Story by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]
Manassas, VA(March 15, 2012) — As the rumors were swirling and talk of Philip Morris’ #26 ride out of the Dean Motorsports stables was being bantered about, so too was hate for his car owner, Jim Dean.
Dean, who has a storied history in the Late Model Stock Car racing world including helping to birth the career of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Denny Hamlin and winning a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship in 2003 with Mark McFarland. He’s also been a part of recent National Championships with Morris and stands as one of the most successful car owners that Late Model Stock Car racing has ever seen.
But, even Dean, who seemingly had bottomless pockets as he put the best equipment under Morris at all times is feeling the crunch from the poor economy. Dean whose business relies heavily on government contracts is also feeling something that everyone whose business relies on the government … an election year and this election year may be one of the most important in history as the United States looks to rebuild.
Since last Friday, Dean has endured being bashed by race fans and crew members alike, who look at him parking Morris’ car while continuing to race other drivers as stabbing Morris in the back. Emotions play a huge role in sports and especially auto racing and on the short tracks its amplified by the fact that you can meet your Saturday night heroes any given week after the race.
For Dean the situation is an uncomfortable position as he’s had to take his number one driver, the man who’s delivered win after win for him, delivered track championships in nearly every season and won the NASCAR National Championship four times. Fed up with hearing rumors and people talking behind his back, Dean didn’t mince words when he described the situation.
“It’s not what you’ve done for someone, it’s what you’re not doing for them,” Dean said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “This was no surprise, everyone has known about it internally for the last couple of months.”
Despite knowing that the team could be forced to park, Dean says that he did everything he could to make sure that if funding was found for the team to compete that they would be ready.
“We spent money this winter testing, getting cars ready, engines refreshed and everything that you have to do in anticipation of things working out, but they didn’t.”
Dean isn’t crying that he’s broke, he isn’t wanting people to have sympathy for him or the situation, but he wants people to know the facts.
“People say ‘oh, you have money’. Yeah, I do, I’ve worked hard for a long time to build my business and to make a good life for my family. I’ve got a daughter, whose eight years old and I’ve been saving for her future and to make sure her and my wife have something.”
He also didn’t rule Morris out of the ride just yet but said that things haven’t gone exactly like they were supposed to for the last year.
“Me and Philip(Morris) have always been 50/50 on this deal,” continued Dean. “Last year he didn’t tell me that he wasn’t going to be able to do his part until we had already started the season and we’re already in this deal. I lived up to my commitment and his last year and after pulling that money out of my personal savings, I just couldn’t do it again this year.”
“I promised my wife that we wouldn’t do that again and those who know me know that I never break a promise, I never do. What should I do, lay guys off work because work is slow just so we can race? I couldn’t and won’t do that.”
Despite the problems with funding, last season and now having to park the car due to what Dean says was Morris’ lack of funding, he says the two are still friends and would still like to race with him.
“We got through last year the best way we could,” commented Dean. “Philip and I are still friends, we still talk a lot and we’re still hoping to get this back together to go racing. We’re still trying to make it work and despite all the rumors we’re not fighting. There’s no rift between me and Philip, we’re like brothers.”
Like Morris, Dean admitted that part of the funding that they were banking on to help carry Morris’ team would have come from the development deal with Taylor Doggett and one other program.
“Taylor’s deal fell through, just like everyone else he’s having sponsor issues. That would have helped fund Philip’s deal, but we were still going to need more funding that never materialized. We’re still looking, and I think they’re(Morris and his camp) working a little harder now that it’s become reality, but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, they’ve known for a while now.”
Dean also echoed Morris’ statements about the team being ready to go racing whenever the funding is in place but admits that he’s going to need help to make it work.
“If he gets a deal we’re racing, I’m prepared to go now. All the equipment is ready to go, everything is here, but I’m going to need help to get the car to the track and race like we race.”
On the likelihood of Morris being back in one of Dean’s cars, Dean was candid.
“That’s going to fall squarely on him. I can’t carry his part of the deal, but I am trying to find money to do this with him and I know he’s working hard to try and find it too. I expect him to be behind the wheel of one of my cars at Martinsville and in the other big races at the end of the season. I make no promises, only expectations.”
Dean also addressed the rumors that his interest in Southern National Motorsports Park affected the finances for Morris’ team.
“Southern National had nothing to do with it and right now I’m not a part of that deal,” commented Dean. “We looked at it my wife and I as an investment, but I’m not sure how well I’d do as a partner in something. I like to have control, I’m not sure I’d be a good partner, so I just never jumped into it. Even if I had it would have been separate to what we do on the racing side with Philip and Darell(Gilchrist) and Matt(Bowling).”
Through all of this Dean has turned out to be the villain in race fans eyes. To them, he took a ride away from a guy who is either loved or hated by every fan at the race track. No fan will tell you that “Philip’s alright”, they will either tell you that they hate him or that he’s their favorite driver. Dean now in his words becomes a ‘goat’ to Morris’ fans.
“I feel crappy that I have to defend myself. I’ve done so much for so many people in racing and now to be the bad guy to everyone just because I’m not willing to spend my savings to race just confuses me. I funded the whole deal last year even though it wasn’t my responsibility because I’m a racer and I just want to race, but at some point, you have to stop thinking with your heart.”
“People want to hate on me, they’re wrong, continued Dean.” “I feel bad that we have to disclose personal info about myself and Philip to make people understand what’s going on. I don’t understand, I’m disappointed that there’s no privacy. It makes it harder for us to regroup.”
“All the people on the internet that are ‘in the know’, they don’t know nothing, they don’t know whats going on at all. They should be ashamed of themselves for writing the stuff that they do without any knowledge or anything to back it up. His fans criticizing me doesn’t make me get him back in a car sooner, it makes it harder with all the negativity.”
Dean didn’t back down on his stance either and he wants people to know the truth.
“I’ve spent a million dollars on his(Philip’s) career over the last five years, a million dollars and now I’m no good. Let’s say I didn’t do that, I didn’t spend that money the last five years, I wasn’t there to help him and I come in today with $100,000 and say here Philip, lets go racing. I’d be a hero for $100,000 and I’m a goat for a million.”
“I’d be worshiped if I wasn’t there for the last five years, if I didn’t support him to get all the wins and the National titles. It’s sad that it’s not what you’ve done for someone it’s what are you doing now. It’s what have you done for him lately and it makes me sick.”
Despite the fact that of how he’s feeling over the way everyone has come down on him for deciding to park the ride, Dean still wants to carry on and says that they’ll reevaluate their situation in July and see what they have to try and get Morris back out on the track.
“Unless Philip comes up with the money to go racing, we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at in July and then we’ll be able to make a decision of what we can do from there. People’s businesses just can’t support it anymore and people don’t realize how little sponsorship takes you now days, it’s just not that easy.”
After listening to both Dean and Morris’ version of how things went down it’s clear that finances played the ultimate role. The economy isn’t good and it even affects the people that everyone thinks are made of money and there’s nothing that can be done about it. There was never any doubt that when word came out that Morris wasn’t racing that it would spark a wild fire, but making Dean out to be the bad guy just doesn’t make sense.
“I know it looks like that it’s got to be me as the bad guy, but that’s simply not the case,” concluded Dean. “It’s sorry that I have to speak for myself, they should be speaking for me.”
Hopefully getting the truth out there will start to help quiet the critics and maybe it will make someone step up to support this team and support the effort and get the four-time NASCAR National Champion back out on the race track. But, it’s obvious from the comments of both Morris and Dean that their relationship is strained and while they might be able to put it behind them and move on, it’s not going to be easy.
Click Here to Read Part one of this article with Philip Morris’ comments.
