Groundhog Day

Remember the movie "Groundhog Day" when Bill Murray would wake up every morning and nothing had changed. I can't help but think of that film with every passing day that the CASCAR Super Series schedule isn't announced.

Deadline after deadline has passed. The end of January was verging on 'too late' for some to sell sponsorship packages for 2006, but that's what we were told would happen. But it didn't.

And then it was a few days after that. And still nothing.

Then it was late last week. And that didn't happen.

Today, it's Wednesday, February 15. I spent my entire morning fielding phone calls from drivers and team owners who are bald because they've spent the past few months pulling their hair out over the lack of a schedule.

For many of them, it's simple. No schedule, no sponsor.

They are frustrated, confused and angry because no one is telling them anything. And what they have been told - in terms of dates for schedule announcements - has been wrong.

Some of them say that no matter what schedule is announced, it won't matter because it's already too late for them to sell their programs. Many budgets are now closed.

Others say they still have some leads, but their potential backers are on the verge of walking away because there is still no schedule. And some are throwing their hands up in despair, having run out of excuses and answers for what they've been told would happen by now, hasn't.

They are tired of passing on incorrect information to sponsors, only to have to face those people, after the fact, and attempt to explain something they themselves don't understand, and aren't responsible for.

Some are talking about putting everything up for sale, and getting out.

The vast majority of CASCAR teams live and die on their abilities to attract sponsorship for their programs.

No matter what is happening behind the scenes as CASCAR's management works to put together a schedule, the teams deserve to be treated like partners and not left in the lurch, without correct information, as they struggle to attract and maintain sponsors.

Selling sponsorships for this expensive sport is a difficult task at the best of times. Given what's happening now, it's become nearly impossible. The teams deserve better.