Burton Holds Off Edwards At The End; Buschwhackers Make It 14 For 14

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

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[thumb:347:r:s=1]In what was a great show at Dover on Saturday, Jeff Burton held off Carl Edwards to become the second Cup driver this weekend to get the really cool trophy at Dover. Carl took on 4 tires with just under 50 laps to go, while burton and a few others stayed out. Carl made a charge, but still couldn’t get by Burton. Jeff’s car was just incredible on the long run. However, with Cup drivers being 14 for 14 this year in the Busch series, there’s a question that is burning in the back of everyone’s mind.

While it’s great for Jeff Burton, RCR, and the fans, is it good for anyone further down the food chain? There’s two sides to this coin, and both arguments make valid points. However, has the beast grown a little too large for the cage, and does it need to be addressed by Nascar?

Let’s look at the first side of the argument.

Cup Driver’s Help The Busch Series

The basic argument of this side, is that Cup driver’s being in the Busch series helps the Busch series by increasing attendance, increasing tv ratings, and increasing overall exposure. Fans get to see a mix of current Nascar stars and up and coming stars battling it out against the track and against the competition.

As it stands now, the top 7 in the Busch series points are also full time cup drivers. Kevin Harvick is leading the way with a 297 point lead over Carl Edwards. The first driver in the Busch series point standings that is not a full-time Cup driver is Paul Menard in 8th, 589 points back from Harvick. The Busch series has always had Cup drivers pulling double duty to some extent. As of late however, it has become a little more excessive.

Also as a note, it increases the experience of the Busch drivers, as they get to race against the best of the best. This is true, but however as we’ll explore in a moment, it appears there is a cost.

Cup Driver’s Are Hurting The Busch Series

Now, for the flip side of this coin. The argument here is that it is taking money and sponsors from the teams that could be running full time in the Busch series, and that it is leaving less of the pie for them to pick from. The Busch series purses aren’t much to look at, and deserve to be bigger. They are growing, but not at near the rate that the Cup purses are. And the Truck series purses? They’re a joke. Even with an increase in the Busch series purses, it still isn’t leaving much for the full-time Busch series teams. The Busch teams that are backed by Cup drivers typically draw more funding for the team, and there begins the disadvantage for the other Busch series teams.

Why Cup Drivers Run The Busch Series

There’s really several reasons that Cup drivers choose to run the Busch series. Some of which are sponsor commitments, more seat time at a track that has been lost due to the new testing policy this year, information gathering for the Cup race, and just the pure love of racing.

Arguments have been presented for setting the Busch cars further apart in setup and style from the Cup cars, but that isn’t an answer. The reason it isn’t an answer has several points.

First, Busch teams sometimes get chassises, cars, and other parts from the Cup teams. It reduces their costs, and they still get quality components.

Second, while certain numbers in the data might change, there are some basics that won’t change regardless of the proposed difference in the cars. This is the cars reaction to adjustments, and the tracks changing conditions. If a Cup driver hops in and runs the Busch car, and can see and feel how the track changes, that information still carries over to the Cup race. The crew from the Busch team can evaluate changes made during the race, and even if the cars are different, the data can still be used in terms of type of adjustments made and the effect they had overall.

No, it’s not an exact science, and the actual numbers would be different. However, it could still be used in some fashion to translate to potential adjustments in the Cup car.

The Downfalls Of It All

Really, there’s downfalls to both sides. Let’s look at some of them.

If the Cup drivers were not allowed to run the Busch series at all, then it could potentially kill the success and momentum of the Busch series. There would most likely be a drop in numbers across the board. Attendance, tv ratings, merchandise, you name it. There would need to be some clever marketing in place to trump this, and it would take a big card to pull it off. Nascar would in essence have to turn their up and coming stars into stars. People want to see names they recognize and know. Even if it’s just a few, they relate to the action better.

If the current influx of Cup drivers are allowed to remain, or even grow, it could potentially ruin the driver pool in the long run. The Busch series has always been a rung in the ladder to the most prestigious racing series in the world. The Cup series.

Thinking in terms of Major League Baseball, the Busch series would be like AAA minor league baseball. Every now and then you see a few big names come down for whatever reason, but you see rising young stars trying to make it to the big league. The crowds are smaller, but the atmosphere is more intimate at the same time. Also, the “farm” system is in place for the teams in the major league to call up a player, and the wealth of talent available keeps them running. With so many Cup drivers making weekly appearances in the Busch series, it’s limiting the pool of talent to draw from.

We’re now starting to see a slight shift in importance, where drivers are being trained more extensively in the Truck series, and moving to a mixed Cup and Busch program. Arca is also playing a bigger role these days, and even the Hooters Pro Cup as well. While it shouldn’t be surprising, some Cup organizations have their reach buried all the way to the Nascar weekly series in some instances, and then all the way up. Granted, you don’t see Joe Gibbs or Jack Roush at your local short track every week, but the big teams do have their arms in their a bit, and their eyes are always watching. Case in point, Denny Hamlin. What was he doing 3 years ago? Sitting in the stands watching the show. Now, he’s in the mix.

