We keep hearing news about how bad the economy is. Race teams are laying off employees and sponsor dollars are disappearing. Last year, when Tony Stewart announced he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to become part owner of Haas CNC Racing, a lot of people questioned the wisdom of the move in such bad economic times. However, Hass seemed to have no problem coming up with the additional funding needed to turn the perpetual back marker team into one that consistently ran up front.
The economy is still far from robust and shotgun mergers continue to be a tool for survival — witness the ongoing Richard Petty Motorsports-Yates Racing merger.  Still, there seems to be funding available if you are a marquee name and have the right connections.  Last week Kyle Busch became the latest top-tier driver to announce the formation of his own race team, Kyle Busch Motorsports.

The first Champions Week in Las Vegas culminated with the annual Sprint Cup Series Awards Banquet last Friday evening at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The week was a packed one for four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson who started off the week in his home state of California before coming to Las Vegas for the festivities that began with Wednesday’s landmark photo shoot.
Despite the numerous appointments, Johnson said he enjoyed them all, and said this Champions week was completely different from his previous three that took place in New York City.
“I think I was much more relaxed,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have to commute across town; getting around was much easier. I had a blast. Everyone across the industry just had fun together. We were hanging out with people from different teams across the sport every night. It was a lot of fun. This has been a much better experience.”