Perkins Proposing Drivers Union After Increased Tension Among SCS Drivers

After an exciting yet controversial 2015 Season, the Sony Cup Series is riding a high when dealing with their on track activity. However there is a lot of tension among the drivers about the stability of some of the teams and the series itself. As a result, driver Sean Perkins is proposing the creation of a drivers union.

"The purpose of this is to figure out what the hell is going on in the series," Perkins stated. "Right now, we have drivers out there who are scared that one wrong move may end up getting them fired. Other drivers are concerned of the increasing performance gap between the front of the field and the rear of the field. But the vast majority of the drivers in this series are concerned with the direction of the series. Right now, certain team owners, drivers, and members of the series have incredible power. They have the ability to push the series officials around to get their way. We are concerned that things might go too far. The only way to get the series back on course, is for the series officials to have a open discussion with the drivers. That is why a union is a good idea."

Much of the tension was caused by some of the management decisions of Martin Motorsports. During the middle of the 2015 Season, Driver Nick Perclies was fired from his ride in Martin Motorsports after winning a race earlier in the season at the Ohio Motor Speedway. Martin replaced him with a relatively unknown friend of Luke Martin named Aaron Taylor. Many people believe that Perclies was a scapegoat only so that Taylor could get the ride in the long haul.

Another situation took place between Mace Enterprises and Sean Perkins. Perkins was hired to Mace Enterprises for the 2016 season. Only to find out by reading a newspaper that Eugene Demax ended up being hired into his ride. A very angry Perkins lashed out at team owner Nick Mace, calling him a "coward" by not even telling him that his contract was terminated. Perkins also claimed that his contract payment was not made by the team, and a possible lawsuit is pending. Perkins rather reluctantly hired on to a less then enthused FBR, who through together a 4th team for him before a more stable offer came to his desk.

That offer came from Red Bull Racing after the Martin Motorsports 5th car scandal. The scandal started when Martin Motorsports announced that the SCS had allowed them to field a 5th car. Previously, the SCS officials reportedly told all team owners and drivers that the series would only allow 4 cars per team. Martin somehow got around those rules and stated that he had a 5th car for the season with the SCS officials blessings. Martin then went on to retain driver Skye Commons who had raced for Martin in 2015. The only problem was that Commons was signed to Red Bull Racing for 2016. Red Bull claimed that neither Martin Motorsports, Commons, or the SCS came up to them and told them that they would have to search for a new driver. Red Bull lashed at Martin Motorsports, and drivers called the move a "blatant disregard of the rules, and trust of their competitors." Eventually Martin was told he could only run 4 cars, leaving Commons out of a ride because Sean Perkins swooped in to take the #82 car.

The final scandal of 2015 was the Ford Performance scandal during the early part of the season. Questions were immediately raised when Ford powered cars dominated the first half of the season. Many drivers such as Sean Perkins brought up the fact that the Fords could be illegal. A move which caused the SCS to suspend Perkins for his use of the media. Perkins called the SCS' move "Chicken Shit," and stated that the SCS was trying to cover up the fact that Martin Motorsports (the "leading" Ford Team) had again found a way to skirt the rules.


"All of these scandals have spoiled the fantastic on track action that the SCS had," Perkins argues. "We don't intend on doing anything brash yet, however if things continue down the path that they do. The SCS fan support will undoubtedly take a massive hit, and the drivers will most certainly be looking to a series that is more stable and secure. All we are asking for is some damn stability."


OOC: Please comment if your driver supports a union. Also this should be seen as a drivers version of the RTA, or the F1 Drivers association.

Dodd: "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! A drivers union is the last possible thing we need, especially with all these problems going on. It would mean giving higher ranked drivers even more power and control and leaving the middle guys and the rookies in the dust. I have been telling people for years, if the SCS makes any type of union body like the NFL or the MLB, it is going to be in big trouble because the "power grab" would be too much for the drivers(and owners) to handle correctly."

"Saying that, I would like to propose that the SCS have a bi-monthly drivers meetup, where the drivers can come together and talk with the series officials about these different subjects going on, and to see how we can make the SCS better for everyone. But we don't EVER, EVER, EVER need a union to do that, just some true gentelman sportsmanship, and an understanding that there is a lot responsibility to be had in being a part of this sport, and that we should be taking care of and growing this series, not trying to tear it down or give people unnecessary positions that will only posion the heart of this great series."

OOC: I dislike unions both in fantasy and real life, and there is no point in having one, especially in fantasy, cause unions are all about power and control, whether real or not. Doing something like a town hall meeting is the way it should be done, or even better a cookout at a local park where everyone can come and voice their opinions while getting to know each other better at the same time.

Honestly the union could calm down some tension within the SCS community. I'm not saying that it would stop the situation but it can put it to a stop and get a situation of the matter a lot more reasonable.

Pericles:"I don't really care, either way."


OOC: Don't know what a union is..

RedViperGaming wrote:Pericles:"I don't really care, either way."


