Earlier we ran an item about Nashville's Baker Curb Racing coming close to making a deal with a Sprint Cup driver to drive their #27 Ford in the Nationwide Series, a ride that was driven in 2009 by Jason Keller.
The article mentioned that the last time a non-Cup driver won the Nationwide championship was 2000, when Jeff Green won the drivers title while he was with ppc Racing. Baker Curb co-owner Gary Baker mentioned that a Cup driver is now needed to be competitive in the Nationwide Series.
That statistic of only Cup drivers winning championships beginning in 2001 certainly seems to back Baker up. But a stat like that begs for a closer look.
Here are the Nationwide champions since 2001 with the teams they drove for at the time:
- 2001: Kevin Harvick (Richard Childress Racing)
- 2002: Greg Biffle (Roush Racing)
- 2003: Brian Vickers (Hendrick Motorsports)
- 2004: Martin Truex Jr. (Chance 2 Motorsports [DEI])
- 2005: Martin Truex Jr. (Chance 2 Motorsports [DEI])
- 2006: Kevin Harvick (Richard Childress Racing/Kevin Harvick Inc.)
- 2007: Carl Edwards (Roush Fenway Racing)
- 2008: Clint Bowyer (Richard Childress Racing)
- 2009: Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing)
As we can see, Sprint Cup teams were involved in all of these championships. As I have always contended, it is the Cup teams and not the Cup drivers that is the problem with the Nationwide Series. Teams like Baker Curb will still be handicapped, no matter who is driving the car, because they are not a Cup team.
Cup teams have all sorts of advantages over Nationwide-only teams like Baker Curb. The most obvious advantage is money. Cup teams can afford to spend as much paying their driver to compete in the Nationwide Series as is the entire budget of some Nationwide teams. Cup teams can even afford to operate their Nationwide operations at a loss if they choose to.
Besides the increased money Cup teams receive from their Cup sponsors, they can offer potential sponsors a more diverse array of options. Besides primary and secondary sponsorships, they can offer Cup, Nationwide, and in some cases the Camping World Truck Series as well as the regional NASCAR series. Let's not forget ARCA and smaller regional touring series. When you combine all of that with various race packages, these Cup teams can off sponsors an almost endless choice of packages and price points.
Sure, an outfit like Baker Curb can offer Nationwide primary and secondary sponsorships, as well as customized race packages, but beyond that the options start to thin.
Many Cup teams also use their Cup crews to pit their Nationwide cars, providing them with another huge advantage.
I love Baker Curb Racing. Nobody wants them to succeed more than I do. They're our hometown NASCAR team. They are not just content to show up at a race. They want to win. I've met these people, and believe me, they're doing all they can to make that happen.
I think a Cup driver will improve their team and improve their chances of winning some races. But the odds will remain stacked against them and winning a championship will remain beyond reach. (Memo to Baker Curb: Feel free to prove me wrong)
The first step to solving a problem is to admit there is a problem. So long as NASCAR continues to stick their heads in the sand and deny there is a problem, the Nationwide Series will continue to suffer. The Cup drivers involved also claim there is no problem. Of course they do. To do otherwise would be to admit they or their employers are the problem.
Ask around the Nationwide garage and you may find some honest answers. Armando Fitz has been very outspoken on this issue, as was his former partner, Terry Bradshaw.
Cup drivers are good for the Nationwide Series. They bring star power to the series. In cities like Nashville, it's the only chance we have to see some of these drivers race. They also provide a good measuring stick for aspiring young drivers who hope to make it to Sprint Cup someday.
But Cup teams are not so good for the second series. Somebody needs to throw a black flag on Cup teams in the Nationwide Series. (12/29/2009)
OUR READERS WRITE:
Very good article. I never thought of it that way but you are sort of right. Lately, sponsors won't sponsor a nationwide car unless a cup driver is driving so its not entirely the team that is the issue. All of them should be removed.
Those who grew up with the Busch series took interest in seeing the up and coming drivers battle it out each week by themselves, and as of right now, its impossible with Cup guys winning every week taking points and purse money away from these NW/Busch teams. Its unwatchable and that series has lost fans more than it has added fans.
- Anonymous
Get the Cup drivers out of the Nationwide race. Let those young drivers have their chance to be a Champion. If you want the Cup drivers to run, then do not let them have the points, they go to the first Nationwide driver behind them. That will allow them to get their due.
- Danny Cope
Interesting that this has been going on for the 24 years that I have been following racing, but it only seems to have been getting the attention of the media lately. When Mark Martin showed up every week, hey, it was good for the Busch Series. But then again, in the eyes of the media, Mark can do no wrong. Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch - not so warm and cuddly to the media types.
- Anonymous
Some interesting thoughts about involvement by cup teams, but how do you limit or eliminate the cup teams. I think that one of the ways that you can limit the amount of money a team is willing to invest in a nationwide team is by limiting the number of races a cup driver can drive in the nationwide series, and limit the number of times a cup driver can drive for a nationwide team. This allows cup drivers to be involved, but not run full seasons and restricts teams from running multiple cup drivers for the whole season. I think that this would achieve many of the concerns that people have. The only question that I have, is what should the thresholds be? 6 races? 10 races? half the season?
Just a thought.
- Anonymous
Also, perhaps limiting the number of cup drivers in any one race.
- Anonymous
How about cup drivers are allowed but they have to drive a car that has nothing to do with the cup series.No cup owner or parts or crew a real Nationwide team only. We will see how good some of these guys are I bet alot would not race because they would get their butts kicked by some of the Nationwide regulars.
- Anonymous
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