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Post from everyones hero GTRMagic over at Ten Tenths
Alleging that Dick is just a paid figurehead there now, and has no input whatsoever into the team, and that Steve was resigned ahead of Dollar Bill due to his lesser salary and him bringing the car home straight 99 times out of 100
I am sure to be "corrected" here , so lets discuss what has been kicking around the paddock for some months now...
The story goes, that a certain team figurehead is now not an equityholder in the legal entity that operates the team that bears the figurehead's name.
The story goes on to suggest that the figurehead has an office in the building of that race team, but that there is no operational input into the running of the team.
If you ever see interviews with the figurehead, he is always at a loss to tell the great unwashed at home what the team is doing with this strategy or that driver or who is starting first. Suggests perhaps that this stuff happens at arms length and/or they dont keep him informed (or he isnt interested any more...)
Story goes that the non-figurehead partner was at one point seeking to extract his equity out of the racing operation, as allegedly significantly more of his own company's fortune had been spent keeping the racing team afloat than monies from the big name brands covering the doors.
Story goes that the change in equity position had something to do with new and unsigned sponsorship that was allegedly to be delivered by the figurehead, that was ultimately not forthcoming.
In lieu of the sponsor dollars allegedly not appearing, the story goes that the equity position was transferred/sold/assumed/reassigned to the other partner in the entity, and that the figurehead would maintain employment on a consultancy basis to maintain and strengthen the hero brands allegedly owned by the entity.
Story goes that Mr Johnson Jr was re-signed with the team primarily because there is still a sponsorship gulf at the team bearing the figurehead's name, and that the cost of operating that driver and his history of not bending the chassis, was considered a far cheaper option than to bring a relatively more expensive (albeit known & apparently loved??) hot shot, with what appears to be a larger salary demand, and an arguably coming equipped with a hungrier attitude to winning as opposed to protecting the chassis.
Are the stories true? They sound interesting. They sound plausible. Come from several places in the paddock... in different sections... pieced together here for your edification. Presuming any of this actually happened
