Gillett may add Petty to growing NASCAR portfolio

George Gillett, Jr. hopes a spending spree can build him a NASCAR empire as storied as the NHL's Habs and EPL's Liverpool club. AP

MAILBAG Submit a comment or question for Tom. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

When George Gillett, Jr. enters a sport, he's not going to waste any time making a big splash. The newest owner to enter NASCAR -- courtesy of a multimillion-dollar investment to purchase the majority of Ray Evernham's three-car team -- has taken only a month for him to make his presence felt.

And just wait till you see what he's got coming down the pipeline next.

The eclectic owner of soccer's Liverpool team in England, hockey's Montreal Canadiens and other various sports holdings made another splash Tuesday, announcing that big money sponsor Budweiser will adorn the hood of driver Kasey Kahne's Dodge in 2008 and beyond.

The news didn't come as a surprise; the car's old sponsor, Dodge Dealers, had indicated it wanted to pull back from a primary role, and it's long been rumored Budweiser wanted to realign itself with the young, popular Kahne. The resulting cash infusion will be the latest in a long line of improvements to a No. 9 car that has finished in the top 10 three times in the last seven races since Gillett took over, a string of successes that has revitalized a team that has failed to win after visiting Victory Lane six times during a watershed '06 season.

With money clearly not an object to Gillett, it's clear no new Cup owner has made this much of a splash since Bobby Ginn's ill-fated venture into the series last year. This time around, though, Gillett Jr. brings a different bargaining card to the table -- a record of at least moderate success with other sporting franchises, along with long-term ownership credentials that ensures money stays on the table.

He also has big dreams that, like Ginn, he feels are well within reach. His next goal promises to be even more difficult, but if successful, could change the face of his organization, lifting it up among the elite programs of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Roush Fenway.

It all comes down to strengthening a little team known as Petty Enterprises.

It's no secret the organization with the most career wins of any team on the circuit (268) hasn't been up to par for the better part of the decade. The famed No. 43 car's last victory came last century -- John Andretti won at Martinsville back in 1999 -- and currently sits a mediocre 17th in the points with driver Bobby Labonte. Kyle Petty's No. 45 is even worse off, as the car driven by John Andretti, Chad McCumbee and Petty himself sits a precarious 34th in car owner points, barely holding on to an automatic qualifying exemption.

Despite the struggles, the Petty name carries marketing potential that few teams can match. Not only is King Richard still involved in the day-to-day operations of the team, but the charity work that son Kyle has accomplished continually puts him in the national spotlight more than most other drivers struggling to simply make races. The Victory Junction Gang, a charity camp run for terminally ill children, has raised millions of dollars and received national acclaim since its opening in '03, earning both respect and admiration for the Pettys off the track.

On it, the cause of Petty's struggles seem to be as simple as lack of expansion. While other multi-car operations have grown their programs, Petty's is one of the few that has contracted. Once a burgeoning three-car operation, the team lost momentum after the tragic death of Kyle's son, Adam, during a NASCAR Busch Series crash in '00. Eventually forced to dissolve one of the programs due to lack of sponsorship after the '03 season, the team has never collected enough funding to bring it back into the fold the past few years. Now it stands alone with just a two-car team in an era when even those operations are becoming rapidly outdated.

Gillett understands this, and a move to align with the Pettys would benefit both sides. The organization already has a deal in place in which it shares engines and chassis, but an all-out alliance would give Petty the inside information it needs to be successful. Most important, it would provide cash. GEM's seemingly limitless bank account should get Petty back on an equal financial level with some of the top teams in the industry, while combining testing resources to strengthen the notes each car takes to the track.

Director of racing operations Robby Loomis has stated the Randleman, N.C. shop currently is running on a budget that's half that of the top teams, and he should know; Loomis served as Jeff Gordon's crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports from '01-05.

For Petty to see the fruits of a potential alliance, it needs look no further than the newly-formed Yates Racing. After peaking with a Cup title in '99 with Dale Jarrett, the Yates organization went downhill to the point that neither of its teams finished last season in the top 20 in Cup points.

Jarrett and sponsor UPS responded by leaving, and an organization which once claimed some of the most high-profile businesses in NASCAR was forced to spend a nervous December convincing their other primary sponsor, Mars Foods, to put their brands on two cars.

This season, Mars announced they would not return in '08, putting the Yates team in a pickle -- after more than a year of searching for other sponsors, how could they be convinced they'd be able to find extra money on their own? A partnership with Roush Fenway proved the answer to their problems. With the biggest teams acquiring the most financial support, the money from an alliance can now filter down to Yates' two cars and save their programs.

Petty sees the writing on the wall with a similar opportunity at GEM. Already owner of NHL's most legendary franchise, Gillett would love to get his hands on the same type of organization in NASCAR. And after a month of quick and steady movement, I wouldn't bet against him convincing the Pettys he could make it work. At this point, it's a move the Pettys may need simply in order to survive.