![]() ![]() But I absolutely think there are a lot of people from NASCAR to the drivers, team owners and fans who want to see the sport grow. We were briefed on it the week before the announcement. Hopefully, all the stakeholders can improve their positions and make our sport stronger. "I'm fortunate to drive for Hendrick Motorsports which gives us the best of any situation, but it's still tough and expensive. I'm happy that the teams are working together to try to drive costs down. "I'm excited for the teams and the opportunity they have to work together and try to hold the costs down and have a more clear, concise role in a variety of aspects of the industry," Johnson said. He also underlined the point that NASCAR casts a wide net in listening to all parties involved. Helton emphasized that NASCAR will continue to operate as it has for many decades. We have respect for what they do and for their business models." I think they've made clear their intentions are to grow the sport, to make the sport stronger and their ownerships stronger. "They play an important role in the sport and they deserve to be able to put forward their views. "I want to dispel the perception of any animosity," Helton continued. Again, we will continue to operate the way we have the last six decades. "They told us in advance of their announcement but we've had no conversations so far other than that," he said. Helton was asked how much dialogue NASCAR has had with RTA. ![]() We talk to a lot of folks to help us make our decisions about how to go forward." We'll continue to do business the way we've done it in the past. Every car owner in here has a voice-crew members, drivers, crew chiefs-and we take that input and we make what we think are the best decisions that are good for the whole sport. "Part of our method of operation over the last six decades is to make decisions by listening to a lot of individual stakeholders in the garage area. And the owners have been very clear that that's their intention too, so we stand together very clearly on that. Part of that responsibility is to have a sport that has a great product at great race tracks for our fans. "We take very serious our responsibility to make decisions in this sport, in the garage area, for the race tracks and the other partners that we've got because we've all worked together for a long time to make a great product. "We've got great respect for all of our stakeholders in the sport," Helton said. Speaking from the back of one of NASCAR's haulers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway the weekend before last NASCAR's president Mike Helton briefly addressed the RTA's formation. By working together and speaking with a single voice, it should be a simpler and smoother process to work with current and potential groups involved with the sport." We all have vested interests in the success and popularity of stock car racing. "This simply formalizes what was an informal group. "The teams have met in various forms and forums over the years to explore areas of common interest," Kauffman said. This simply formalizes what was an informal group. ![]() He says the RTA teams will pool resources to save money on hotels and disability insurance and to create economies of scale in purchasing machinery and equipment. Kauffman also owns a vintage car restoration business. Kauffman lives in London and New York and has raced GT cars, including co-driving a Ferrari 458 Italia at Le Mans with Waltrip and Brian Vickers. He sold his shares in Fortress Investments in 2013 for $180 million. Kauffman's net worth was listed by Fortune magazine in 2007 at $1.8 billion although he fell off the billionaires list amid the recession of 2009. In 1998 Kauffman founded Fortress Investments, a hedge fund and private equity firm. Kauffman has been the co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing since 2006. Rob Kauffman is RTA's chairman and spokesman. RTA's founding members are: Hendrick Motorsports (four cars), Stewart-Haas Racing (four), Joe Gibbs Racing (three), Richard Childress Racing (three), Roush Fenway Racing (three), Michael Waltrip Racing (two), Team Penske (two), Chip Ganassi Racing (two) and Richard Petty Motorsports (two). Nine of NASCAR's biggest teams have formed RTA aiming to, "explore common interests, reduce costs and collaborate on initiatives to promote and expand NASCAR." At the moment RTA's nine teams represent 25 cars but RTA says it plans to invite all full-time Sprint Cup teams to join the organization. Traditionally, NASCAR has always been firmly opposed to unions of drivers or team owners and RTA's creation marks the first time in NASCAR's history that the teams will be represented by a formal organization of owners rather than each man lobbying on his own behalf. The formation of Race Team Alliance (RTA) has created a lot of hand-wringing among NASCAR's media. ![]()
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