Could a return to Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour be the first signal of massive landscape change for the series after 40 years based in the Northeast?
LISTEN: Could Return Of Bristol Be Start Of Busch North Like Exodus For Whelen Modified Tour
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About time for another crystal ball schedule.
If that’s turns out true, just give the icebreaker to tri track and take a wednesday show in the summer. And i say that as a pretty staunch tour supporter.
The nascar whelen modified tour is dying mainly because of nascar
Who is Chris Williams and why is he so important?
Chris Williams is the owner and promoter of the SMART tour. You want a good bio on the guy go to the March 7th Unmuffled with Chris Williams where he himself will give you a great overview. The short version is he grew up in racing, his career all about branding, promotion, networking and marketing for the most part in and around racing. His approach dogged, if his mouth is open he’s promoting something and can’t drop the Dale Earnhart’s name enough and his friendship with him to establish credibility.
A series of failures promoting racing south or the Mason-Dixon line this guy appears to be changing that with the SMART tour. Corralled a major sponsor in Pace-O-matic, powerhouse owners like Hermie Sadler and VA State Senator Bill Stanley, SS Racing. Has a mix of older big names in his races like Labonte and Newman with young up and comers as well. His approach completely the opposite of the NWMT or MMTTS. He’s the face of the tour, unrelenting promotion that appears to be working. A benevolent dictator that listens to everyone, considers everything but in the end the buck stops with him and everyone knows it.
Said if this guys mouth is open he’s promoting something mostly true but not entirely. His build of the SMART product appears on the surface text book. Not interested in what others did wrong but what it would take to make a new tour successful. Starting with the drivers and teams. Informing them of his plans, vision but most importantly getting their input on what they needed. Built team friendly guidelines like no live pit stops, limiting tires, no butting heads with Bowman Gray, travel time and race laps plus interesting twists like the choose cone complete with a flashing light complete with sponsor. Networking with tracks, potential sponsors getting more and more critical pieces together a product building masterpiece that I conclude is the case mainly because SMART is still in existence and growing. Latest evidence The Return of the King of Modifieds booked for 2025.
As far as dot connecting is concerned there are plenty of them to connect. NASCAR diehards Massa and Fifield moving to North Carolina not insignificant. A race at Bristol last known for hot, aluminum, empty race stands with the defining roar of engines echoing off the empty stands. Makes no sense going there again especially with other long distance big name southern venues likely in the fold like Bowman Gray.
Where’s the beef?
Thing is the theory all depends on Williams selling or at least partnering with NASCAR. I can’t find anyone, anywhere on the internet suggesting it as a remote possibility including Williams he’s doing next years schedule. And how would it work? Were Williams, the relentless promoter gone who would trust NASCAR with their top down management style to not screw it up like they’re doing now with the one they have. Williams would have to remain the face of the new tour. After being the founder of SMART, building all the team friendly policies that have made it successful, nurturing it from an idea to reality, what are the chances he’d be the front man and see it all go to hell under NASCAR’s thumb unless there was a pot of gold to do it. As far as the pot of gold, is there enough money in a NASCAR/SMART tour to make it worth the effort? The races I’ve tuned into that have good crowds generally include a big Late Model race.
What do Stafford and SMART have in common?
First off no connection to NASCAR. Otherwise Williams says he comes up to Stafford to watch, learn and network. They did try to link their two series with crossover drivers participating with probably more to come in the future. Mostly it’s about respecting the teams both Stafford and SMART do it very well and it appear to pay dividends.
I’ll take a Tour race over anything now based on the 5 or so top teams that butt heads in various races as well as the fierce competition between the 16 and 51. I can’t however envision NASCAR having anything to do with SMART that would have any other result then slow walking it to irrelevance exactly like they did previously. How would Chris Williams not know that?
Nice piece Doug.
Very informative, and like to see how this shakes out.
On a totally unrelated topic, one for a different thread I’m sure, but i’ll ask anyway.
I saw today that Nascar is officially recognizing 32 charters for the 2025 season, as the litigation proceeds.
My question is, is the pay structure different for chartered teams vs non chartered?
By that I mean, if a chartered car finishes 15th, vs a non chartered car in the same race finishing 15th, would the payout be different due to the charter ? Just curious thx.
What would I know about Cup purses……nothing! But when there’s a good question pouring through a number of web searches can be interesting.
The Google AI search provided this:
“Yes, if a NASCAR charter car finishes 15th, it will generally receive a larger payout compared to a non-charter car finishing in the same position because the charter system guarantees a portion of the race purse to charter teams, regardless of their finishing position, resulting in a higher overall payout even when they finish mid-pack.”
A number of searches phrasing the question difference ways didn’t provide anything more specific in the AI search or in associated articles.
