Originally Posted by Bloodhound

First off, NASCAR used to be a redneck sport. But it isn't that way anymore. Most of the crew chiefs have engineering degrees, some from well known schools like Virginia Tech. Some of the younger drivers also have engineering degrees, Ryan Newman (#12) has his from Purdue. NASCAR isn't for everyone but it is the largest spectator sport in the country and is a VERY powerful advertising/media outlet.

Back to the topic. FDX's total package may be close to $43M including advertising and all the frills. I would bet a lot of lettuce that they don't throw $43M at Joe Gibbs Racing and the #11. It simply doesn't cost that much to run a 1st class Nextel Cup team. It can be done with $25M-$30M. For comparison, Ferrari, which I know is actually in the fast car business, has a $250M annual budget for their Formula 1 team.