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Parts one and two of the Tom DeLoach interview took us through his involvement in Formula One and partnership with Roger Penske.
In this third and final part, Mr. DeLoach said that the Truck Series is NASCAR's “hidden gem.”
The 2012 season was a high-water mark for Red Horse Racing.
“We had really good year,” said Mr. DeLoach. “Five wins and four poles including the biggest truck series race at Daytona (with John King). And we won Daytona and Talladega in the same truck different drivers. Without an unlimited budget Red Horse Racing is up against teams which are basically junior teams to their big name Sprint Cup parents such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Penske himself who helped with Champion, Brad Keselowski's truck team."
“It's frustrating to us, that's why we got our engines from Joe Gibbs Racing. We could have gotten our engines from another supplier, but the real issue we made a fundamental decision to snuggle up to a successful Cup team,” DeLoach told Auto123.com.
“We don't get open book but we get some help. I'm trying hard every day to think and not beat ourselves.
“If I can get everybody's brain focused in the same direction I think we have a better chance of pulling that off instead of other folk. It always comes back to how well you handle the human assets and we work hard to work well together and back up each other and support each other.”
Tom DeLoach said his mentors, Penske and Dennis, believe in people even ahead of money.
One of Roger Penske great strengths is human things. Ron Dennis had a lot of finance capacity but he'd find the right people. If you get some of the very best but they all work well together you have something very special.”
Speaking of money here's how DeLoach sizes up the cost of racing in the US.
"A winning truck team is going to cost 2.5 to 3 million dollars a year, a winning Nationwide team will cost you in the 7.5 to 9 million range and a Cup team is certainly 20 million plus."
But why did DeLoach pick the third-tier series when he had the experience at the highest level in Formula One?
"I think it's probably the purest form of racing that exists in NASCAR. I think it's far superior to the Cup or Nationwide Series.
Bernie Ecclestone the guy is brilliant. He figured out that if you are going to race television money is what drives the mechanics behind it. You need to make it work on television. He set up a formula. The race has x-number of laps or two hours whichever comes from first. Because you want to hold your audience.
Our races are 1 and ½ to two hours long we will hold our audience. It's very intense racing, you have to perform, and you don't have multiple pit stops. You have to be pretty precise. It's difficult to offset an early oops (mistake) because the race is so short. My contention is that Red Horse has never lost a race we just ran out of time.
The Cup series has a lot of the same attributes that Bernie forced into the F1 circuit by all accounts (regarding television revenues). But we're the third child so we don't get the attention we're probably the most untapped gem in the NASCAR process we have that same intensity, we have the same short attention span, we have really good racing, not fraught with the (Sprint Cup fuel race) drama you see in the rest of it,” he said with a touch of irony.
Would he like to move up to the premier series in NASCAR?
"My idea is adding another truck team and if we get bigger we'd get another team. I look there's (only) 36 (in the field) so there's plenty of room to expand. I like the (Truck Series) schedule it's is kinder to my guys because it's 22 races, I'd like it to be 25 as opposed to 36 or 38 (races) when you consider the non-points races.
"We probably have the kindest (ambience) when you consider the families' standpoint but we have the most intense racing. There is no time to wait around or see what's happening with other folks. The short race we're the most environmentally friendly the amount of time to get there the length of the races. I'm very happy with the Truck Series is the best series going. I may be in a small minority if you don't feel excited about where you are you might not be in the right place."
And Tom DeLoach who has seen the motorsports world from the very peak is very happy to remain in the valley.
In this third and final part, Mr. DeLoach said that the Truck Series is NASCAR's “hidden gem.”
The 2012 season was a high-water mark for Red Horse Racing.
“We had really good year,” said Mr. DeLoach. “Five wins and four poles including the biggest truck series race at Daytona (with John King). And we won Daytona and Talladega in the same truck different drivers. Without an unlimited budget Red Horse Racing is up against teams which are basically junior teams to their big name Sprint Cup parents such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Penske himself who helped with Champion, Brad Keselowski's truck team."
 |
| John King and Tom DeLoach after a great victory. (Photo: Red Horse Racing) |
“It's frustrating to us, that's why we got our engines from Joe Gibbs Racing. We could have gotten our engines from another supplier, but the real issue we made a fundamental decision to snuggle up to a successful Cup team,” DeLoach told Auto123.com.
“We don't get open book but we get some help. I'm trying hard every day to think and not beat ourselves.
“If I can get everybody's brain focused in the same direction I think we have a better chance of pulling that off instead of other folk. It always comes back to how well you handle the human assets and we work hard to work well together and back up each other and support each other.”
Tom DeLoach said his mentors, Penske and Dennis, believe in people even ahead of money.
One of Roger Penske great strengths is human things. Ron Dennis had a lot of finance capacity but he'd find the right people. If you get some of the very best but they all work well together you have something very special.”
Speaking of money here's how DeLoach sizes up the cost of racing in the US.
"A winning truck team is going to cost 2.5 to 3 million dollars a year, a winning Nationwide team will cost you in the 7.5 to 9 million range and a Cup team is certainly 20 million plus."
But why did DeLoach pick the third-tier series when he had the experience at the highest level in Formula One?
"I think it's probably the purest form of racing that exists in NASCAR. I think it's far superior to the Cup or Nationwide Series.
Bernie Ecclestone the guy is brilliant. He figured out that if you are going to race television money is what drives the mechanics behind it. You need to make it work on television. He set up a formula. The race has x-number of laps or two hours whichever comes from first. Because you want to hold your audience.
Our races are 1 and ½ to two hours long we will hold our audience. It's very intense racing, you have to perform, and you don't have multiple pit stops. You have to be pretty precise. It's difficult to offset an early oops (mistake) because the race is so short. My contention is that Red Horse has never lost a race we just ran out of time.
The Cup series has a lot of the same attributes that Bernie forced into the F1 circuit by all accounts (regarding television revenues). But we're the third child so we don't get the attention we're probably the most untapped gem in the NASCAR process we have that same intensity, we have the same short attention span, we have really good racing, not fraught with the (Sprint Cup fuel race) drama you see in the rest of it,” he said with a touch of irony.
 |
| Photo: Red Horse Racing |
Would he like to move up to the premier series in NASCAR?
"My idea is adding another truck team and if we get bigger we'd get another team. I look there's (only) 36 (in the field) so there's plenty of room to expand. I like the (Truck Series) schedule it's is kinder to my guys because it's 22 races, I'd like it to be 25 as opposed to 36 or 38 (races) when you consider the non-points races.
"We probably have the kindest (ambience) when you consider the families' standpoint but we have the most intense racing. There is no time to wait around or see what's happening with other folks. The short race we're the most environmentally friendly the amount of time to get there the length of the races. I'm very happy with the Truck Series is the best series going. I may be in a small minority if you don't feel excited about where you are you might not be in the right place."
And Tom DeLoach who has seen the motorsports world from the very peak is very happy to remain in the valley.