Mammoth Racing’s Post

UPDATE 3:35pm ET: Front Row Motorsports just officially announced that they have purchased one of the SHR charters. So, officially, that is one of the four now gone. ORIGINAL POST: I've had several people reach out to me for my opinion, so here is my two cents -- By now, the world knows that Stewart-Haas Racing is closing down at the end of this season. My heart is broken for all of the SHR employees. This is always the sad part of the racing family. The big question now is what will happen with the four NASCAR Cup Series charters owned by SHR and how much are they really worth. The rumor mill says the charters are worth about $40 million each. However, there is no charter deal in place with the teams and NASCAR and they seem very far apart. There is no TV deal with the teams and NASCAR and they seem very far apart. My thoughts are this for what it is worth and I could be completely off my rocker -- If SHR leases the charters as other charter owners have done instead of selling them right now until the new charter and TV deal is negotiated and finalized between the teams and NASCAR, the possible advantages: 1. Leasing would provide an opportunity for an entity such as JR Motorsports, a new team owner, or a new manufacturer (Honda or Dodge) to come in to the Cup Series at a more manageable cost to "test the waters" for a sustainable business model moving forward. Additionally, this would provide the opportunity for the teams to build corporate partnerships (sponsorships) based on a "known" instead of an "unknown" of whether the team will have a charter and starting position for a specific term. 2. Leasing would provide the opportunity for SHR to potentially monetize the charters even more with a "lease with option to buy" scenario based on how the charter and TV deal play out -- could make them worth more than $40M. Right now, it is an "unknown" scenario which could make the charters worth less in the eyes of an investor. 3. Potentially, NASCAR could be in violation of their own contract with the networks for at least a 36-car field if the charters are not sold and in place on time. This makes the "lease with option to buy" scenario an advantage as it would not violate the contract terms for a 36-car field. Your thoughts? #racing #motorsports

THE RACING MACHINES, PART IV. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, May 24, 1981. After winning the Indy 500 the year before (his third win), Johnny Rutherford (No. 1 Chaparral Racing Pennzoil Chaparral 2K/Cosworth) lasted just three laps in the 1981 race. But the Chaparral 2K was the dominant machine at The Speedway in 1979 and 1980. Designed by John Barnard, the 2K started off somewhat conventionally with its bonded and riveted aluminum monocoque chassis. At the front, lower wishbones and top rockers were fitted, while a double wishbone design was utilized in the rear. The magic could be found in its “ground effects” design principles. Two long tunnels ran under the 2K, and as the air passing underneath the car entered the forward section of the tunnels, it created a low pressure zone beneath the car. This had the effect of sucking the car down against the road, increasing the tire grip. The added grip helped the car corner faster and accelerate quicker than its competitors. The Chaparral 2K was powered by a turbocharged, 2.65-liter Cosworth V8 producing in excess of 700HP. This was fed to the rear wheels through a Weismann four-speed gearbox. The narrow engine and gearbox allowed the ground effect tunnels to run all the way to the integrally mounted rear wing. READ THE ENTIRE COLUMN AND SEE THE PICS HERE: https://lnkd.in/efDexsp

The smile on Jeff True 's face after Seize the Grey ran away with the 2024 Preakness Stakes, inspired me to plough my humble winnings into Caldera. It took less than 2 minutes on MyRacehorse to become a fractional shareholder of this promising colt. A whopping 0.008% at that...but that's all it takes to learn and enjoy the sport and the excitement of wagering. As the South African horse racing industry faces ongoing headwinds, the following remains true. In order for the tides to rise, to raise all ships, all stakeholders need to be transformative and move on from antiquated UX's. Transformation effort and investment cannot fall onto one category of stakeholder. It is fantastic that the three operators have strong shareholder support allowing them to add new revenue streams (in addition to tote and content distribution) and improve their on-track propositions. These efforts are much needed to grow the sport, however.... declining horse populations and a lack of an increase in racehorse owners, is a universal problem to all industry stakeholders. I would encourage all SA horse racing industry stakeholders to take time to look beyond their inward facing efforts and be inspired by initiatives like MyRacehorse, and to collaborate with each other to make sure the tide does not fall for all.

A Midlands company which manufactures components for Formula One and whose co-founders met while working at Red Bull Racing has secured a significant funding package to support its growth and create jobs. https://lnkd.in/eWEduj3d

AO Racing's marketing approach is remarkable in all of motorsports. If you want people to be emotionally attached to your brand, you must give them a reason to care. AO Racing, by giving their race car a personality, became a standout crowd pleaser - which is the base ingredient for acquiring sponsorships. Brand equity is built over time. It isn't a logo, it's a feeling. And it's developed at each interaction or touchpoint a fan or customer has with your brand. Whether arriving on a website, seeing an advertisement, buying a ticket, seeing a sticker on the car in front of you - if the majority of those interactions are positive, that's brand equity. The added value endowed on products and services reflecting fan thinking, feeling, and acting with respect to the brand. Procter & Gamble are the kings of brand equity, developing purposeful product names and integrated marketing to develop positive touchpoints across the consumer experience and purchase path. For example, Chick-fil-a has so much brand equity built up due to their polite efficiency each time I go there - they can mess up my order many times before I get disappointed. AO Racing's masterful execution and story behind the creation of these personalities is the best in the game and should be recognized as such. Congrats to AO Racing. #branding #marketing #sponsorship

