This is the Statt Mann Baby!!  Time to Scatt a little bit.

Racing’s a young man’s game for teams with the deepest pockets.  Don’t we make those assumptions every weekend?

Well look at NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.   Mark Martin tops the standings going into the playoffs at 50, some 28 years into his major league racing career.  The rest of the guys in the field could be his sons.

Look at Formula One: McLaren and Ferrari arguably have the best resources in the sport.  The first Ferrari is fifth in the standings.  The first McLaren is seventh.  At the top of the standings are race cars from a team that reportedly started the season not knowing if it had the money to get to the end.

It’s the same thing in Grand-Am Rolex Racing.  The points leaders are from the Gainsco team ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing, thought to have the deepest pockets in the sport.

Even down the ladder in Formula Drift, we’re learning the points leader and championship favorite Chris Forsberg is out front in a relative stock car. 

If Forsberg wins, it’ll be the third straight year an independent, non-factory sponsored team with a relatively stock engine has won the championship.

The point is this: Deep pockets have never had more influence in racing but driver skill and team ingenuity still drive performances on the track.

Thank goodness!

Peace.