With the sale of the Carolina Panthers, what other NASCAR figures could join Felix Sabates and Bruton Smith in their bid to buy the Panthers?
North Carolina is the home of NASCAR, and anyone that disagrees would be, well, wrong. This is where the sport was born and where the sport has grown from a weekly redneck drinking party into arguably the largest autosport league in the world.
Most of the NASCAR teams race shops are around the Charlotte area and almost anyone who’s anyone in NASCAR lives in that general vicinity.
So when the Charlotte-based NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, were put up for sale by founder Jerry Richardson, most of the first names that came up were those who had ties to the Carolinas and are wealthy beyond most of our wildest dreams — NASCAR owners.
I’m not just talking about team owners but also track owners and any high-ranking officials that have anything to do with NASCAR.
Well, recently one of the rumors that erupted when the news of the Panthers sale first broke has risen again with Chip Ganassi Racing and Charlotte Hornets minority owner Felix Sabates making it publicly known that he is very interested in putting together a group of investors to buy the team.
Background information (continued)
We recently found out what that one of the main backers of this group will be Speedway Motorsports founder Bruton Smith with his son and president Marcus Smith.
The Smith’s have been rumored to be interested in buying the Panthers for many years, but up until now, the team have never been available. Now they are, and it is now their chance.
Along with the Smith’s, Sabates has said there are five other businessmen, two current Carolina Panthers minority owners and two NASCAR drivers, who could also be investors. He declined to name them.
The interesting factoid to come out of all this is that Sabates admitted he would not be the majority owner of the Panthers in this business group by a “long shot.” So, I must ask, who would be?
It’s easy to speculate that the Smith’s would be the majority owners in this deal, but who else could challenge them?
Who could these other mystery investors be? I did some digging and found five NASCAR businessmen who could be some of the founding members of this bid and I hope could even be contenders for majority owner.
#5: Rick Hendrick
Rick Hendrick might not be a fan-favorite in NASCAR, but no one can deny that he may, in fact, be the greatest NASCAR owner of all-time and the fact that he built an empire and came about as close to a monopoly as one can possibly get in racing.
His eye for talent is also something I admire. Being able to find two of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history back-to-back with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson is not something that can be taken lightly.
These two were up-and coming drivers when he found them, not proven in any form, and he picked these diamonds out of the rough and they’ve gone on to make him a legend in the NASCAR ownership world.
He may very well be doing the same thing with his current youth movement in signing phenoms Chase Elliott and William Byron.
Also, being able to persuade Dale Earnhardt Jr. over to his team may not have been the best racing move in the long run, but it was surely one of the greatest marketing decisions he has ever made.
Hendrick knows how to build a balanced team and scout talent that will not only compete in championships but also market the sport.
That being said, he’s so low on the list because quite frankly I have never heard him utter a word about football. I have no idea if his impeccable eye for talent would translate to the NFL, but I still believe he’d make a solid owner.
#4: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
That’s right! JR Nation is coming to Bank of America Stadium full-force!
With his racing days now in the rear view, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to make the transition to a full-time husband, father, and businessman. Owner of the successful JR Motorsports and restaurant Whiskey River, he is no stranger to the corporate life.
He’s also a rabid football fan who follows the sport religiously.
Having Earnhardt Jr. on the ownership group of the Panthers would be a huge grab for an already stellar fan base, as he will continue to be one the most influential NASCAR figures throughout his entire life.
Along with his fame, anytime you hear him speak about football you realize he is wise beyond the wheel of a race car.
All of that being said, even though Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a born and raised North Carolina man, he is not a Panthers fan. In fact, he is a diehard Washington Redskins fan.
As a Carolina Panthers fan, it always hurts my heart to see a fellow North Carolinian lose their way, but I will hold back my traitor rant and hope there is still time to save him.
All joking and my personal butthurt aside, I do think Earnhardt Jr. would make a great owner for the team with his business savvy, football knowledge, and loyal fanbase. I just hope a Redskins fan doesn’t view buying the Panthers as beneath him.
#3: Brian France
Brian France has actually been rumored to be interested in purchasing the Panthers, but he has since called those rumors false. False or not, the idea isn’t a bad one.
While some NASCAR fans are divided about France, it’s hard to deny his effort to revitalize the sport and bring about new ideas that I personally think have made the sport better.
I’m sorry, but the new championship format is much more exciting than previous incarnations.
As CEO of an entire sports league, you’d think running an NFL franchise would be simple and he’d be able to bring any knowledge he has from running a sports empire to a small team and help them grow.