OOC: Don't know what a union is..

OOC: A union is why the roads never get fixed, why teachers go on strike, and why the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, etc. Have gone or almost gone into lockdown. It's all about who has the most power and control.

Davis: Perkins you got half the stories on half of those. You also weren't fully cleared that you were running the #24 you were told that you run the ride unless something came up. That's why you never got a signing bonus. Mostly because contracts are filled out the week before Daytona at Mace Enterprise.
For the rest of the drivers you never ask for binding contracts. Why do you think YAMP Motorsports and Turner Fenway are so stable. We had drivers sign binding contracts till season(s) was over.
I myself got a binding contract with Mace that had me in the 5 for 3 seasons (2016 is the last) You guys just need to work on your negotiating.
Besides that Ford wasn't a problem. The problem was that there were 4 Ford Teams that has good equipment vs the very few numbers of Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota. Then the random Mercedes and Audis. So of course Ford was dominate they had a better team system.

CJ Racing wrote:

RedViperGaming wrote:Pericles:"I don't really care, either way."


OOC: Don't know what a union is..

OOC: A union is why the roads never get fixed, why teachers go on strike, and why the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, etc. Have gone or almost gone into lockdown. It's all about who has the most power and control.

It isn't that necessarily... the Formula 1 drivers union works pretty well for the most part. It isn't a power control thing here. It is about opening up a line of communication. You'll see where this is going. I hope your drivers do sign up, because there is a nice storyline going with this!

f1fan wrote: It isn't that necessarily... the Formula 1 drivers union works pretty well for the most part. It isn't a power control thing here. It is about opening up a line of communication. You'll see where this is going. I hope your drivers do sign up, because there is a nice storyline going with this!

OOC: Except you forget the fact that they make unseemly amounts of cash, even more than NFL and MLB players do. And it doesn't work perfectly; Red Bull, The RED BULL, was this close to leaving F1 if they weren't given what they wanted, and of course it was given to them(which is kinda sad IMO, was kinda hoping Daniel Ricciardo would come to NASCAR).

One of the things that I have always said, real life or fantasy, is that I would NEVER be a part of a union. The sheer amount of corruption that goes on is insane(not saying that this would be the same, but the term union is)...

IC:Dodd: It would take a lot for me to take any part in a union, and there would have to be clear reasons and advantages as to why I should join. I much rather would like to have a drivers meeting, or even better a cookout, where we could come together informally and just chat about what's going on and what we can do to make the SCS better without having to go through all the hoops of an officially registered union. Maybe if I was a driver only for a bigger team would I even give it much thought, but being a co-owner of arguably the smallest full-time team in the SCS, I don't see where a union would match with our plans to grow this team. However, I will listen to reasonable arguments why I should enter.

Sean: Well Chris, the first thing is job security. One of your good friends Nick Perclies was fired midway through the season from a race winning ride, only for Luke Martin to hire a friend in his ride. I had a ride lined up with Mace Enterprises, with a signing bonus. Mace terminates the contract, and doesn't pay the cancellation fee that was highlighted in the contract. These situations could happen to any one of us. And the series is unwilling to put rules against teams doing this.

Right now, there is massive spread between the best cars on the grid and the worst cars. What we will do is work to make every car on the grid have at least a few chances to win a year. Right now if you are at the back of the grid, you don't have much of a chance.

Siemens: Instead of a union, we should do something... More positive perhaps? I'm thinking a 2015 SCS Banquet. Basically, it'll be set up in a few weeks where the drivers, crews, officials, and anybody else involved with 2015 one way or another (not IRL btw) meet up at a certain location, mingle, chat, and eat. In a positive state of mind though, so for example Nick Pericles won't be allowed "accidentally" spilling his Coke on Luke Martin's new tuxedo. I think this could be cool, and it would definitely calm down the tensions between the people of the SCS! The Racers Digest Awards could also be given out here...

OCC: I have no clue what a union is, Chris's explanation made me a little more confused. Hence why I brought up the idea of a banquet...

Dodd: The thing is, since I am the driver of my own team, job security isn't an issue for me. And if I was ever to sign another driver to my team, you can be rest assured that I would never go back on any deal that I make(provided that driver sticks by the rules of the team).

Now, saying that, the second part that you mentioned is very interesting...Exactly what do you mean by giving every driver a few chances to win? How would this be implemented without completely redesigning the rules package to close the teams together? Wouldn't that be a hinder to some of the bigger teams?

Sean: This Banquet/cookout idea isn't going to do a thing! That would be a one time thing that everyone will be happy at, and nothing will come out of it. We need an organized front to try and get stuff done. In responding to Davis, I would like Luke Martin to come out and state why Perclies was fired from the team. We do only know half of the stories. However there is no reason for a situation to be handled so poorly.

OOC: A union is an consolidation of drivers who work together to improve working relationships with the series and team owners. Their goals for example would be to mandate a rule forcing job security. Or mandate a budget cap to ensure that one team is not becoming too overpowered. It pretty much gives a bit more control to the drivers.

