To attract participants in a lesser-known sports car racing series, one of NASCARs leaders helped pay a teams startup costs and guaranteed a profit, according to a deposition in a contentious divorce case in Charlotte.
A motion filed last month in team owner Felix Sabates divorce provides a window into the financial condition of Grand-Am Racing, a race circuit started by NASCARs France family in 1999 and acquired by the racing organization in 2008. It also shines a light on the little-known practice of promoters sometimes financing teams that compete in their races.
The court filing raises questions about possible conflicts of interest in a sport that is already under scrutiny over ethics. Last month, NASCAR penalized Michael Waltrip Racing for trying to manipulate the outcome of a key race.
Its not unheard of in other sports for the league to step in and take ownership of a struggling team for an interim period. But in most sports, it would be unusual for a league official to contribute personally to a team.
In a deposition included with the filing, Felix Sabates testified that the late Bill France Jr., NASCARs former CEO, offered him and partner Chip Ganassi $1 million out of his own pocket to start a team and said he would also guarantee $400,000 in annual profits. Ganassi and Sabates entered Grand-Am racing in 2004.
In his testimony, Sabates said Bill Frances son, current NASCAR chief executive Brian France, kept up the payments when his father later became sick, but that the payments stopped when Bill France died in 2007.
Carolyn Sabates, Felix Sabates ex-wife, says in the filing that it would look bad for Brian France to have financial ties to a championship-winning team. Scott Pruett, a driver for the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team, has won the Grand-Ams Rolex series five times. The sports car circuit, far smaller than NASCARs Sprint Cup series, features sleek sports cars rather than traditional stock cars.
Jon Ackley, a professor in Virginia Commonwealth Universitys business school who studies NASCAR, said he hadnt heard of the organization financing any teams before and noted that there have been cases where other race teams have closed or run partial schedules due to lack of money.
Having a league official back a team really stirs up some muddy waters, Ackley said.
One potential conflict could come when the sanctioning body has to enforce rules, he said. How do you fine a race team for a violation, he asked, when youre giving them money?
Former Charlotte Motor Speedway President H.A. Humpy Wheeler said its a little-known but common practice for race promoters to help finance teams.
Its been going on forever, Wheeler said. When youve got a startup series like Grand-Am, youve got to have cars.
Wheeler said he doesnt have a problem with the practice, but promoters have to be careful that the teams they support dont just win, win, win.
NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said it was inappropriate to comment on ongoing personal litigation. John Olguin, a spokesman for the Ganassi racing organization, also declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Charlotte attorney Bill Diehl, who is representing Sabates in the divorce case, said there is no news in the motion by Carolyn Sabates, who is acting as her own attorney in the legal battle with her ex-husband. The couple divorced in 2008 after more than 40 years of marriage.
She is just grabbing at straws to try to hurt Mr. Sabates, Diehl said.
The value of the team is at issue in the divorce because Carolyn Sabates wants the team independently appraised, according to testimony at a hearing in 2010. In the motion, Carolyn Sabates is asking a judge to throw out a distribution of assets agreement entered in May. A hearing is scheduled Monday in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
Her file is littered with court orders and rulings against her, Diehl said.
The Grand-Am team is a collateral issue in the case, he said, adding: Its an asset that doesnt have any value.
Rare look at NASCAR finances
The dispute provides a rare glimpse into the finances of NASCAR, a privately held company that is tight-lipped about how much money it makes. Occasionally information slips out in legal filings, such as a divorce case this year that divulged details about the France familys wealth and Chief Executive Brian Frances income.
NASCAR is based in Daytona Beach, Fla., but has operations in Charlotte. Many of its teams are based in the Charlotte area.
Felix Sabates, in his early 70s, is a well-known Charlotte businessman whose career has spanned racing, car dealerships, a yacht-building company and investments in sports teams such as the Charlotte Bobcats, according to a biography on his teams website.
Carolyn Sabates, 70, claims that the couples lifestyle once came with an annual cost of $2 million per year but that she now has no money to pay an attorney, according to a filing in the case. The filing says she has had no income for seven years and has suffered health problems because of the case.
