Clint Bowyer uncertain about future; Rob Kauffman explains MWR’s downfall

When Rob Kauffman bought a controlling stake in Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007 it saved the NASCAR organization from insolvency. And as MWR struggled in recent seasons, Kauffman was a stabilizing force, preserving the team as it downsized from three full-time cars to two and weathered the loss of a high-dollar sponsor.

But as MWR’s on-track performance continued to wane -- it hasn’t won Sprint Cup race in two years -- Kauffman decided to dissociate himself from the team he co-owns with Michael Waltrip and purchase an undisclosed stake in Chip Ganassi Racing. That decision means MWR will cease to exist at the end of the current season.

“Michael Waltrip Racing really wouldn’t have existed through to today without a significant and continued financial support from me,” Kauffman said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “I think that just from a business standpoint it didn’t make sense any longer. You can’t have a top-10 budget and top-10 resources and not be in the top 10 for a sustained period of time. This is a performance-related business and it’s all about performance.

“It’s a great sport, but a very difficult business model,” he said. “From a business decision, it just made sense to not go forward with that organization because it just wasn’t commercially viable.”

MWR’s business model once consisted of running three fully sponsored cars. However, that framework was impacted when the team conspired to manipulate the outcome of the 2013 regular season finale to assure Martin Truex Jr. qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

When NASCAR discovered the scandal it fined MWR a record $300,000 and ejected Truex from the playoffs. The fallout and negative attention compelled NAPA Auto Parts, Truex’s sponsor, to withdraw its estimated $16 million sponsorship, which subsequently forced MWR to scale back from three teams to two and saw the departure of several key employees.

“Certainly that was a pretty heavy body blow to our organization; it caused a big restructuring,” Kauffman said. “2014 was at some level, a large reset year for everybody and as we got into the late spring in 2015, from a performance standpoint, the company wasn’t where it needed to be and that kind of forced some decisions and thought processes over the summer.”

Whether MWR’s downfall could’ve been prevented had it remained a three-car team Kauffman wouldn’t say.

“My crystal ball unfortunately is not clear,” Kauffman said. “So in a parallel universe, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

Not moving with Kauffman to Ganassi is MWR driver Clint Bowyer, who was granted his release effective at the conclusion of the 2015 season. Originally Kauffman, Bowyer and his sponsor, 5-Hour Energy, were thought to be a package deal as Ganassi, which fields cars for Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson, would expand to three teams to accommodate Bowyer.

But Bowyer elected otherwise, instead opting for free agency. He had signed a three-year contract extension with MWR last year that was to keep him with the team through 2017.

“Rob has invested a tremendous amount into MWR and into this sport,” Bowyer said at a separate press conference preceding Kauffman’s Friday. “That being said, he made a business decision to move forward and that direction as we all know is the Ganassi organization. For my career and me and my future, it’s just unfortunate Rob and I’s futures didn’t align anymore.”

What Bowyer’s future includes he doesn’t know. He acknowledged things are “uncertain” and that he’s evaluating his options. Landing a ride with one of NASCAR’s major teams is unlikely with those organizations already having plans in place for 2016.

One possibility Bowyer could choose is signing with a mid-level team next season and then reassessing his options for 2017 in case a high-profile seat becomes available. When he was presented with that scenario by a NBC Sports reporter Friday, Bowyer responded positively.

“Yes, keep talking and I’ll keep telling you yes, absolutely,” Bowyer said. “Those are all systems go.”

Aiding Bowyer’s efforts is his relationship with 5-Hour Energy. He brought the sponsor with him when he joined MWR in 2012, and Kauffman said he expects that partnership to remain going forward.

“They’re no different than I am,” Bowyer said of his sponsor. “We didn’t see this coming. We’re both in a situation that we have to see what the future holds for both of us and move forward from that.”