Tim Brown, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee whose career in the NFL lasted from 1988 to 2004, could possibly be mulling another venture into NASCAR team ownership, the San Antonio, Texas-native said in the latest episode of the podcast ‘The Bag with Rashad Jennings and Lindsay McCormick.’
Brown, who holds the NFL record for the most consecutive starts by a receiver, spoke about his aspirations of team ownership in NASCAR, as well as the opportunity he had at doing so slipping away, nearly 15 years ago.
“The one venture that I looked at getting into, and I ended up not doing, and it’s coming back around now because I got three or four guys who are getting into it, is NASCAR,” Brown said. “When I retired, that’s what I wanted to be, the owner of a NASCAR team.”
Brown further detailed a failed effort to get into ownership in NASCAR, that ended up falling apart primarily because of the infamous economic recession in 2008, which forced the team Brown was with to back out of the potential partnership.
“Actually, you know, I think we would have gotten it done, but at the end of 2007, into 2008 was when we had the big financial crash, so everybody was bowing out and the team we were with said ‘Tim, we’re not going to be able to do it.'”
Prior to those plans falling apart, Brown was looking to partner with Roush Fenway Racing in creating a diversity-forward organization in NASCAR, as part of the sanctioning body’s Drive for Diversity program, with the eventual goal of having an African America, Hispanic, or female driver.
“So, I wish I would have gotten that done because now Emmitt [Smith] is doing something, and I think a couple of other African Americans are doing something in NASCAR.”
Emmitt Smith, the all-time rushing leader in the NFL, recently became co-owner of NASCAR Xfinity Series operation Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, which debuted earlier this season in Daytona.
At the start of this year, Smith joined a rapidly-growing list of minority owners across NASCAR’s top-three series, which includes a star-studded roster of icons in other sports.
Michael Jordan, a legend of the NBA, is the co-owner of the second-year NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing, which fields an entry for Bubba Wallace, who became the NASCAR Cup Series’ first African American multi-time winner at Kansas Speedway.
Floyd Mayweather – 15-time boxing champion in various weight classes – has also dipped into NASCAR’s team ownership pool, with his organization The Money Team Racing debuting in the 2022 Daytona 500 earlier this season.
Brad Daughtery (NBA) has been the longest-standing minority owner in NASCAR, having owned a piece of NASCAR Truck Series team Liberty Racing in 1997, before becoming a partial owner of JTG Daugherty Racing in 2008.
Outside of professional athletes, Grammy-winning artist Pitbull is also a co-owner of a NASCAR team, Trackhouse Racing, which debuted last season in the NASCAR Cup Series and has recorded three wins since.
Driving for Trackhouse Racing, Daniel Suárez – a native of Monterrey, Mexico – became the first Mexican-born driver to win in the NASCAR Cup Series when he triumphed earlier this summer at Sonoma Raceway.
Although his attempt at becoming a NASCAR team owner didn’t materialize, Brown hasn’t grown sour on NASCAR, serving as the Grand Marshall for last year’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, alongside Tony Dorsett.
In a press release announcing Brown as co-grand marshall, the Football legend said: “I’m very happy to see the guys in NASCAR now. The minorities who are involved with NASCAR is a little bit overdue, but I’m glad to see these guys out here having a good time. Had a chance to meet Bubba [Wallace] today and glad to see him out here making things happen.”
Further describing his experiences at the track in an October 11 episode of The Bag, Brown says: “If you’ve ever been to a race, you see them cats coming around that corner, that’s a different type of speed and power. Every time I would go, I would be down there, right there on the track, so I’m ducking when they spin out. They got these lug nuts flying everywhere, it’s crazy down there.”