Even with the ever increasing reach of the Cup teams, the driver pool is limited. And it’s becoming a slight worry to some. Not that there aren’t drivers out there, but the overall quality and ability to make it at Nascar’s top level has declined. Mainly from a lack of experience. One of the major places to gain this experience is the Busch series, and the slots available are thin, and getting thinner.

Then again, in the face of great adversity, the cream still rises to the top.

When it comes down to it, it’s a free country. If a guy wants to race, he can.

Possible Solutions

Here is where the most controversy enters the picture. What to do about it, if anything.

To be honest, it’s a love hate relationship. The Busch series needs the names people can associate with, to keep it’s ratings and attendance up. This in turn ensures sponsorship continues, and as long as the sponsors are happy, everybody wins, the Busch series continues on, and continues to see welcomed growth.

Then on the other hand, could it be possible to limit the ability of Cup drivers to race in the lower series to some extent, without killing it completely? Kind of a best of both worlds?

Could it be limited to the first 10 full-time Cup drivers to enter the race, leaving at least a guaranteed 33 spots for non-Cup drivers? That could be possible, however, what if a sponsor is committed to a team to run the entire schedule with a cup driver? Like for Carl Edwards, or Kevin Harvick, and that team happens to be the 11th spot in registration? The sponsor loses out. When they lose out, everybody loses in the end.

Ok, so that’s a possibility, but there has to be something better.

So what if it wasn’t limited in numbers, but by experience level. Since it seems that a lot of the drivers are looking for more experience and seat time, why not limit it to drivers with less than 5 years of full time Cup experience? If a driver has been running in the Cup series full time for the past 5 years, they are no longer eligible for the Busch series. That would be all fine and dandy, but it would leave out the names everybody likes to see as well. Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, and several others. Not to mention, what if something similar to what happened to Kenny Wallace happened to one of the Cup drivers? The sponsor wanted a bigger return on investment, so the following year instead of running 30th in the Cup series they would rather run 15th in the Busch series? There would need to be a stipulation added then. Something to the effect that if a driver has run full time in the Cup series for the past 5 years or less, or they are not running a full time Cup schedule for the current season, then they are eligible to enter Busch series competition.

Ok, that’s getting better, but it’s still not complete.

The only possibility would seem to be a mixture of the two. Allow drivers that have run “X” amount of full time seasons in the Cup series, and allow “X” number of spots on a first come, first served basis.

For example, a driver that has been running full time in Cup for 3 years or less, or is not running a full time Cup schedule this season is allowed. If they do not meet this criteria, they are eligible for 1 of 5 spots on the entry list for full-time Cup drivers.

This would seem to be a more reasonable approach. This way Cup teams with younger drivers can still get them the seat time, but at the same time there can still be a few names in the mix to draw the crowds.

If Nascar were to do anything with this, it would need to be something similar. Too far to either side could potentially have serious negative effects for years down the road. Whether it’s diluting the pool of talented and experienced drivers, or whether it’s killing off the numbers to where it’s no longer possible to run the series in its current capacity, there’s a fine line to walk if this issue is to be approached.

Finally, if a strategy like this is to be implemented, they will have to close the possibility to exploit a loophole. For example, a team sees it profitable to run 30 to 35 Cup races, and a full Busch schedule. If the car is competitive enough, see: Scott Riggs, they can make it in the Cup series mid-pack and run in the top 10 in the Busch series. Not that Scott is doing this, it is just an example. But, in effect, it would be circumventing the new rule package. So, it would need to be defined as to the number of races which define a full-time Cup effort. Whether by attempts or starts, it should be something reasonable but yet would not be able to allow a team to stay within the top 35 in cup owners points. Then again, if the driver is different, that presents a problem too. So, maybe something along the lines of driver starts or attempts would be better.

Closing the loophole, isn’t necessarily closing it, it’s more of discouraging it. For example, the best deterrent would be that if the policy was circumvented, the driver loses all points (driver and owner) in both series, as well as their credentials to race in either series for the remainder of the season. Yes it’s harsh, but it would keep teams from exploiting loopholes if they exist.

Finally, In Closing

With both sides having good points, they really aren’t too far off from one another. The Busch series can’t survive without the names and exposure that Cup drivers bring, but at the same time it can’t survive in a beneficial form with a high saturation level that has become the trend in recent seasons. When the all but a couple drivers in the top 20 starting spots for a Busch race are full time Cup drivers, it’s getting a little excessive. The answer to this isn’t easy, and it’s one that requires a lot of attention and thought. In the end, one thing is for sure. The green flag is going to drop, and we’re going to go racing.

Filed Under: Busch Series, Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup, The Soapbox





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