msrpk.com blog

"Interesting Times"

• RIP Paul Newman--The Newman in Newman-Haas Racing lost his battle with cancer yesterday. Paul Newman died yesterday in Connecticut, surrounded by family. He was testy at times when you tried to interview him...but once he figured out you wanted to talk about racing, he'd open up. I saw him at Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Indianapolis, Daytona; you get the picture. He used to opine that acting was what he did to pay bills; racing was his passion. He is already missed by the racing community.
• What will the "bailout" do for the already weak auto racing sponsorship hunt?--When discretionary capital dries up (as in the case when brokers make margin calls, credit card issuers want the entire balances due, no short term loans available) belts get tightened very quickly. Business owners, for a while, may not have the funds to sponsor at the levels the teams are accustomed to. I wonder how much the belts can be tightened in big league auto racing, and whether the owners and sanctioning bodies have the stomach to do so. They may have to find that stomach sooner rather than later.

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