Plymouth completely redesigned the Belvedere/Satellite/Road Runner series for 1971 with a handsome fuselage theme. The coupes and hardtops were now quite different from the more conventional sedans and wagons. The two-doors had a low recessed grille surrounded by a loop bumper, flared fenders and a high trunk. 1971 Plymouth Road Runners could be recognized by the “ladder stripe” running down the C-pillars. The new Road Runner Hardtop was shorter, but the wheelbase was longer. Performance was being eroded by insurance rates and emissions issues, and this would be the last year for the high-powered engines. The muscle car party coming to an end, and there were no more Superbirds no convertibles, while the Road Runner and GTX were limited to just one Hardtop model each. Plymouth sold 651,812 units in 1971, nine percent less than 1970, while the industry rose 31 percent overall. As a result, the division dropped from third to sixth place nationally. On a brighter note, Richard Petty came back to drive his signature #43 blue Hemi Road Runner and won his 3rd NASCAR Grand National Championship. Checkout this beauty we appraised for a client. #mopar #musclecars #cars #vintagemopar #roadrunner #americanmusclecar #plymouth #classiccars #classicarvalue #carappraiser #vintagecars #plymouthmusclecar

Via Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman: Winston & Strawn has filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing NASCAR of maintaining an unlawful monopoly over premier stock car racing in the United States. "Stock car racing teams can only compete at the top-tier level in the United States if they agree to NASCAR's anticompetitive terms," according to the allegations in the complaint. "NASCAR has foreclosed any potential competitor from accessing the high-quality tracks or teams needed to develop a competing circuit." NASCAR requires stock car race teams to sign "one-sided contracts" preventing them from competing elsewhere, according to the complaint submitted by Winston partner Danielle T. Williams on behalf of two teams with recent victories in the NASCAR Cup Series. Front Row Motorsports Inc. and 23XI Racing allege NASCAR through its CEO Jim France has continued an alleged family practice of restraining competition in the U.S. stock car racing market in violation of the Sherman Act. "The France family and NASCAR are monopolistic bullies," the complaint alleges. "And bullies will continue to impose their will to hurt others until their targets stand up and refuse to be victims. That moment has now arrived." The France family has owned and controlled NASCAR since its founding in 1948, according to the complaint. "NASCAR has used its monopoly power and exclusionary conduct to impose terms upon the racing teams that ensure that a majority of the revenues generated by stock car racing in the United States will go to NASCAR and the France family, at the expense of the teams and their drivers, who are most responsible for generating those revenues," the complaint alleges. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: https://lnkd.in/eZUMd2c2

MJ VS. NASCAR Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR on Wednesday, calling them out as "monopolistic bullies" after refusing to sign the latest charter agreement, Jeff writes. Catch up quick: With the old charter agreement expiring at the end of this season, NASCAR and its teams spent much of this year negotiating the terms of a new one. Ultimately, all but two teams — 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, the co-plaintiff — signed the deal last month. Charters are what allow NASCAR to function like a pro sports league, guaranteeing teams a starting position in races and a larger share of purse money. The agreement also dictates revenue sharing, which was at the center of the aforementioned protracted negotiations. Teams can no longer rely on the sport's dwindling pool of sponsorship money, so they want a bigger chunk of the seven-year, $7.7 billion media deal that kicks in next year. That money is split between teams, NASCAR and the racetracks, a majority of which are owned by NASCAR. What they're saying: "I love the sport of racing … but the way NASCAR is run today is unfair to teams, drivers, sponsors and fans,” Jordan said in a statement. "Today's action shows I'm willing to fight for a competitive market where everyone wins." The bottom line: "NASCAR is the only sports series where it's nearly impossible to both win and be profitable," says Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg. One of the greatest athletes to ever live is trying to change that. https://lnkd.in/g4A76kM6

"Milton Keynes roundabouts helped me with Formula 1... The hairpin in Monaco is tighter than most roundabouts in Milton Keynes." These words by Liam Lawson really struck me. It's frightening to hear that the design of some UK roads can make drivers see the tarmac as a literal racetrack to speed on, and not as an integral part of the public realm. This really proves that the width, radii, surface material, and speed of roads can have a massive impact upon their use. If Milton Keynes' roundabouts have a larger radius than Monaco's, then we clearly have a real problem on our hands. Roads should not equal racing. Convenience should not equal car-crashes or catastrophe. Streets should instead equal safe, sacred spaces and social success 🙌 https://lnkd.in/gcZR93Rv #roaddesign #safestreets #urbandesign #racing #publicrealm #trafficcalming

Here's my latest "Keeping Pace" column at Paulick Report. Everyone in racing should be encouraged by the latest safety numbers, even as we recognize there is still more work to do. https://lnkd.in/gwxA7Fxq