The only problem I could envision is he may become buddies with the most polarizing figure in the NFL, Roger Goodell, and sympathize with his position, as they both share the same responsibilities in their respective leagues. Could sour players and fans complain to him?
I think that his potential as an owner outweighs this fear. However, he could bring a fresh new feel to the Panthers that they desperately need after struggling mightily since their Super Bowl loss in 2015.
#2: Rob Kauffman
Never heard of him? That’s okay, I didn’t either before I started research for this article, but let me say this, we should ALL know his name.
Rob Kauffman was a part owner of Michael Waltrip Racing back when they were founded and since the team closed up shop, he has been part owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, giving him a tie to Felix Sabates.
More importantly though, Kauffman is founder of Race Team Alliance, which is now essentially a NASCAR drivers union.
Kauffman has fought for the drivers of NASCAR because much like the NFL, players are what make the business and he knows we need to protect them.
Having Kauffman as an owner might not be Roger Goodell’s fantasy, but having a man like this could be a major help for current players as well as attracting free agents.
He was also the main man behind the NASCAR charter system, which allows full-time Cup Series teams to essentially sell one of their cars charters that will allow for an automatic spot in the Cup Series field for the whole year — a brilliant idea to increase value between big and small Cup teams and an attempt to even the field.
He’s also recently been developing a plan to introduce cap limits to Cup teams, furthering the idea for more balanced competition. He understands how a sport should be run and is able to come up with brilliant ideas to maximize a sport and team.
Having an owner like that for the Panthers could be a significant needle mover.
#1: Joe Gibbs
I would hope if you are a fan of both NASCAR and the NFL you saw this coming. How could a 3-time Super Bowl champion head coach, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and a sure-to-be future NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee not be the number one choice as an NFL owner?
Joe Gibbs is an unbelievable sports mind. Period. I am too young to have watched him when he was winning Super Bowls with the Redskins, but I can still watch the tape and be impressed with his Football IQ.
Even his comeback from 2004 to 2007, while it didn’t win him a Super Bowl, was still a valiant effort with a team that was struggling before his arrival and continues to struggle to this day. He gave them a few years of competitive play.
He is easily the number one choice of any NASCAR businessman as an NFL owner just simply because you want a football mind running your team.
The only problem is finances.
I don’t like going into celebrities net worth. While those numbers are publicly known, I still find it invasive, but I had to do it for this article to find candidates. Joe Gibbs’ net worth is estimated at $60 Million.
Obviously that’s still more money then I can ever hope to attain in my lifetime, but it’s still only a drop in the bucket in terms of what it takes to become the majority owner of an NFL franchise.
That being said, I’m ignorant of the inner workings of how these business deals are done, so there may be a way for him to become majority owner based on ownership percentages, or maybe Gibbs has more finances than what is publicly known.
Either way, he still needs to at least be on the bidding team as a minority owner and hopefully have a large amount of input into the everyday running of the franchise.
Conclusion
As a Panthers fan, my one concern is just having an owner who will first keep the team in Charlotte and also either make the right calls for the team or put the right people in place who will make those calls for them.
Keeping the team in North Carolina wouldn’t be too difficult. The Panthers have been top 10 in attendance dating all the way back to 2006. The city is also 100% committed to the team.
More from Motorsports
- 3 possible landing spots for Jimmie Johnson in 2023
- The best racing video game you might not know exists
- Ryan Newman announcement shows he is far from retired
- 3 things to watch before NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 start
- Marco Andretti finally ends win drought in unlikely fashion
Having a NASCAR owner with roots in the Carolinas is also a big plus.
More than likely, Bruton and Marcus Smith will become the majority owners in this Felix Sabates-led group, and that has a lot of pros and cons.
Bruton Smith has had public disputes with officials from Charlotte over taxes and other incentives regarding his race track, and he has threatened to move races from NASCAR’s schedule in Charlotte.
So it’s scary to think about Smith coming in and holding the Panthers and the city of Charlotte hostage over something like a new stadium. That being said, I believe the Smith family’s heart lies in the Carolinas, which is a must-have for any owner who purchases the team, so them moving the team out of Charlotte would be hard to imagine.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
At the end of the day it’s hard for me to worry about anyone in NASCAR who would take controlling interest in the team, because more than likely, they’ll remain loyal to the Carolinas. With NASCAR becoming more and more successful each year, they’ll more than likely know what they’re doing. No matter who takes over the team, all Panthers fans have to remember one thing: anyone but Diddy.