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NASCAR Nationwide Series team owner Armando Fitz ponders future
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Nationwide Series team owner Armando Fitz isn’t sure if he wants to bring his Fitz Motorsports team back for 2009.
Fitz has had a difficult year, personally and professionally, and doesn’t know if he wants to fight the battle as an independent team owner. Fitz lost both of his parents in 2005 but said this year has been nearly as difficult.
“I really never thought I could have a year worse than what I had in ’05, losing my parents within six months of each other,” Fitz said. “This year has been right there. It’s not just the competition side of it. It’s the sponsors and employees, just everything. It’s been a bad year, a hard year.”
Fitz is currently separated from his wife, Mimi.
“It’s hard. It’s been hard on [the four children],” Fitz said. “It’s been tough. ... This year, I haven’t been there. It’s been tough.”
Fitz’s troubles this year began when a sponsorship that would have backed a second team, the No. 36, for Kenny Wallace, fell through and Fitz said he spent money building that team before the deal collapsed.
“We were on our way to having a really, really good year... ,” Fitz said. “It would’ve been a whole different ballgame.”
Later, Mike Bliss, driver of the team’s No. 22 Dodge, left the team and sued for salary and purse money he said Fitz owed him. Bliss won a judgment in the suit.
After Bliss left, Fitz used a revolving door of drivers and slipped to 23rd in owner points.
And now, Fitz doesn’t know if he’ll be back or not.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Fitz said. “I don’t know. I’ve got some sponsorship stuff. I don’t know if I can go through it. I’ve talked to a couple of investors. I don’t want to do it by myself. I’ve got to have help with the day-to-day business.”
Fitz has talked to investors about buying into the team, saying he has let investors know about his financial struggles and what debt any potential partner would need to assume.
Fitz said a merger with another Nationwide team isn’t likely.
“I would love to do that, but let’s not kid ourselves,” Fitz said. “My deal is a struggling deal. There are vendors that are owed money – and there are vendors who have been incredible with me and worked with me. Some of these other teams that are struggling, they’re like, ‘Why do I want to merge with another struggling team?’”
Fitz said he has sponsorship for 15 races for next season.
“I love this sport,” Fitz said. “I grew up playing football and basketball and played college sports. I love this sport. … Everyone says this sport gets hit the hardest because of the economy. Yeah, but at the end of the day, this sport also gives the biggest return to sponsors than the rest of them.”
“I want to stay in. I’ve done some good in this sport. I’ve brought in a lot of companies, I’ve given them a lot of return, I’ve given a lot of young drivers an opportunity in my cars that a lot of teams won’t do.”
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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Comments
12 responses to "NASCAR Nationwide Series team owner Armando Fitz ponders future". Post a Comment.
Larry Meider said:
Nov 18, 2008 at 4:55 PMThis is the classic situation where this individual is "reaping what he's sewn". You can't come into this sport and expect to operate a team with thug/intimidation bahavior ... and not see some form of "Karma correction" at the back end. News gets around fast - and there appears to be no life line from anyone he's done business with in the past. Sad.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBOWTIE said:
Nov 18, 2008 at 9:34 PMFritz is not alone in his struggles, look for NASCAR to allow the ELITE TEAMS to add field fillers so they have a full field at each race
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndrew Briscoe said:
Nov 19, 2008 at 12:26 AMI don't get why so many different teams talk of how they "almost had sponsors" (everyone does it) and that "the deal fell through." It's not like that's helping them, so why is it always mentioned in any article that a team owner complains of lack of sponsorship?
Report as AbuseAs for Armando Fitz, I think he's a decent owner. Sure, there was the Mike Bliss lawsuit, but he jumped ship 5 races in the season for another team and then the team was forced to look for drivers. He's still locked in, and you would think that the teams locked in would have at least some sponsorship. 15 of 35 races just isn't enough.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportScott Heintz said:
Nov 19, 2008 at 4:46 PMCouldn't happen to a more deserving guy. Hope he exits the sport and never returns. From someone who is owed money by Armondo Fitz, I say goodbye and good riddance!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBrenna Davis said:
Nov 22, 2008 at 1:50 PMArmando Fitz brought every bit of this on himself. He allowed inexperienced people like the Calinoffs to run off the very people who kept his operation running. He ran off the crew and office staff one by one. Please don't single out Mike Bliss as the only one owed money. There is a long line of people with their empty hands out waiting to be paid, which will never happen. I agree with Scott Heintz, good bye and good riddance. Just go around the NNW garage and poll the people and I bet you won't find a hand full of people who will miss this bunch at all, quite the contrary. What goes 'round, truly comes 'round. Treat people like dirt and eventually you'll get dirty too. Cheat in all facets of your life and you'll pay the piper somewhere down the line. The way we treat others will and does come back to us one day and I think Fitz' day is finally here. He proclaims to be a family man and a Christian, then act like it! Step up to the plate and make things right.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMr Galvan said:
Nov 25, 2008 at 2:55 PMFitz is a great guy!! im a huge dodge fan and a fan of the 22 car. i hope they return, there are alot of drivers out there, i think he should try to see if GEM would let him use chase miller in his car. I hope he returns!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportLee Gentle said:
Nov 29, 2008 at 5:47 PMMr Galvan what kind o f ship are u on !!!!! This is armando fitz we r talking about.I agree 100% with Brenna and Scott i am a former employee of fitz motorsports and was there till the end when he and bill farnsworth made us sign our layoff papers stating they would pay us what they owe us and if u notice the small letters in front of there names its because they deserve NOTHING i have yet to receive my money that i worked really hard for i have no respect for liars and theives such as armando and bill but i hope karma plays a hellish toll on both of these scum bags they owe me in the thousands and i probably wont get any but for u armando god will judge u and i hope he sends u straight to hell because my kids ask me for months why we didnt have money and all i could do is cry
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKerry said:
Dec 8, 2008 at 9:59 AMTo lee gentle with the little letter!Don't you dare hold my husband responsible for armando's lies he does not own that race team!!My husband BILL FARNSWORTH was lied to by Armando also.He fought for every employee there to get the money they desevred.ARMANDO DIDNT AND STILL DOESNT WANNA PAY.If it wasent for BILL that shop would have closed down a long time ago.I do belive karma will come back to haunt armando when he someday sees what it is truley like to suffer finacially(no more trips to nyc and bmws in his driveway).Bill is owed thousands from armando also and i no we will never see that money and we are struggeling bad also.And i can guarantee you that armandos wife and children are not suffering at all as we sit here and have to explain this to our daughter too with tears in our eyes.You see Bill does have a family but you might not know it because he dedicated too many years to that lying backstabbing no good of a man!!!So think before you speak maybe thats why you lost your job in the first place.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportgeorge sawyer said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:52 PMman this is good stuff.i think the man needs to pay the people he owes money too before hes allowed back in nascar.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportVandy said:
Dec 31, 2008 at 8:38 PMCome on NASCAR step up to the plate for all of the former employees that are owed money! This team shouldn't be allowed to race if former employees are still owed money, it does sound like LOTS of money is due to them! I thought that NASACR was a FAMILY sport, Family makes sure that the FAMILY is taken care of. Why is NASACR looking the other way and allowing this team to continue to race? From my sources Armando is still planning to race in the 2009 season! HOW? By the way...how embarrassing for Vanderbilt alumni! Vanderbilt doesn't teach this type of business tactics...Aramando must not have been listening in class while he attended class at Vandy!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjim gordon said:
Mar 22, 2009 at 5:21 PMAs someone who supplied screen printed and embroidered apparel on a moments notice to him, he left owing my company money. If I knew where to send the civil papers, I would have him served tomorrow. Shame on him.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJavier said:
Apr 13, 2009 at 11:39 AMI agree with Mr Galvan all you guys are judging wrong and for all you guys wishing bad on people something bad might happen to yall because of it
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