Many people are wondering about the quality of drivers in NASCAR right now. They have
doubts about the quality young drivers and the influx of open wheel drivers coming into
the sport. They want to know why all of this is happening. I have an explanation.
In the past several years the driver pool in NASCAR has seen many changes. Fans have
witnessed the most active silly seasons ever. Drivers are changing teams like pairs of
socks. From the sport’s most popular driver to the struggling Jeremy Mayfield, drivers
and teams are changing rapidly. Mergers are leaving talented veterans like Sterling
Marlin and Joe Nemecheck without rides while an influx of young phenoms and open
wheel drivers enter the sport. When the 2008 season starts with the green flag at Daytona
18 drivers will be somewhere other than where they started last season. Some wonder if
the instability in the driver pool leads to instability in the sport.
There is an explanation to why all of this is happening. It is semi-complicated so please
stick with me. In the big picture this is all caused by NASCAR’s open competition and free
market strategy. In the small picture it is caused by a series of changes that happen to
today’s drivers. First of all, drivers are starting younger and younger. They are
accomplishing more in less time than at any time before. Team owners searching for the
next Jeff Gordon sign these kids to contracts at very young ages. (Drivers must now be 18
to race in a Cup, Truck, or Nationwide series event.) They sign these kids to drive for
them when they really haven’t won anything yet. Some ask why they do this. The reason
is that if they don’t sign these kids early another team owner will get there guy before
they do. They are rushed along through ARCA, Trucks, the East series and the Nationwide
series with exceptional equipment. If the kid doesn’t do terrible in his brief stints and
auditions he gets a cup ride. When these kids get in the cup cars they struggle. About a
year and a half into their Cup careers fans and owners begin to question their abilities.
Within another year these kids are looking for rides with other organizations and in other
racing series’. Why, you may ask: because they didn’t win anything before they were
signed and they have been rushed along ever since.
This is where the open wheel drivers come in. Owners see guys that want to come into the
sport that have won something. They see a pool of past IRL champions, Champ Car stars,
Indy 500 winners and F-1 drivers. All of these are very prestigious in the eyes of race fans
and team owners. Indeed they are. I enjoy open-wheel racing myself and am not
discrediting the prestige of these awards. However there is nominal correlation between
stock car racing and open wheel racing. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Actually it’
s more like comparing soccer and football. To the novice they look very much alike, but
they indeed are both their own respective sports popular in their own demographics and
parts of the world. This is why the open wheel drivers will continue to struggle in NASCAR
and this is also why team owners will continue to sign these guys.
Many people would blame a driver shortage for the many changes occurring in NASCAR.
Instead, I blame a patience shortage. The best solution for team owners is to be patient
with young stock-car drivers. Full seasons running for points and championships will help
a driver more than partial schedules in a multitude of circuits. Open wheel drivers are
nice for publicity and a new fan here and there, but raising a driver and helping him gain
experience racing for points will maximize the potential of a young driver and lead to
success in the Sprint Cup series. Drivers need to become accustomed to racing full
seasons, after all that is what they’re expected to do when they reach the Sprint Cup.
Look at the young drivers who are succeeding now such as Martin Truex Jr. Truex won 2
consecutive Busch Series championships before entering the Cup ranks. It is now obvious
that that experience of championship racing has paid off.
How do drivers gain this experience? The solution is simple. Brian France and NASCAR
need to re-establish the purpose of the Nationwide series as a development tour. NASCAR
should make all drivers in the top 35 in Sprint Cup owner points qualify on speed for
Nationwide events. The Cup drivers should not earn points in Nationwide races. As for the
car used, it should not vary too drastically from the Sprint Cup cars. Young drivers use
the Nationwide series to gain experience for Sprint Cup racing and the Nationwide series
cars should be similar to what these drivers will use when they reach the Sprint Cup.
Lastly, I’m all for using a so called spec engine in all Truck and Nationwide series events.
This will even the playing field for small teams and provide for better competition and
better racing.
The explanation and solution to the so called driver shortage is simple. Team owners need
to be patient and the Nationwide series needs to have a definite definition of being a
developmental series.
Questions, Comments ??? e-mail your take to opinion@cuptalk.net. We’ll post the best
responses on the website.
