(Rod Mullins photo)
Just so you know, the title of this story is not a rejected story for “The Big Bang Theory” or “Star Trek: Discovery”. Now that I have released my inner nerd, it’s time to release my inner NASCAR nerd.
I’m talking about the Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. / Roush|Fenway split announced last week. Chances are it garnered bigger headlines than the other famous breakup involving Stenhouse and then NASCAR driver Danica Patrick.
This past week’s breakup between Stenhouse and Roush|Fenway was an even bigger shocker than the Stenhouse/Patrick breakup. We kind of expected it Danicky or Rickyanica to part ways after the Patrick left NASCAR. But little did we know in NASCAR that she had her sights on much bigger fish to fry than with Aaron Rogers.
The Stenhouse/Roush|Fenway breakup is a much more emotional storyline than the aforementioned Danicky / Rickyanica situation.
This is racing. Business. The changing face of NASCAR.
Stenhouse is no Kyle Busch. True, he has been very aggressive in his driving in the racing circles the last few years, but Stenhouse had signed an extension with Roush that went out the window this week like a paper airplane with a jet engine attached.
For short, at the end of this season, the marriage is over.
Listening to Claire B.Lang’s interview on Friday evening on Sirius/XM Radio while traveling to Charlotte, Ricky Stenhouse was a plethora of emotions. Happy one minute, subdued the next, sobbing and choking up at another point. He was as Bruce Banner addressed it in “The Avengers” about Loki, “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats.”
Sorry, I’ve digressed back into my nerdom once again.
Here’s part one of the conundrum.
You’re Jack Roush, partner in with the folks who run the Boston Red Sox baseball organization. You once had four NASCAR teams but bad times in the sport has whittled your program from four down to two. You release your young driver, Trevor Bayne, who was by the way, the winner of the Daytona 500 while driving for the Wood Brothers before joining Roush|Fenway and sign wily veteran Ryan Newman to the 6 car ride after the failed experiment involving the second coming of former champion Matt Kenseth. In the meantime, your car with Stenhouse, while successful at times and superspeedway wins, is generating some bad juju on the track among drivers. He can drive but just hasn’t found the extra ooomph to push him into victory lane on a regular basis.
Newman in the meantime, makes it into the playoffs in his first year under Roush and the crowd goes wild. It leaves Roush and the investors scratching their heads; what are we doing wrong?
Bring in the NASCAR PR and business guillotine and ready Stenhouse for the drop in the bucket.
The timing of the announcement prior to the ROVAL race was expected but how it was handled was about as bad or maybe worse, than when Ernie Irvan left the Morgan-McClure Kodak film Chevrolet after the death of Davey Allison. Irvan was being courted by Robert Yates and the Irvan was clearly wanting to force then team car co-owner, Larry McClure to force his hand in the poker game. Eventually, McClure released Irvan from his obligations at Morgan-McClure and Swervin’ Ernie Irvan came on board with Ford and Yates.
Everyone knew Irvan was leaving but it was a matter of when.
Stenhouse admitted to Lang that he and Roush had “had their rounds” in the past but an interview with a Roush Racing exec prior to the interview said that Roush was known for being dedicated to his drivers and that he had also been with the Mississippi driver. It had simply come to a point that Chris Buescher was available and they took a shot on the driver that Roush had picked in an early development program.
Chris Buescher is a good driver. Don’t let his time with JTG/Daugherty Racing fool you. He finished in the top five at Bristol and has been contending for wins this season. Buescher and his agent had a window of availability with their contract and exercised that option to the man who had given Buescher his break.
According to Roush|Fenway, It was simply a business move. Yes, in NASCAR, the name of the game is money, sponsorship, reputation.
Stenhouse had earned the ire of some of the circuit’s drivers and fans for his aggressive style at times but let’s be honest, the NASCAR economy hasn’t helped, even if you are one of the most savvy racing organizations in the business and your organization is a leading developer of race technology and engineering and developing young drivers.
Business is tight right now. NASCAR is facing a changing future and a changing racing horizon. Ten years ago, tracks were putting in seats faster than they could sell them. Now races are lucky if they sell out. Race teams are operating on 30 million dollar budgets per car. Owners are looking for fulltime sponsors in addition to associate sponsors to prop open the garage doors and pay the bills.
Perhaps Stenhouse needs a new beginning and Jack Roush as well.
I think the way it was handled though was as bad as Ricky and Danica’s split. A little more privacy could have been used by both parties in this breakup. Nothing so grandiose as Irvan’s breakup in the 90’s with Morgan-McClure. All that was needed was a subtle announcement that Stenhouse was leaving at the end of the season. Sit on the Chris Buescher deal announcement until Homestead and then make the announcement.
The conundrum now facing Ricky Stenhouse is, how does he approach the ROVAL, the rest of the season and his future, now that the cat is out of the bag? We’ll have to see, starting with Charlotte and ending at Homestead.
Stenhouse has a chance to race hard and improve his racing stock for a potential ride next season or follow the lead of former fellow Roush driver, Trevor Bayne.
Bayne walked away from NASCAR and the business and has taken a different route to personal satisfaction and happiness. Truth be told, he looks a lot happier now than on raceday.
Bayne and his wife now have a coffee shop in Knoxville.
Now, if Stenhouse doesn’t find the ultimate ride for next season, perhaps he should change course like Bayne and give it up for something much more satisfying and soul filling.
Control over his own destiny and not place it in the hands of others.
That is the true Stenhouse Conundrum confronting Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
The new chapter in the Stenhouse racing saga begins Sunday with a focus on tomorrow.
By Rod Mullins | Augusta Free Press
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