dal3tona
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DEI to Ford – Killing the Legacy? - 2007/05/08 19:34
DEI to Ford – Killing the Legacy?
Greg Begg – SCR Guest Commentary
One of the most shocking revelations of late in the Nextel Cup garage revolves around leaks of Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) potentially moving over to the Ford camp. If you are a long time Earnhardt fan, this is like a dagger to the heart; like that Christmas when Santa Claus no longer left presents for you. One thing is for sure, DEI moving to Ford will kill the fierce loyalty that fans have to the organization. Chevrolet represents a huge emotional bond that is part of the legacy of success left behind by Dale Earnhardt. One-by-one these links to the past are being vanquished. Without a Chevrolet in the DEI garage, DEI becomes just another Cup team; impersonal and cold, losing more of its soul, especially if Dale Earnhardt Jr. bolts, which I predict he would, rather than drive a Ford.
So to substantiate my positions, let’s look at the major players, and among them who are the winners, and the losers.
Winners:
The DEI management team - They will succeed largely because they will make more money. But isn’t that what it is all about? Every year more and more carpet-baggers come into NASCAR to get rich. The new management team at DEI appears to have abandoned the vision of Dale Earnhardt. An entertainment division; cut me a break. Of course it makes sense when the “President of Global Operations” is a Lawyer who comes from the entertainment industry. The management team needs to ponder the tradition and legacy of the company founder. They would then realize that Dale Earnhardt’s vision was to create and maintain an organization where other Earnhardt’s could be in the racing business, if they so chose. They would learn about values like loyalty. Remember that Dale Sr. did drive for Bud Moore for 2 years, and he referred to that period in time as “driving those damned Fords”, and wish he had stayed with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), to whom he would return and find great success. Recall that rather than ride in a Ford Police Cruiser in a parade, Dale Earnhardt donated a Chevrolet Cruiser just so he didn’t have to ride in a “damned Ford”. The most obvious thing to seize onto is the Earnhardt core value that you win with the equipment you have. You find a way to make it win.
DEI - cannot abandon its core values! The organization will lose “true north” and it will fail.
Junior – This one is easy; while DEI flounders with Fords, he’ll be winning in the “3” over at RCR.
Losers:
Robert Yates Racing (RYR) - On the brink of extinction, Yates needs to pull a rabbit out his hat to survive. This move should keep him viable for a few more years until this “new” DEI disappears as Hendrick continues to have success, RCR with Junior picks up more wins, and Toyota begins winning races. Who would drive for DEI-RYR, Michael Waltrip or Dale Jarrett? Do they still have fans? This merger just prolongs the agony. No Chevrolet, no Junior, no Budweiser, no DEI. Some of you may remember that Yates built Chevrolet engines in the early ‘80’s. It would be better for Yates to switch to Chevy. If he wouldn’t do that, merge DEI with RCR.
The Fans – Fans lose, as mentioned above, because another bond to the past has been broken. This is a very fierce, very large, and very influential group. DEI will loose these fans by switching to Ford, and all of those sales that the entertainment division planned, they’ll tank. These fans will just walk away. Think the ratings are declining now, just wait until you heard the words “starting 42nd in the #8 Budweiser Ford, Dale Earnhardt Jr.”. Maybe this is NASCAR’s way of stopping the throwing of debris at Jeff Gordon, because these folks will quit coming to races.
DEI – The history speaks for itself. Has Penske had more success with Pontiac or Dodge? What about when Junior Johnson switched from Chevy to Ford? The real issue at DEI is the management of racing operations, not the support (or purported lack thereof) from Chevrolet. Executive management needs to be experienced in what a racecar does, or be willing to delegate the proper authority to those in racing operations to get the job done. In leadership, we call this “core-competencies”. Who in DEI executive management has enough track experience (driving or crewing) to call it one of their core competencies? If it is so hard for the egos at DEI to just sign the organization’s Marquee, do you think they know how to delegate the proper authority (see comments above on ego)? This is not as simple as a driver switching makes when they switch teams. Is Roush Racing making any money off of Mark Martin or Kurt Busch souvenirs? This is a perfect example of greed killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Chevrolet – This will be a big black eye if they can’t retain their link to the Earnhardt legacy. The Earnhardt Nation expects nothing but the best from Chevy, and deserves it. Chevy cannot take this for granted.
The signs are very obvious that the “leadership” (if that’s what you want to call it) at DEI has their mind made up. Leak an idea, put a gag order on it, and wait for the fall-out to blow over. Has DEI put an R07 engine on the track yet this year… another bad sign? The kicker is dragging out Junior’s contract. If this means anything to you, write to DEI “leadership”, and tell them how you feel. Otherwise, don’t cry when DEI goes away…Ford, indeed!
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