a universe away for Castroneves last week" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/7).
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