Full Throttle

Hard as it is to keep up with the current financial tentacles that are becoming more convoluted with each merger or “alliance” of NASCAR teams it’s understandable some things sail under the radar of daily news.

We’re all familiar with the investment Boston Red Sox owner John Henry took in the Roush Racing team.

It was all very high profile with Roush and Henry presiding over the unveiling of the #99 Red Sox/Lumber Liquidators Ford Fusion at Fenway Park prior to last June’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire.

Roush and Henry can never be accused of being shrinking violets, and the event was in keeping with that theme.

Painted to resemble a baseball with red stitching and “Red Sox” emblazoned across the hood above a “Lumber Liquidators” sponsor logo, the red and white car slowly made its way into the park. It carefully rolled along the warning track in right field, made a right turn at Pesky’s Pole, and came to a stop along the first-base line.

Henry acquired a 50 percent stake of Roush’s racing empire for $62 million, that added to Henry’s own empire that includes the Fenway Sports Group - a wholly-owned subsidiary of New England Sports Ventures, the ownership group of the Red Sox, Fenway Park, and New England Sports Network.

However, there was another financial player involved with a 17.75 percent ownership interest in New England Sports Ventures.

That player, unknown to this itinerant blogger and usually referred to as the “Fish Wrap,” (one of many) is the New York Times.

This has come to light with the news the Times is searching for a buyer the New England Sports Ventures portion of its investment portfolio and has retained Goldman, Sachs & Co. as its financial advisor for the possible sale.

Funny what one can find when you stray away from searching racing news coverage 24/7.

Not that this means much for the racing side of this story, I just found it interesting.

Not to mention the few chuckles I’m having watching the Fish Wrap struggle along at junk bond status, shedding subscribers at the speed of light and having to get 250 million dollar loans from foreign nationals at loan shark rates.