This is part of the reason NASCAR is so annoying in my view. Prior to 2015 and the advent of the charter system they published purses and what each team was paid. Since then if they publish anything it’s the total purse but the winnings by position are not disclosed. For example NASCAR disclosed the Daytona 500 purse in 2020, 23 & 24 but for 2021 and 22 the best you’ll find are “estimates”. In an event they don’t disclose the winnings by position, probably because it would look convoluted with numbers not looking anything like they were related to finishing position.
Other articles explain the TV money goes to the race promoters and tracks and since in over 50% of the races the track owner is NASCAR. I get the impression there is some kind of purse based on finishing order but then it gets murky. For chartered teams they get additional amounts, a kind of revenue sharing from sources other then directly related to the race the biggest nut on that score the TV contract money. How much that can be who knows they say it depends on a number of things including the value of the charter although that number can’t exist until one goes up for sale. Non chartered teams don’t qualify for the added money. The Daytona 500 the best pay day by far and that’s mostly because of it’s value based on TV exposure. The purse 28 million last February but as far as how it’s distributed that’s for insiders only.
I guess you can argue it’s none of our business what the bottom line numbers are for what teams make for specific races. Nor how NASCAR determines each share, points tell us all we need to know about a team relative status. Then again they used to show the winnings by team, racing has always made the publishing of purses a big deal so apparently we as fans do care knowing about it for some reason.
If we did see the numbers you can bet we’d see the royal families of CUP racing get winnings in excess of what a lesser team got that beat them in any particular race. That may lead we as fans to conclude a pure meritocracy based on finishing position is rigged a very bad look for NASCAR. Thus NASCAR and teams for that matter avoid full disclosure of winning shares like the plague.
The more I read about the inner workings of NASCAR CUP the more it appears self defeating. The sport depends on attracting new blood yet it’s weighted specifically against that happening funneling the lions share of the money to mostly the same hierarchy. Individual brilliance like Alan Kulwicki’s simply can’t happen with the current system. The modern day Kulwicki would be a well funded team like 23XI with the resources to overcome the well rooted hierarchy fighting it for a number of years with some success. Yet when the TV contract was renegotiated they join a ground breaking legal action. One would guess concluding that no matter what they achieve on the track the distribution formula for revenue will always relegate them to being a second class charter.
I don’t know if AI is going to be a threat to mankind as some have pondered but one thing is clear. AI is the only way to get any kind of vague answer on the way NASCAR distributes money for races. Even with all that computer power to scour every bit of public information available NASCAR and teams do such a good job keeping it secret I believe so far they’re beating AI.
Doug;
No question hands down, you are much more research and computer knowledgeable than I. With my limited resources (me) I could not find anything on it. I posed the question because of a sound bite (or read bite if there is such a thing) that I recently saw or heard. Your piece solidifies my limited searches and fills in some holes.
The 32 charters Nascar announced this week, triggered the question for me again. One thing for sure, this charter thing goes way deeper than I ever imagined. Every time it’s talked about, another layer of the onion seems to get peeled back for me. First I thought, charters were just about being guaranteed a starting spot in a race. Then as you and Shawn correctly pointed out, it puts value on a team sale. Imo, how much? The team’s worth or just the charters worth?
Now, we delved onto the question about payout structure charter vs non charter.
So maybe I’m the only nut curious about this, but, someone with clout is bucking nascar and its going to court. Are there Nascar skeletons to fall out of a closet here? What else might we find out about the charter system as this gets into the hands of the lawyers? I still find this an interesting topic for anyone following cup.
Thanks for your research Doug, greatly appreciated. And yes, I know, wrong thread for this!
NBC Sports 10/17/24
“NASCAR states in the court document that it “is working on reallocating funds that (23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports) would have received to increase prize money and other special awards for the 2025 season for the benefit for the teams that timely executed 2025 Charters, as well as Open teams who can compete to win the increased prize money and other special awards.”
A couple things come to mind when reading this. First that NASCAR is doing what they do playing hard ball, very predictably. The only way to stop them will be through the courts with injunctive relief.
Secondly they’re being too clever by half trying to insert a wedge between the teams that signed the new agreement and the two that didn’t. Saying here boys you’ve been good so we’ll give you their money. Is it all the money, most and will it be split up equitably they’d have to trust NASCAR on that score. Would you trust NASCAR?
I’d think the law suit, all the claims and counter claims, NASCAR’s strong arm tactics and the court actions to put a hold on them will be “THE” story of the off season for race fans. At least those of us that love David vs Goliath stories. Perhaps not the best reference considering Michael Jordan is hard to imagine as a David by you get the point.
So are you taking any positions at this stage? Would you like to see NASCAR’s boat get rocked hoping to expose their methods and maybe get a more equitable deal for the teams. Or do you think the series is good now and resentful that a two team minority is threatening to cripple a management that has produced a product that’s been successful for decades?
Doug;
That is an awesome question for anyone following this. Nascar might be trying to cover their butts vs caring about the open teams due to upcoming litigation?
Still think in the end, all parties come to agreement and terms not disclosed. We’ll see
I gotta give that question some more thought. Nice stuff, thx Doug