Joe Ruttman took a $54,196 joyride at NASCAR’s expense Sunday.
Ruttman, a 59-year-old grandfather who made his debut in NASCAR’s Cup series in 1963, “started” his first event since 1995, using a provisional spot to help fill out the field of 43 for the Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. He ran one lap before pulling up, done for the day.
Ruttman never really had intentions of going anywhere. He didn’t have a pit crew and had skipped both practice runs Saturday to avoid buying new tires. But there was a nice paycheck at the end of the day–more than $54,000 for finishing last.
Faced with dwindling sponsorships, NASCAR is facing a serious car crunch every week to fill out a standard field of 43 competitors. Only 37 teams have full-time sponsorships, forcing NASCAR to drop its qualifying standards and fill out fields with drivers better suited for a spin on a Saturday dirt track.
“The Joe Ruttman thing was sort of a sham,” NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter said Tuesday. “We always try to do the right thing, and since we had let it go that far, we let him start the race.
“However, that will not happen again.”
Ruttman was one of four drivers in Sunday’s field with shaky resumes, though a few more notable names in the sport also have competitive issues because of shaky financing.
Jeff Burton–who has won 17 Cup races in the past decade–doesn’t have a full-time sponsor. Neither does Larry Foyt, whose sponsorship with Harrah’s was dropped after last season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip have no full-time Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate for the No. 1 car, though John Andretti will run a limited schedule this season.
“We have a problem,” said Joe Gibbs, who will entrust his team of drivers to his son, J.D., when he returns to coaching the Washington Redskins next season. “I think where the danger is [that] we outgrow the sponsor.”
Escalating costs to field a competitive team for the full run of 36 races range from $12 million to $15 million.
Sponsorships used to entail having the name of a local gas station on a car. Then, automotive products became involved. Now, the marketing opportunities are reflected along pit road: beer, cereal, cell phones, major retailers, candies, male-enhancement products, even the U.S. Army. But the return on the investment is losing its appeal.
Though the marketing message can be powerful on a $250,000 car going full throttle–estimated views of a product logo range into the thousands during a four-hour broadcast–sponsors are having a difficult time cutting such an expensive check.
Some of the issues reflect a tussle over in-house dollars. The three top NASCAR series–Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck–add up to 122 potential car sponsorships.
There also are the advertising and sponsorship deals established within NASCAR and its broadcast partners, NBC and Fox.
“Ideally, we would love to see the Alan Kulwicki days, when somebody who had less funding won the championship,” said Brian France, chairman and chief executive officer of NASCAR, referring to the late 1992 Winston Cup champ. “For obvious reasons, that would be terrific. . . . [But] the marketplace determines what a sponsor will pay.”
NASCAR officials say there is no mandate to field 43 cars for each race. The first 38 cars qualify off lap speeds, with the other five using provisionals or qualifying attempts made during a season. Otherwise, the only prerequisites are a driver be a NASCAR member and his car passes the mandatory inspection.
