Visser (r) said the impending shutdown became reality when 5-hour Energy decided to pull out of NASCARGETTY IMAGES
Furniture Row Racing Owner Barney Visser said he "did not see" his team needing to shut down operations after this season "at all" after claiming last year's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Visser sat down with FS1's Regan Smith and noted this season was the "first time ever we had the car fully funded and I wasn't having to dip into my pocket." Visser noted the impending shutdown became reality when he was told primary sponsor 5-hour Energy was "going to pull out" of NASCAR after this year. Visser: "I knew I couldn't make up the difference again. I couldn't just fill in, couldn't find anybody to back it up." FRR's Martin Truex Jr. won the Cup championship in '17, and Smith wondered what it says about the sport when a title-winning team has to shutdown. Visser took some responsibility, conceding he may have "screwed up and should have had some longer-term contracts." But he added, "I've got to see a financial benefit to it. We've got to get the cost out of running these race cars. He added there needs to be a way to get "more exposure to the sponsors that are on the race cars." Visser: "From that, everything else will fall into place." FS1's Jeff Hammond following the interview said he has "seen a lot of top-notch teams that had to shut their doors and a lot of it is because of lack of sponsorship." Hammond: "It doesn't matter who it is, you can't run one of these things without having the support." Visser has "shown he's committed to the sport." He "spent his own money and he had to make a decision and had to back out" ("NASCAR Race Hub," FS1, 11/8).