Stay tuned for a breakdown and rating of several young and new drivers NASCAR fans
will see in 2008.
doubts about the quality young drivers and the influx of open wheel drivers coming into
the sport. They want to know why all of this is happening. I have an explanation.
In the past several years the driver pool in NASCAR has seen many changes. Fans have
witnessed the most active silly seasons ever. Drivers are changing teams like pairs of
socks. From the sport’s most popular driver to the struggling Jeremy Mayfield, drivers
and teams are changing rapidly. Mergers are leaving talented veterans like Sterling
Marlin and Joe Nemecheck without rides while an influx of young phenoms and open
wheel drivers enter the sport. When the 2008 season starts with the green flag at Daytona
18 drivers will be somewhere other than where they started last season. Some wonder if
the instability in the driver pool leads to instability in the sport.
There is an explanation to why all of this is happening. It is semi-complicated so please
stick with me. In the big picture this is all caused by NASCAR’s open competition and free
market strategy. In the small picture it is caused by a series of changes that happen to
today’s drivers. First of all, drivers are starting younger and younger. They are
accomplishing more in less time than at any time before. Team owners searching for the
next Jeff Gordon sign these kids to contracts at very young ages. (Drivers must now be 18
to race in a Cup, Truck, or Nationwide series event.) They sign these kids to drive for
them when they really haven’t won anything yet. Some ask why they do this. The reason
is that if they don’t sign these kids early another team owner will get there guy before
they do. They are rushed along through ARCA, Trucks, the East series and the Nationwide
series with exceptional equipment. If the kid doesn’t do terrible in his brief stints and
auditions he gets a cup ride. When these kids get in the cup cars they struggle. About a
year and a half into their Cup careers fans and owners begin to question their abilities.
Within another year these kids are looking for rides with other organizations and in other
racing series’. Why, you may ask: because they didn’t win anything before they were
signed and they have been rushed along ever since.
This is where the open wheel drivers come in. Owners see guys that want to come into the
sport that have won something. They see a pool of past IRL champions, Champ Car stars,
Indy 500 winners and F-1 drivers. All of these are very prestigious in the eyes of race fans
and team owners. Indeed they are. I enjoy open-wheel racing myself and am not
discrediting the prestige of these awards. However there is nominal correlation between
stock car racing and open wheel racing. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Actually it’
s more like comparing soccer and football. To the novice they look very much alike, but
they indeed are both their own respective sports popular in their own demographics and
parts of the world. This is why the open wheel drivers will continue to struggle in NASCAR
and this is also why team owners will continue to sign these guys.
Many people would blame a driver shortage for the many changes occurring in NASCAR.
Instead, I blame a patience shortage. The best solution for team owners is to be patient
with young stock-car drivers. Full seasons running for points and championships will help
a driver more than partial schedules in a multitude of circuits. Open wheel drivers are
nice for publicity and a new fan here and there, but raising a driver and helping him gain
experience racing for points will maximize the potential of a young driver and lead to
success in the Sprint Cup series. Drivers need to become accustomed to racing full
seasons, after all that is what they’re expected to do when they reach the Sprint Cup.
Look at the young drivers who are succeeding now such as Martin Truex Jr. Truex won 2
consecutive Busch Series championships before entering the Cup ranks. It is now obvious
that that experience of championship racing has paid off.
How do drivers gain this experience? The solution is simple. Brian France and NASCAR
need to re-establish the purpose of the Nationwide series as a development tour. NASCAR
should make all drivers in the top 35 in Sprint Cup owner points qualify on speed for
Nationwide events. The Cup drivers should not earn points in Nationwide races. As for the
car used, it should not vary too drastically from the Sprint Cup cars. Young drivers use
the Nationwide series to gain experience for Sprint Cup racing and the Nationwide series
cars should be similar to what these drivers will use when they reach the Sprint Cup.
Lastly, I’m all for using a so called spec engine in all Truck and Nationwide series events.
This will even the playing field for small teams and provide for better competition and
better racing.
The explanation and solution to the so called driver shortage is simple. Team owners need
to be patient and the Nationwide series needs to have a definite definition of being a
developmental series.
Questions, Comments ??? e-mail your take to opinion@cuptalk.net. We’ll post the best
responses on the website.
Stay tuned for a breakdown and rating of several young and new drivers NASCAR fans
will see in 2008.
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