Saturday, June 16, 2007

For what it's worth, Cup teams are worth a ton

There are a couple of racing “forums” that I look at fairly regularly. Sometimes they’re quite disturbing, to be honest, but every once in a while you find gold.

I look at the forum on www.thatsracin.com because, well, I’d get in trouble if I didn’t. I also check in at www.rpmwarrior.net, which can be an absolute zoo, but sometimes offers entertaining reading.

Saturday afternoon, it provided a link to one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a long time. It came in the form of a link to a story of Forbes.com by Jack Gage about the value of NASCAR’s multicar teams and individual cars.

The first thing I did after reading the story was to send an e-mail to the producer who books guests on our show on Sirius NASCAR Radio. We need to have Jack Gage on to talk to him about his fascinating work on this story.

The second thing I did was start writing this blog. All credit to Gage for the rest of what I am going to talk about here (Note to ESPN.com – This is called giving somebody proper credit for the work he does.)

According to Gage’s estimates, the average value of a multicar NASCAR team is $120 million.

That’s up 67 percent from last year because the 15 teams listed below now field 41 cars, up seven from last year. Also, Forbes got access to more detailed information about the off-track revenues generated by these teams, significantly revising its estimates.

According to the story, Roush Fenway Racing has the highest total value at $316 million.

Hendrick is second at $297 million.

Here’s the basic list (and, yes, these are all millions):

1. Roush Fenway Racing, $316

2. Hendrick Motorsports, $297

3. Joe Gibbs Racing, $173

4. Evernham Motorsports, $128

5. Richard Childress Racing, $124

6. Dale Earnhardt Inc., $118

7. Robert Yates Racing, $103

8. Chip Ganassi Racing, $94

9. Michael Waltrip Racing, $91

10. Penske Racing, $75

11. Ginn Racing, $74

12. Team Red Bull, $53

13. Bill Davis Racing, $53

14. Petty Enterprises, $48

15. Haas CNC Racing, $46

Forbes.com also lists the most valuable cars in the sport, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the top three names on that list will all be on the same team in 2008:

1. Jeff Gordon, No. 24, $85,000,000

2. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48, $76,000,000

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8, $65,000,000

4. Tony Stewart, No. 20, $60,000,000,

5. Matt Kenseth, No. 17, $47,000,000

6. Kasey Kahne, No. 9, $45,000,000

7. Carl Edwards, No. 99, $38,000,000

8. Kevin Harvick, No. 29, $36,000,000

9. Ryan Newman, No. 12, $31,000,000

10. Dale Jarrett, No. 44, $30,000,000

If you’re at all interested in the business or racing, here’s the link to the whole story http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/06/15/nascar-valuable-teams-biz-cz_jg_0615nascar.html

It’s fascinating.

21 comments:

Monkeesfan said...

Man, how did Michael Waltrip Racing - a team incapable of making races - get valued higher than Penske Racing, Petty, and these other teams that make races and at thge very least put on good race efforts?

Anonymous said...

Fascinating stuff David and thanks for the links....I am not a finiancial expert by any means and It helped to expand my knowledge base..

Anonymous said...

na$car wins again. don't have to
win that much to make that much.
(Yogi)
what a country!

Anonymous said...

Great article. What is NASCAR worth? I have heard that now that Mr. France has passed, Brian is not that interested in running the family money machine.

Wonder if the investment company owned by the Dubai government (aka Sheik Mo and family) would be interested in a buy out. Or a hedge fund.

Anonymous said...

So IF the $50 something million that Teresa was asking for 51% of DEI is true (never had any actual confirmation of that matter just convenient leaks to the press), she wasnt being outrageous for that amount--seems to be half of the Total Value Worth.

Anonymous said...

i would like to know with all the pending law suits that are flying around (Kentucky Speedway & ATT)
will there even be a nascar in the next few years. what will the values of the teams be then ???

Monkeesfan said...

Anonymous #6, there will be a NASCAR in a few years but it seems extremely likely it will not be the same sanctioning body it is right now, because they're going to lose these lawsuits (Kentucky and AT&T) and they'll be forced to change their business practices - chances are there will be tire competition, dueling sponsors, etc. and the sanctioning body will be legally barred from writing exclusivity clauses into any contracts. Kentucky will also get two Winston Cup dates and those proposed New York and Seattle-srea tracks will never see the light of day.

Monkeesfan said...

As far as value of the teams, I think they'll switch around but not be terribly different from now - but I do see an eventual implementation of a revenue sharing plan.

Mandy said...

I have to say how amazing it is to see how much Jeff Gordon's car is worth alone...not including any other factors...that's a crazy amount of money right there!

I am assuming that Roush-Fenway Racing is worth more merely because it has 5 cars in its stable right now. I would venture to say that Hendrick Motorsports will top this list in 2008

Anonymous said...

David,
How can the #44 car be worth that much, it hasn't even made all of the races this year.

Anonymous said...

Point of this is what?

That NASCAR team are expensive to run. I AM SHOCKED!! I AM BEWILDERED!!! Tell me something I didn't know Dave. How about the yearly food bill for you? I bet that would be most teams monthly cost.

