Aikman, Staubach don't mind paying their NASCAR dues

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Author: Nate Ryan

Section: Sports, Pg. 09c

FORT WORTH -- Their names are synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys, not the Daytona 500. So the entry of Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach into NASCAR could be perceived as outsiders trying to gain a foothold in the insular and cutthroat world of racing's big leagues.

Yet in attending three Nextel Cup races this season, Staubach has felt at home rubbing elbows in the pits.

The former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL superstar admittedly has much to learn about the mechanics who make 800-horsepower engines roar, but he is familiar with those in boardrooms whose multimillion-dollar decisions put those cars on the track.

When Staubach bumps into Roger Penske in the garage -- which he did before Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway -- he is meeting not just a Nextel Cup competitor but a client of the Staubach Co. The 1,300-employee commercial real estate advisory firm completed transactions totaling $21billion last year.

"We do a lot of business with Home Depot, Federal Express, Pepsi, Roger Penske and his car dealerships," said Staubach, chairman and CEO of a company that also has done business with Sprint Nextel. "There's a lot of relationships that's positive for our business. I'm unbelievably shocked by how many people in the company are NASCAR fans and how many of the clients are, too.

"But the other reason about being in this sport is I want to win. This is a tough business, but we might be able to figure it out."

Aikman and Staubach applied business instincts to help Hall of Fame Racing make a steady debut as a single-car startup team. With help from an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing to supply cars, engines and technology, the No.96 Chevrolet is ranked 29th in the owners' points standings.

Tony Raines finished 24th at Texas before a crowd of 200,000 that included fans who cheered Aikman and Staubach to five Super Bowl victories. The prerace scene indicated it was a home game. About four dozen people milled about outside the team hauler an hour before the green flag, and that dwarfed the gatherings around Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.

Those powerhouse multicar teams usually have the upper hand on Hall of Fame Racing, which is aiming for a top-25 points finish this season. The last time a single-car team finished in the top 20 was 2002.

"It initially sounded strange to say the top 25 would be successful," Aikman said. "Now after seeing the teams that have been in this for so long struggle, it's not hard to accept at all."

Hall of Fame Racing took a deliberate approach to its formation, taking 18 months to assemble an experienced team led by crew chief Philippe Lopez with secure funding through sponsor Texas Instruments' DLP brand.

Staubach is optimistic the team will become profitable and perhaps win by next season.

That would be a departure from a long history of professional athletes who have ventured into racing with limited success. Aikman was warned in hourlong phone calls from Gibbs and NASCAR President Mike Helton about the pitfalls of ownership.

"Sometimes I wonder why I didn't listen to them," Aikman said, smiling. "They told us, 'There's road kill all over with people who've tried to come into NASCAR and haven't made it.'

"We knew it wouldn't be easy, but we knew if we were willing to pay the price and stick with it, there'd be great rewards. The reward for me would be overcoming a lot that people didn't think we'd be able to do."

(c) USA TODAY, 2006