8 – THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, February 03, 2016

QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE Compelling questions... and maybe a few actual answers How close are we? You’re down to just one more boogity- boogity-free weekend before you can start getting your fill of NASCAR on Fox, which means I’m only a few weeks away from collecting all those emails from the amateur TV critics who will insist Jeff ROAD TO DAYTONA Gordon go back to racing (or Manhattan) and turn in his microphone.

What if we love Jeff? Those who are fans will love Jeff Gordon, regardless of how he performs in the Fox broadcast booth. Those who always rooted against him will likely not like him and begin mount- Done deal? ing a campaign to “Bring Back Larry Kaufman says RTA Mac.” Everyone else will fall somewhere close to NASCAR in the middle. There’s your one certainty agreement approaching a new season. By Godwin Kelly How ’bout ? [email protected] She’s been a known quantity for sev- Rob Kauffman has part- eral years in open-wheel and sports-car nered with team owner racing. She’s been the face of DeltaWing after the past few years, which has gained her pulling his resources from some more attention. And at last week- Racing, end’s Rolex 24, she dominated the early which closed its competition stage and definitely raised her profile, department after the 2015 which might help in the near future since NASCAR season. DeltaWing is going away after 2016. Kauffman arrived in NASCAR from the world of NASCAR, perhaps? high finance and was picked by an elite group of Cup car In earlier times, Legge would be a nat- owners to chair the Race ural intrigue for a NASCAR team at some Team Alliance. The RTA has level, and who knows, maybe something been tasked with improving will happen. She sounds open to it. She serieswide efficiency among has a good temperament, a marketable race teams — such as saving persona, and a neat British accent with money on travel and pooling the edges slightly rounded off. Oh, and together for things such as she knows her way around the track. health insurance. Ken Willis has been Last year, Kauffman and covering NASCAR for RTA members started a The Daytona Beach conversation with NASCAR News-Journal for 27 to create some sort of years. Reach him at ken. charter system to give race [email protected] teams more tangible value, similar to a league fran- chise. NASCAR and RTA are expected to announce the charter plan before the start Allmendinger of this season, which begins with the Feb. 21 . Motorsports Editor wants to run Godwin Kelly conducted an exclusive one-on-one inter- view with Kauffman during Le Mans the Rolex 24 At Daytona for By Godwin Kelly NASCAR This Week. [email protected] Rob Kauffman relaxes in his motorhome during the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway.

NEWS-JOURNAL/GODWIN KELLY Define your function with Ganassi AJ Allmendinger, whose full-time Racing. worked hard on the pro- structure around teams so job is wheeling the No. 47 “Business partner. This is gram. They have all the tools Godwin Kelly is the Daytona there is more value poten- in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the early days of us figuring they need. If I have a con- Beach News-Journal’s tially to teams over time, so co-drove the No. 60 Ligier it out. Both of us are prag- tribution, maybe it’s more motorsports editor that NASCAR racing looks Prototype in the Rolex 24 At Daytona matic people, and we’ll see to how the teams relate to and has covered like other sports, which are Saturday and Sunday. what makes the most sense NASCAR, how the rules- NASCAR for 30 organized and structured. Allmendinger has been doing the for me and what areas I can change processes evolve and years. Reach him We’d like team owner- sports-car thing for more than 10 help benefit the team the communication between at godwin.kelly@ ship to (look like) that of years with IMSA team owner Michael most. I’m pretty flexible.” teams. We want to make news-jrnl.com baseball or football. We Shank. sure the competition is good, are quite optimistic we will Racing won the Based on your history at Waltrip but that we don’t spend our- have something in place for 2012 Rolex 24 with Allmendinger Racing, you seem to be able to selves into oblivion.” in 2015 been activated this year? 2016.” behind the wheel of the Prototype at spark performance with a race “The travel stuff, we the checkered flag. team. How did you get the RTA going? saved millions of dollars Where does that now stand? Allmendinger can compete the “We achieved some level “I didn’t really get it going. last year. The health insur- “We have worked on this 24-hour race because it starts before of success at MWR, but not If you go back a few years, ance we are working on for a while. The teams have the NASCAR season begins. There the level that we wanted to you will find different CFOs through 2016. Listen, from been working on it with is no conflict with his NASCAR reach. Chip is pretty suc- comparing costs and seeing a fans’ standpoint, these are NASCAR for a number of schedule. cessful, and hopefully I can how they could save money boring things. They want the months. I think we are quite Allmendinger is one of those guys add to the mix. We did com- on travel and things of that teams to show up and race. close to getting something who can drive just about anything bine some parts of (Waltrip nature. It evolved over time, Nobody really cares how we done for the 2016 season, with wheels. Back in December, he Racing) with Ganassi Racing, and it got to the point where get there. The fact we are and the season starts in three competed at Daytona International so some of the people, tech- the teams wanted more getting there much cheaper weeks. I think all the major Speedway in a go-kart. nology came over, and we structure. For a variety of and safely and on time, issues have been ironed out The one race on Allmendinger’s hope that makes us stronger reasons, I wound up get- that’s great.” at this stage, and now it’s a bucket list is the on the NASCAR side.” ting pushed to the front. The matter of dotting the i’s and in France. The 34-year-old driver original thought was from a Talk about what you have been crossing the t’s and getting may get his chance this year. What is your gut feeling about the number of team owners and talking about with NASCAR. the paperwork sorted out. “If AJ can find a way to get to Le Ganassi NASCAR team right now? them inviting me to their “I think it is pretty I’m quite optimistic we’ll Mans, we’ll make it work from our “I want to win the cham- meetings.” well known by now, this have something for this end,” Shank told NASCAR This pionship. We have a strong is a charter system with season.” Week. “He has been with me many group. The guys have Have any of the plans talked about NASCAR to put more years. I would love to see it happen.” “It sounds fun to talk about it, but the reality is, AJ has a lot of (NASCAR) sponsor programs built SPEED FREAKS A couple questions we had to ask — ourselves ONLINE EXTRAS around him.” The Le Mans 24 program will be Did the Rolex get your blood Jeff Gordon and Stewart as the Saturday races, so to me staged on a NASCAR Cup Series off flowing? Rolex 24 racing teammates? it’s like they never left. news-journalonline. week, June 14-18. NASCAR races GODSPEAK: Love those sporty KEN’S CALL: I’m guessing yes, com/ at Michigan on June 12 and goes to cars. Can they run a couple but the prediction game with Which old sponsor would you Sonoma June 26. of Prototype 2 cars in the Tony is always dicey. also like to see return in some facebook.com/ “Le Mans to me is that last pres- Daytona 500? form? nascardaytona tigious race I want to compete in,” KEN’S CALL: It’s the perfect Busch beer is back, this time as a GODSPEAK: Folgers, because I Allmendinger said. “It would be appetizer — enough to tease team sponsor. Thoughts? like coffee when I have a bag awesome to run that race. Le Mans, the palate, but not too filling. GODSPEAK: wins of M&M’s. @nascardaytona all those years I have watched it on Cup championship and now KEN’S CALL: Is Gwaltney TV, it looks so awesome.” Will we see in a Busch beer is coming back; Foods still around? If not, “I would do it in a heartbeat,” he future Rolex 24? something is brewing. I’d like to see ’s Questions? Contact Godwin Kelly at added. “If the stars aligned and the GODSPEAK: I see a future KEN’S CALL: I still say “Busch old Crisco colors return [email protected] or Ken right people said, ‘You can go do “Dream Team.” How about Series” when talking about somewhere. Willis at [email protected] this,’ I’d jump at the chance.”

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