Once again David a wonderful NON story here..Why don't you give up the ghost and retired.

Anonymous said...

Gee, anonymous, it appears that the point is that you can't read a lick, seeing as how the expenses involved in running a team were not mentioned in any way, shape, or form. The article I read was about the value of the various teams.

You should try looking at the words (hint: they're the black part) next time. It may help.

Anonymous said...

I don't ever read David Poole's words because they say nothing. The only thing David Poole has contribute to world of NASCAR is body fat.

There is NO point to this story! It isn't a story at all. This is what he choose to write about, not about the past race, not about Edwards win, nor about anything that is remotely interesting to anyone that breaths air.

David Poole needs to stop writing and just sit at home. Only thing that David is good for is complaining about ESPN (the past him over for broadcasting team due weight constraints) or making snippy comments about Weber on race day. (Hey David. IF you were watching the race, you would have heard Weber say they need to look up that fact. I think the fat is closing up your ears!) David Poole is a joke, a big FAT joke. David is a hanger on that needs to fall off and get swept up with the trash. Just retire David. Just go and stuff your face with another fatty food stuff David. We will be a lot smarter when you do leave because David "Whiner" Poole has left the room.

Monkeesfan said...

anonymous #13, David Poole's blog entry is a lot more interesting than a rehash of the Michigan race or Carl Edwards' win - it delves into an area of the sport that rarely gets examined.

anonymous #13, what should David have written about? What should he write about?

Anonymous said...

1. A breakdown on teams that would like to hire Kyle Busch.

2. Toyota's recent turn around and reasons why.

3. Interview a driver, crew chief, or*shocking* someone involved with racing.

4. Yes a breakdown of the race from this supposed expert would be good. Of course Dave Poole doesn't know a steering wheel from a donut.

5. A review of the year so far from the "expert".

6. A story about new technology that is development or being used in NASCAR.

7. Rules that he disagree with and reasons why.

8. Preview the coming racing.

9. Tires controversy and his take on it.

10. Finally, his opinion on the future of NASCAR.

What do we get? A link to another story that he rehashed he because he can't write. David Poole is a hack. He doesn't deserve any respect because he hasn't done a damn thing in the field of reporting.

Anonymous said...

So, now we know! Anonymous is Weber's boyfriend, who couldn't even get a job writing for his high school newspaper. I knew it!

Monkeesfan said...

Anonymous - you're not making any sense. All that stuff can be dealt with elsewhere - you don't need David Poole to write about it at this particular moment.

Besides, most of what you list he already does - "interview a driver or someone involved in racing." Uh, when hasn't he done that?

As for the future of NASCAR etc., isn't calculating the monetary worth of the teams part of that equation?

Anonymous said...

I am new to Nascar, and this is the first time I have come to this site. Clearly people who have to mix their points of view with comments about weight, truly must want to confuse us on deciding which part of them it the most outstanding. Their stupidity or their ignorance. Dave You do not have to accept this, and actually must no longer accept these or any other comments on what thin little terds think is funny as it relates to your weight.

Anonymous said...

David --

Pretty interesting story that you linked to. NASCAR seems to have gone beyond racing and now focuses on marketing, and the teams do the same. It's the only way to explain the value of the 44 and 55 teams.

I've been a NASCAR fan since the late 50s, and that probably explains my growing disappointment with the entertainment venue that it's become in the past decade or so. Fox sure helped the transition with its "Hollywood Hotel" tripe and its sophomoric interest in the superficial (do I really care about Jeff Gordon's baby -- give me a break).

My interest in NASCAR and its marketing focus has been declining over the past few years, and the races are no longer "must see TV" on Sundays. I now record them and watch them later in the week. What had become a four-hour chore has now become a 45-minute TV program. I can skip all the commercials and Weber's and DW's inane comments.

As a "seasoned citizen" as Rush Limbaugh calls us, NASCAR and its advertisers probably don't care much what I think, and the younger folks are too young to know better yet, but one day viewers will come to realize that they are being fed a bunch of advertising with a little entertainment squeezed in and they'll move on to something else -- like local Saturday night racing or some of the Mustang, Porsche, and Corvette GT road racing (thank you Speed TV) with cars that are at least similar to what we real people drive (not the fictional NASCAR "stock" car).

I read your stuff when I run across it and used to read you fairly regularly when "That's Racin'" was carried in my local newspaper (San Luis Obispo [CA] Tribune).

Keep up the good work, and don't let the cretins get you down.

Regards --

Al Neill

Monkeesfan said...

al neill, you nicely summarize one of the sport's biggest problems of late - its rather deliberate move away from promoting the competitive product to promoting the brand. The NHL suffered by deliberately ignoring their core audience and trying to rope in the stupid pinkhat - aka "casual fan" - crowd; NASCAR is making the exact same mistake.

Monkeesfan said...

BTW guys, check David's recent "Wrong teams got sent home" commentary to see yet another example of NASCAR's sinking credibility.