Davis: The reason Pericles was removed from his ride was because Pericles was in a flame war with you Perkins over the Ford issue. It didn't reflect well on either of you. Luke decided it was best for Pericles to leave the team. Aaron Taylor was planed to run as a part time rookie (running only 6-9 races) when the full time ride fell into his lap. Pericles did well with MtnDew Racing though.

I don't think there is need for a union. I think you guys need a class on reading the fine print of contracts. Perkins, Mace Enterprise contracts are not final till a week or 2 before speedweeks, so your contract was not finalized. I could show you mine from 2014 when I signed the 3 year deal.

Finguy: "Then don't race Dodd. The series will be better with this anyways. You see Formula 1, even though the Mercedes Team is the 'Fords' there. It's like this. If you want a secure ride, then you're gonna want to have this. Nick Periclies and Kyle Collins say something, '5 Cars' say something. A Drivers Union will be there to support drivers who had been screwed. That happens, screw the championship season, screw the fans. One of our own got swept under the rug. You don't see that, we don't need you."

OOC: Yet the unions in sports are for MONEY. Remember the season of '5th Downs' in the NFL? Temp refs don't know s*it. But yet. A Drivers Union will be pulled, then teams will go, drivers will stop racing. It all comes to a point of realizing that what happened now needs a consequence like this. I'm not saying it because it is real. But if a team STEALS a driver. Or a team flat out is BIASED. This needs to happen. Remember Finguy's last win? Five races into the final five races. He done at Mace. That's reasonable. Finish out the season and give the keys. But mid-season and done? No. I might sound way out of hand. But I better see this in TWO series. Not one. TWO series that do this, then I'm on board. ...You see what I'm hinting to?

Siemens: Mine as well back out of this argument. I mean, I'm not even a driver so where's the point in getting in it?

I think the only teams who did swap around drivers were. YAMP, Turner, Fisher, CBM, and Swagger. Fuel Bros could count but Zeb raced the 47 at one point for relief. Why? because they set deals that they knew they wouldn't regret, and had finalized contracts so drivers couldn't jump teams or the team drop the driver till the end of the season. Also the 4 who filled their team with people they found on here talked with the drivers they were hiring, and made sure they were clear on what was going on. They didn't just ask if they wanted on the team. James Silverfox and me were going back and forth for months before he was declared to run the 28 in 2016.

Sean: Jordan, are you just making stuff up for the sake of defending yourself. In my contract with Mace Enterprises there was not a clause like that. I am sorry, but you are WRONG. I looked over it with a fine tooth comb. Owner/Drivers are a huge issue. With the exception of Dodd, and maybe a few others... Owner Drivers are the ones driving this series out of control.

The way we would level out the playing field is by introducing a budget cap. All teams would pay their way into the series. The series then would deal out an equal amount of money to all the teams, and the teams could only spend that amount of money for their entire team. The series then could adjust the amount of funds given to the under performing teams and you are set. An even playing field!

Finguy: "...Then what about the ones who are compared to people like that Perkins? You're putting my name out there. I'm not LIKING that."

Brock: "Man, I've heard so many good arguments on both sides, I don't even know who to side with."

Sean: We can also implement safety standards as well. I have always been a person for moving the drivers seat more toward the middle of the car. A drivers union would in fact help safety.

Dodd: Look, I am not looking for trouble, I just wanted to know exactly what a driver's union would accomplish since I drive my own car, and am not a driver for another team. I could care less about drivers getting kicked out mid-season, since it doesn't involve me. I am an owner first, and a driver second, so what happens to other drivers doesn't affect me, because my job is secure.

And Jordan Davis made a very good point: If drivers would make binding contracts with their teams, then we wouldn't be having these problems. Now, would a union help enforce this? Maybe, but shouldn't teams already have this as one of those unwritten rules, so that if another team does this they would be frowned upon by the rest of the garage area?

Now, if a union helps in closing the competition, then we can discuss matters, because that would affect me as an owner first and as a driver second. I just wonder if it would truly make a difference in terms of in-race performance. If someone could clear that up then that would make any decision easier.

Dodd: Well, thanks Sean for sending me the full proposal, and I must say that I am very interesting in this whole budget idea, especially for a small team like CM Racing. If we could implement this, plus a couple of other... Well... Small details , then we might be getting someplace...

OOC: Sorry about that, if you have some posts that ended up in the garbage can. You can re-post them here. Yes I do like to make Sean go a little bit crazy with his ideas, but do not force yourselves upon other drivers.

Sean: This drivers union will work... trust me!

Dodd: Wow... The banhammer... Look at how shiny it is!!!

Dodd: Well, now that all the crazyness has past, let's start shaping this into order. We need some sort of agreement paperwork, and we will need to choose some people to head this, preferably one member from each class of driver(top, middle, and bottom ranked teams). What do you think?