We didn’t get to this yesterday (we didn’t finish the photo edit in time) but the comment that Bob Griese made about Juan Pablo Montoya “out having a taco” seemed so innocuous that it wasn’t even worthy of mention. ESPN thought otherwise–and suspended Griese for a week.
ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz says Griese will not be working a game this week. Krulewitz says ESPN has spoken to Griese and “he understands the comment was inappropriate.” –AP, sent in by Oliver.
And on Hispanic Heritage Month, too! But then again, it’s also “Breast Awareness Month” and “Apathy Toward Barely Racist Remarks Month.” I mean, Montoya’s Colombian, and he’s already said that he doesn’t care. You’d have to, like, steal that guy’s cocaine to really get him upset…What?
Jim Beam and Jack Daniels, staple liquor brands who probably don’t need to spend extra money to appeal to the redneck demographic, have announced that they will not be renewing their sponsorship agreements with their respective NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams in 2010.
The maker of Jim Beam Bourbon will stop sponsoring Robby Gordon’s Sprint Cup team next season, sending another liquor company to the NASCAR sidelines.
A day after Jack Daniel’s announced it would stop supporting Casey Mears’ No. 07 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. said Tuesday it was shifting sponsorship dollars to areas outside NASCAR.
It’s not terribly surprising, considering neither of their drivers made the Chase and that, well, people are going to get drunk on bourbon and whiskey whether or not they’re watching a car with its logo run around the track. But don’t ask me to tell you which is which. Brown booze isn’t really my bag. Twelve-ounce bottles and cans are much easier to hold on those Sunday morning drives home from the bar.
The intersection of people that follow both finance news and NASCAR, I’d guess, is comprised entirely of seven businessmen scattered throughout the greater Charlotte area…and Darren Rovell. But hopefully the rest of you will just be mildly curious about how America’s first socialized auto manufacturer plans to handle its Chevrolet brand’s business in NASCAR. The Wall Street Journal reported that GM declared in its bankruptcy filing that it had $172 billion in debt against $82 billion in assets. So that pretty much wipes out their stock car program, right? From ESPN:
No one in NASCAR has higher or closer connections with GM than [car owner Rick] Hendrick, though he never flaunts them. He’s been dining privately with GM chairmen and CEOs since the days of Roger Smith. That’s more than 20 years.
“I’ve had no indication they’re going to cut back,” Hendrick said of GM’s NASCAR operations.
As Hendrick understands it, “there’s a plan, a get-in, get-out situation,” Hendrick said. “I’m hoping that if it happens, they’ll get in and get out [of bankruptcy] in a hurry.”
Uh-huh. Yeah, this whole bankruptcy filing is just a bump in the road. Did we mention that GM hasn’t turned a profit since 2004? It’s hard to pin all that on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I was really hoping we would have taken that GM bailout money and done something to benefit all Americans. Like bombing Canada.
|via All Left Turns|
In the last lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega, Carl Edwards turned into the front end of Brad Keselowski (09), and then suddenly Carl Edwards’ No. 99 car decides to try and jump over the fence. And this was only one of three huge wrecks in the race. It was almost enough to make me turn away from the orderly selection of college football players happening elsewhere in the sports world. Almost.
Sponsorship logos might be coming to NFL practice jerseys as owners consider every avenue to increase revenues in These Trying Economic Times. I don’t see anyone lined up outside for bread. How bad can things be?
In addition to receiving a four-year, $4 billion extension from DirecTV and investigating relaxing rules against liquor and lottery sponsorships, the practice jersey sponsor logos were addressed at the three-day owners’ meetings that concluded Wednesday. Further discussion will be held at the league’s May meetings in Fort Lauderdale.[...]
“We’re talking about something unobtrusive that when the guys are being interviewed, people can can see the sponsor logo on their jerseys. But it’s no bigger or more obtrusive than the patches worn for the Super Bowl logo.
I’m sure that small size will please advertisers looking to shell out more money for their NFL partnerships. Nothing appeases corporations more than people asking for their money. Unless they’re dying of leukemia or breast cancer. For some reason, those jagoffs can’t wait to pull out their checkbooks if someone’s missing a boob.
UPDATE: SI.com is reporting that Watts has been suspended for the next four Sprint Cup races. More time fer huntin’!
Here’s your NASCAR post for March: Jimmy Watts is the guy that runs across Pit Row to chase down a tire into the infield. Watts was suspended for the remainder of the race. Like you care. Hey, Jimmy! It’s not a daggum possum! Now yew git back here and wash them hands for supper! It’s funny because they really talk like that.
|Deadspin|
