Finally! Time for some racin’ has arrived!
Hundreds of drivers are fighting it out for the Golden Driller at The Chili Bowl in Tulsa this week.
And word comes from Dana Tomes, Barboursville’s Brett Rowe will be driving for Faith Motorsports with Morgan Shepherd in the Nationwide Series in 2011.
And NASCAR is changing the rules.
Ah, the sound of horsepower and the smell of exhaust is in the air!
There are some names we know at the Chili Bowl, and there are some names missing there this year. We know JJ Yeley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Jason Leffler are in the field. We also know Kasey Kahne isn’t entered as a driver, and neither is Tony Stewart, although TStew is the virtual Grand Marshal.
I feel I must give a shout out to Cameron Hagin of Hagin Racing, Broken Arrow, OK. He started Tuesday in heat 3 on the outside of the 2nd row. He’s being sponsored by Raypro. Oh, by the way, did I mention he’s a rookie? Yep. We’re looking for big things from this young man.
Dana Tomes sent along info about Brett and Morgan running two cars from Faith Motorsports in NNS 2011. They will be trying to run the first five races this season. Points transfer, NASCAR approvals and working hard to lock in to at least the first five races can get a wee complicated.
In a perfect world, the points Morgan gained in the partnership with Richard Childress will transfer to him, and the #89's points will move to Brett's ride and number, when NASCAR says so.
Speaking of Morgan Shepherd, here’s a nice story on NASCAR.com today about him:
http://www.nascar.com/news/101214/mshepherd-christmas-trip/index.html
Now, on to fickle NASCAR. Decisions to be made, lives to change. Imagine this, NASCAR changing the rules. Again. And the drivers will have to make choices. Do I want a NNS title or a Sprint Cup title?
It’s about time! I’ve said for several years now, it’s not right to have Cup drivers in the NNS barreling through the competition for the sake of another trophy.
I liken it to NBA and NHL players being allowed to compete in the “amateur” ranks for the Olympics. It’s just not right.
Don't ban them from the series, just don't let them take the top prize.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know. The sponsors want to see their product name get more exposure. And if their driver wins the title, it's one more lugnut on their wheel. That’s the “reason” for having marquee drivers in what is essentially the minor leagues. I can understand that logic. Economics in NASCAR have been on the skids for a few years.
Big name drivers put fans in the stands. While there are empty seats at pretty much all the tracks, there are still more than 100,000 people there buying tickets to the races. Does that happen in basketball or baseball? How about football? OK, soccer maybe.
While it’s fun to see your favorite driver in the seat two times in a weekend, that’s not the reason I like the NNS or the Camping World Truck Series. I think it’s good to see them fight it out, hoping to get noticed by not just the fans and gain a following, but also being seen by more team owners and thus, get a shot at moving up to the Cup.
There WILL come a day it’s not about Jimmie Johnson. Or Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart or, dare I say, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I’ve always said, “train your replacement, so some day you can retire.”
While honing their skills against Cup drivers has advantages, those drivers don’t get a chance to win the trophy. And if they can’t win the NNS or NCWTS top prize, they can’t have that AND the Cup in their resume. To me, that would be mark of a true champion.
Seriously, I was so pulling for Biffle in the Chase this year. It’d be great to see him have all three series titles. And anyone with a crew called The Pit Bulls has to be awesome to start.
The other issue in my mind is, if you run two series or even all three in one weekend, that’s a lot of seat time and time spent driving at insane speeds. Realizing they are young men, well, with a few exceptions, which adds up to fatigue and concentration issues which could lead to mistakes that otherwise might not happen.
Too much to think about. Money. Big name players. Speed. Titles. And that’s not even getting near the subject of expanding the 12-man, 10-week Chase.
The only good thing I know is The Chili Bowl is here, which means Daytona isn’t too far away.
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