Make it a real dash for cash

Sporting News, The, August 12, 2002 by Lee Spencer

Imagine how NASCAR would change if owners compensated drivers solely for performance.

No base salary mind you, strictly a percentage of the purse, plus any bonus a driver might receive from Winston at the end of the season. Didn't finish in the top 25 in points? Too bad. No Christmas bonus for you.

That type of pay scale is commonplace through corporate America. Anyone who has worked in sales understands the commission system: If you don't sell anything, you aren't compensated for the effort. Why not employ that method in NASCAR? One thing is certain: If drivers were compensated for where they finished, they would be more apt to get up on the wheel.

Not long ago, I heard whispers that Dale Earnhardt Inc. was pitching that formula to Steve Park (there's no evidence such a system was put in place), and I thought DEI was on to something. Park has finished better than 20th just once in 17 starts--he was seventh last Sunday at Indianapolis--since returning in May from a head injury he sustained last season. Though he might not be entirely back on his game, there is no doubt his equipment is top-notch.

Park is extremely fortunate to be associated with one of the elite NASCAR organizations: DEI, Roush Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Ganassi Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Penske South Racing, Robert Yates Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. These shops have endless resources, and the drivers and car assemblers want for nothing. Need the latest bell or whistle? Just order it.

Money buys speed, when applied correctly, and these operations have pockets deep enough to buy the top talent in the sport and put it in the sleekest hot rods.

But there are times when even the best become complacent. They can get caught up in the trappings of celebrity: mansions on the lake, Lear jets and million-dollar motorcoaches. Suddenly, remembering that they were hired to race becomes secondary to mortgages and monthly payments. How long would Darrell Waltrip have been riding around on past champion's provisionals if Fox hadn't come along and bailed him out?

Not long if he had been driving for Chip Ganassi, a four-time CART champion owner. Ganassi is a businessman, but at the end of the day, he is a racer. He's more interested in winning than what it costs. The bottom line is secondary to the finish line.

Several weeks ago, when he was asked about Jimmy Spencer's future, Ganassi said, "Tenure on this team is based on performance--and that includes drivers." Spencer has been outside the top 20 in points most of the season after failing to qualify for the Daytona 500. Ganassi doesn't mince words. With him, a driver has two choices: Race or don't let the door hit your back side on the way out.

Although owners who field multiple teams say all of their cars are equal, something separates the teams. Primarily it's personnel--whether it's the driver, crew chief or fabricator. Spencer and crew are housed under the same roof as points leader Sterling Marlin's No. 40, but Spencer's results are nowhere close to the numbers Marlin has put up this season.

Hut Stricklin and teammate Ward Burton are in a similar situation because they have the same equipment. Though Burton's No. 22 team has been plagued by mechanical problems, he has won twice, including the Daytona 500. Stricklin never has won and is outside the top 30 in points.

Burton has seized the opportunity when he has had a chance; Stricklin hasn't.

Poor performances, however, aren't life sentences. Kyle Petty was struggling mightily last season. But he brought in Robin Pemberton to organize and oversee the racing program and hired Mike Ege to build the engines. This season, Petty has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence.

Winston Cup racing is like any other sport in that the goal is to win the championship, and performing consistently well usually is the surest route. But one way NASCAR differs from other sports is its incentive programs. Teams can receive money each race if they maintain certain levels of performance. For example, one incentive plan benefits a number of teams based on points over the last three years.

So in NASCAR, performing well helps a driver contend for the tide, and it also brings in a weekly paycheck.

There are two other contingencies needed in a system that compensates drivers based on performance. If the equipment breaks down, the owner must pay the driver a flat rate. But if the driver wrecks his car, hand him some Bondo and a sander. He'll think twice before putting his nose where it doesn't belong in the future.

Heading to the track on the weekend? Drop by www.sportingnews.com/ nascar/tracks/to find out everything from who won previous races at the track to where you can get good eats.

Down the road

SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO AT THE GLEN Watkins Glen International Speedway

When: 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday

TV: NBC

Length: 90 laps, 220 miles

TSN's POWER POOL

Rank   Driver            TSN pts.   Winston Cup pts.

 1.    Sterling Marlin    1,835        2,866 (l)
 2.    Jimmie Johnson     1,779        2,773 (2)
 3.    Tony Stewart       1,687        2,655 (7)
 4.    Mark Martin        1,674        2,757 (3)
 5.    Matt Kenseth       1,614        2,600 (9)
 6.    Bill Elliott       1,606        2,656 (6)
 7.    Jeff Gordon        1,595        2,741 (4)
 8.    Dale Jarrett       1,526        2,553 (11)
 9.    Rusty Wallace      1,525        2,695 (5)
10.    Ricky Rudd         1,511        2,634 (8)

Through race No. 21, at Indianapolis. For a complete TSN
Power Poll rundown and an explanation of the points breakdown,
go to www.sportingnews.com/nascar/poll.