Trouble in Turn2

Three years ago the complaint in NASCAR was that the “Young Gun” would ruin the sport. Drivers lacking experience and age getting cherry rides sometimes without a Busch or Truck win for credentials. First it was 19 year olds Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch getting full time Cup rides with Hendrick Motorsports. Then came drivers like Reed Sorenson, JJ Yeley and David Ragan. The results have been mixed. Busch has four Cup wins and has made the Chase the last two seasons. Vickers has one win and is one of the key figures in Toyota’s debut, but still struggles with consistency. Sorenson and Yeley are still finding their way at the Cup level, although Sorenson is only 21. Ragan is only a rookie, but has improved throughout the season. None of the “Young Guns” have ruined NASCAR. Sure some older drivers have been pushed out of rides earlier than they may have liked, but the youth movement is not as widespread as some would make you believe.

In the last two years a new trend has emerged. With nearly all the young drivers moved to the Cup level, the normal pipelines for new talent dried up. Teams are now luring more accomplished drivers from open wheel series, be it IRL, Formula 1 or Champcar to drive a stock car. First it was Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger. Now Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Patrick Carpentier will follow suit. Sam Hornish Jr is also mulling a full time change to stock cars and Scott Speed is also exploring his stock car options in ARCA. Again some people complain that the open wheel revolution will spoil NASCAR. How? I haven’t seen a good argument. How could having the best drivers in the world race in NASCAR be bad for NASCAR? Would the NBA be better without Dirk Nowitzki, Yao or Tony Parker? Maybe fans would prefer Major League Baseball free of Albert Pujols, Johan Santana, Vlad Guerrero and Ichiro? The fact is it makes NASCAR better. Attracting Indy 500 winners and F1 drivers gives NASCAR international respect and greater credibility.

While the number of open-wheel drivers moving to stock cars has increased, other drivers have come to NASCAR for decades. Two of the greatest drivers ever, Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt both won Daytona 500’s. Tony Stewart won an IRL championship before switching to NASCAR. Stock car racing has always attracted top drivers no matter their background.

I have also heard the argument that this influx of new drivers is putting other drivers out of work. Jeremy Mayfield, David Stremme and Scott Riggs are the three drivers that essentially lost rides in favor of open-wheel drivers. Only Mayfield has won a race at the Cup level and that was three years ago. Mayfield and Bill Davis Racing struggled with sponsorship resulting from missed races. Jacques Villeneuve is an internationally known racer that could cast a wider net for sponsorship opportunities. If Mayfield’s loss means that the Cup field is stronger financially and competitively, then that is a win-win for car owners as well as the overall quality of a Cup race. It’s a sign of a stronger field when drivers formerly considered top drivers now struggle to find work. It’s the same as in any sport with a widened pipeline. The best talent will ultimately rise to the top, whether it’s a driver with southern roots and a late model background or an open wheel star with an international pedigree. The goal to win races and Cup titles is the same for any team and driver, and success in these goals will ultimately determine which drivers are good enough. A driver’s background will not. It shouldn’t matter in a fan’s mind either.