Red Bull Of NASCAR

The Economy Has Hurt NASCAR Racing

The economy has hurt not only race fans but NASCAR as a whole. More needs to be done to reduce the costs of NASCAR racing because it costs millions of dollars just to operate one race team for a season. Reducing the number of laps that are in a race, reducing the number of NASCAR races in a season and reducing the field from 43 cars to 36 are possible solutions to helping teams deal with poor economic conditions.

I actually do not fault Red Bull for wanting to stop being a NASCAR sponsor.

According to a recent Associated Press report published by ESPN, Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull will pull out of the NASCAR Spring Cup Series at the conclusion of this season.

According to anonymous sources, a "Red Bull" team official traveled to The Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan Speedway to brief automotive industry big-wigs on Red Bull’s decision to pull out of NASCAR.

While Red Bull has had some success in other sporting ventures, NASCAR hasn’t been one of them. Red Bull’s NASCAR venture hasn’t been anywhere near as successful. Red Bull’s two-car team debuted in 2007 with Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger at the wheel. The other theory on why Red Bull would be leaving NASCAR might have to do more with NASCAR than Red Bull.

The NASCAR Silly Season got a lot more interesting Monday.

With the news of Red Bull’s impending departure from the sport, the driver/team/ownership landscape for 2012 takes on new colors.

Red Bull’s decision to abandon NASCAR also puts driver Brian Vickers – already a name under discussion – front and center in Silly Season talk. The Red Bull team released a statement late Monday afternoon confirming that officials are “currently seeking outside investors as we evaluate next steps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Red Bull team has run Toyotas since its arrival in the sport for the 2007 season. Vickers and AJ Allmendinger were the team’s drivers in Red Bull’s first NASCAR season. Red Bull has only one Sprint Cup win – a victory by Vickers at