Curing What Ails the Nationwide Series by Michelsen

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Curing What Ails the Nationwide Series

5/15/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

Great racing is great racing but I am starting to get tired of this Cup attack on the Nationwide Series level. Cup-lite is not what this series should be about but it is what we have evolved into. The Nationwide only teams deserve a lot of credit for continuing the good fight. There is no easy way to even the playing field since the sport has always been about the haves and the have-nots. But shouldn't NASCAR be interested in developing new stars? Today I propose an easy solution to accomplish bringing driver development back to the Nationwide Series.

Complete Domination

Joe Gibbs Racing is turning the Nationwide Series into their own private playground this season. Eight wins in the series with six by one team shows the whole process is getting out of hand. While this might be good for television ratings and selling tickets it is not good for competition or driver development. This complete domination by the Cup teams shows that there is time for drastic change in the second most popular racing series in the land.

More Signs of Trouble

Turn back the clock a few years and winning the rookie of the year title in the Busch or Craftsman Truck Series was a sure sign of good things to come in a driver's career. But when rookie of the year winners are unemployed the next season that is a sure sign the lower levels of the sport are in trouble! This has happened not just to Danny O' Quinn in the Busch Series but also to Willie Allen in the Craftsman Truck Series. Sponsors prefer to have Cup drivers or ex Cup drivers in the seat. But NASCAR needs to do something to encourage the development of the next stars in the sport.

One and One

My plan is so simple it is stupid, which is why it just might work! Instead of restricting Cup drivers to a certain number of races my plan sets no limits. But for each race a Cup driver enters for a team in the Nationwide Series they are required to enter a non-Cup driver for a race in the Nationwide or Craftsman Truck Series. Whether that is the same race or a future race who cares. The idea is to legislate the idea of driver development. Instead of giving a paycheck to yet another Cup driver for double dipping this plan gets starts for non-Cup drivers. Thousand of talented drivers never get a chance with so many NASCAR seats clogged by the double dippers. This plan allows Cup drivers to race as much as they want but with a cost to the Cup teams that employ them.

Diversity Gets a Nudge

NASCAR's diversity plans would get a nudge with such a plan. If teams know they would have to employ new drivers some of those starts would go to diversity candidates! Perhaps NASCAR could even help new sponsors enter the sport through such a plan. This would be a win-win for NASCAR and the teams! Diversity would get a nudge and more young drivers would get a chance.

No Shortage of Talent

Every time I hear fans suggest that the lack of non-Cup drivers in the Nationwide Series is due to a lack of talent I want to scream! Head to touring series such as the ASA Late Model Series, Pro All Star Series, UARA-Stars, or the ARCA RE/MAX Series and you will find lots of talented drivers. All they lack is sponsor money to get them to the next level. Travis Dassow won the ASALMS Challenge Division last year and he can't get a chance. ARCA's Justin Allgaier continues to impress at that level and can't find a ride at the NASCAR level. Teenagers Jake Crum and Alex Kennedy are fast down in the minors. Will they get the opportunity to show what they can do in a few years? The list goes on and on. All some of these young drivers need is a few starts to show what they can do. There is no shortage of talent in the minor leagues of racing!

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