Felix Sabates, a Cuban-American who has made Charlotte his home since 1963, first entered racing in 1987 when he bought a research and development team from Charlotte businessman Rick Hendrick, according to the biography. He ran his own team on NASCARs top circuit before merging operations with Ganassi and later Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Grand-Am racing features sports cars racing on road courses and some speedways. In 2012, Grand-Am announced a merger with the American Le Mans series, and the combined circuit will be called United SportsCar Racing starting next year.
The better-known Sprint Cup series runs more than double the number of races as Grand-Am, and its events are broadcast on top networks such as ABC, Fox and ESPN. Grand-Am races have recently run on the Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 cable channels.
There is no money
According to testimony by Felix Sabates in a 2010 deposition included with last months filing, Sabates said he and Ganassi started the Grand-Am team after accepting Bill Frances offer to defray the startup costs and guarantee an annual profit. Sabates also testified that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim was a partner.
In his testimony, Sabates said the money that he and Ganassi were receiving stopped when Bill France died. The Grand-Am team is still competing in the series, but Sabates paints it as a money loser.
Were trying to close the doors without embarrassing ourselves, the France family and embarrassing (the) Grand American Series, he said in the deposition. There is no money. There is no purse. Theres nothing.
Sabates ownership role in the team is unclear.
At a 2010 hearing, Diehl, Sabates attorney, said his clients ownership was at 20 percent. In 2012, Sabates testified that he had no ownership, although he said he had received an $80,000 consulting fee from the team over a three-year period.
In an interview, Diehl said he thought his clients role with the team was very minimal.
Its Ganassis company, he said. He runs the ship for better or worse. Felix goes to the races and sits in the pits. I dont think he put much into it, and he didnt get much out of it.
Difficult sell
Wheeler, the former Charlotte Motor Speedway president, said its not surprising to hear that a Grand-Am team would struggle to make money. Road racing is popular in Europe but has never been a hit in the United States.
Its a very difficult sell in America, Wheeler said.
Craig Depken, an economics professor at UNC Charlotte who studies sports, said road racing is overshadowed by other racing options in the United States and is a challenge financially because there are fewer seats to sell.
NASCAR has also faced problems with declining TV viewership of its stock car races, a drop in ticket sales at tracks and a transition from national corporate sponsors to regional ones, Depken said.
We do have market signals that NASCAR may have peaked relative to other sports leagues, Depken said. But that remains to be seen.
As for any concerns fans should have about a NASCAR official supporting a team financially, Depken said other sports have seen cases where the league was forced to step in and take over teams in financial trouble without experiencing problems. The leagues havent done bad by fans, he said. Theyre looking at their long-range reputations.
Once other teams know about the practice, they will watch you like a hawk, said Wheeler, the former speedway president.
You have to be extra careful, he said, and make sure the operations being financed dont receive any special treatment.
Thomas Lee "Tom" Blackwell, 81, passed away in Greenville on Wednesday, April 7, 2010.
Crystal Pauline Jones Pistone CHARLOTTE - Mrs. Pistone, 84, passed away peacefully at CMC University Hospital on October 5, 2013. Her husband, daughter and great friend were by her side. She was born November 1, 1928, in Shamrock, Oklahoma, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she met her husband and soul mate, Tom Pistone. For 68 years she was the loving wife of NASCAR legend, Tiger Tom Pistone. They were inseparable and Crystal's constant love for him and their nine children were her passion in life. Theirs was a lifetime love and both hearts truly beat as one. Mrs. Pistone was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Evelyn Jones; her brother, Junior; her sons, Tom Jr. and Jimmy; as well as daughter, Rosie. Also predeceasing Mrs. Pistone were grandchildren, Jon Bennett Hannan Pistone and John Thomas. Mrs. Pistone is survived by her husband and three sons, Pete Pistone of Charlotte, Tommy Pistone III and her grandson whom she raised since he was 18 months old and considered as a son, and Sam Pistone of Charlotte, as well as three daughters, Rosemary, Lena and Crystal, her namesake. She is also survived by many grandchildren including Taylor Pistone, Rosie and Christopher Trester, Roselee and Manuel Sadek; and many great-grandchildren. Her favorite Scripture passage was Psalm 23, "The Lord Is My Shepherd." Mrs. Pistone was the most loving and caring person you could ever want to know. She is missed so much and loved! Mrs. Pistone will be entombed in the family mausoleum in a private service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart and