Grand-Am/ALMS Merger: Remember, It's a Job

When I first heard about the Grand-Am/ALMS merger, I had the same questions as everyone else -- what classes will run in the new series, what tracks will they run at, what manufacturers will be involved. But it was this tweet from Guy Cosmo that changed my train of thought:

If you don't like it, well, too bad. I plan to stay employed as a race driver & if I stay in Sportscars, this new venture is my ONLY choice.

As race fans, we see this as a merger of two racing series. But at the end of the day, this is a business transaction in which one corporation has acquired another corporation. Mergers and acquisitions of businesses affect the livelihoods of people -- me included -- every day. It's just that Grand-Am and ALMS are fun businesses.

Four years ago, I lived through rumors that a competitor was going to buy my publication and shut it down. Those rumors eventually became reality, but all the speculation can wear you down.

For at least the next few months, there's going to be a lot of speculation about the future of sports car racing in the United States. While I really want to know all the details, there are drivers and crew members in two racing series wondering about their jobs. I just need to remind myself of that every once in a while.