Article: Sprint Racing Series - Dirt MotorSports
After winning the 16th World of Outlaws feature of his career on Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park, Saldana will pilot the Kasey Kahne Motorsports Central Merchant Services/Dodge/Curb Records JEI in his quest to capture his first series championship as a member of the World of Outlaws Mean 15 group of teams." (As of 2/14/06, Joey's still listed on the NST site)
Wasn't Kasey Kahne one of the big names that was going to team up with Joey Saldana and help the newly formed National SprintCar League power past the WoO?
Oh...well now he's going to help the new NST move ahead...
Nope.
After shunning other NSL defectors, the WoO is willing to let bygones be bygones with Kasey Kahne as he and Joey are going to compete for the WoO title.
You can here it in Norman, OK now...Cha-ching!
Talk of drivers willing to take pay cuts to help the new NST build is just that - talk. As your backmarker WoO teams run out of money you'll see more NST drivers head for "greener" pastures with guaranteed point funds and TV time. That was the plan for most of the NSL refugees until Fred Brownfield and the NST came forward.
In all fairness, for most teams the tour winnings don't pay the expenses. They need to get what they can, and the only sure thing out there is the WoO 2006 point fund.
But the pickins' are slim, you have a series (WoO) that is in financial trouble, can't get a title sponsor, needs a business model that doesn't rely on venture capital and and a schedule literally collapsing onto its core when it needs to expand.
Will Kahne help? I don't think so; we've had the current NASCAR champ's name on a WoO trailer for how many years sponsoring a series champ and it didn't make the WoO take off like wildfire.
On the other hand you have a series (NST) that is trying to get off the ground with its only asset: the "names" leaving. And I don't think Joey is the only one making tracks.
This looks more like scurrying for the lifeboats than sailing ahead.
Sorry I'm so pessimistic about 410 racing, but this ball started rolling downhill several years ago.
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